You Are the Beat: A Full Recap of the 2026 Let’s Play Music Symposium
- Let's Play Music
- 18 hours ago
- 4 min read
The energy was absolutely electric at this year’s annual music education symposium! Every year, Let's Play Music licensed teachers from across the country gather for a truly special event...Symposium! This two-day gathering is more than just a conference; it's a focused, educational experience and a celebration of our shared passion for the transformative impact music has on young lives.
At Symposium, our teachers connect and collaborate, then return to their classrooms with renewed energy for the work they do. It's a rare and treasured opportunity to be surrounded by like-minded educators who share the same mission: bringing joyful, high-quality music learning to children everywhere.
A Theme That Brings It All Together
Each year, the Symposium takes on a unique theme that inspires and shapes the entire event. This year’s theme, "You Are the Beat" challenged attendees to look inward and realize that as music educators, we are the ultimate experts in our classrooms. We set the tempo, we orchestrate the environment, and we breathe life into the curriculum!
Presentations, activities, and even décor were thoughtfully tied to the theme, creating a cohesive experience that deepens the learning and makes the event both memorable and fun. This thematic focus sparks creativity, encourages reflection, and helps teachers carry fresh ideas back to their studios in meaningful ways. Did we mention we like to have fun?
Building Connection and Community
One of the most magical parts of Symposium is the sense of belonging it fosters. Between laughing and connecting during our community games, this year's event capped off with major announcements and product reveals that left the room buzzing with excitement for the upcoming season.
Teachers had the chance to share experiences, swap success stories, and look forward to the incredible growth ahead!
A Powerhouse of Learning and Inspiration
Symposium is carefully designed to ignite creativity, sharpen teaching skills, and deepen understanding of the Let's Play Music curriculum. Teachers enjoyed a packed lineup of masterclasses and workshops over the weekend:
Engaging Workshops led by the Let's Play Music training teams, packed with hands-on strategies to analyze brain research, reset student focus, and regulate classroom energy through rhythm and movement.
Let's Play Music teachers practicing mindfulness and classroom energy regulation techniques during a sound bath session at Symposium 2026. Inspiring Presentations from Our Featured Speakers: This year's powerful lineup of core pedagogy, studio business, and mindset workshops was anchored by incredible leaders in our community:
Collage of featured speakers presenting music rhythm pedagogy, classroom movement, and mental fitness workshops at the Let's Play Music Symposium 2026. Shelle Soelberg (Visionary Founder): Kicked off the event with an empowering theme intro to "You Are the Beat" and closed with a reflective keynote, "The Rhythm of Life," challenging us to find a sustainable tempo in business and life. She also led a deep-dive into steady beat pedagogy, iconic notation ("our bugs!"), and methodology frameworks.
Lori Petersen: Introduced mental fitness strategies in "Conducting the Rhythm of Your Mind," sharing simple tools to overcome comparison and reset internal metronomes during stressful moments.
Rosemary Olsen, NCTM: Presented "Hearing the Beat: Audiation, Solfege, and the Inner Musician," sharing research-backed strategies for early childhood ear training.
Marnie Christensen: Shared her extensive background in "Set the Tempo in Your Classroom," showcasing how built-in rhythm and movement can instantly reset student focus.
Cherie Webb & Katelynd Blake: Pulled back the curtain on exciting new song updates and interactive puppet shows in the upcoming "Presto II Pilot."
Symone Lund: Taught practical, steady marketing routines to boost enrollment in "The Rhythm of Recruiting."
Abigail Wiest: Applied the famous "Lazy Genius" philosophy in "The Steady Studio" to help teachers eliminate administrative friction and paperwork.
Quinn Miller (Thryv): Shared expert digital marketing strategies for local SEO and Google Ads in his business session, "Get on the Beat."
Teacher Awards
One of Let's Play Music's core values is to celebrate accomplishments, no matter how big or small. One way this is implemented is by presenting awards to teachers who have hit milestones throughout the year or have gone above-and-beyond to create great classroom experiences for their students.
This year, the entire community gathered to celebrate incredible growth and foundational principles with two major recognitions:
The 90% Enrollment Honors: Honoring studios that achieved a stellar benchmark of 90% or higher student enrollment.
The Core Values Awards: Recognizing individual educators who consistently embody the heart, culture, and foundational principles of our organization.
Composition Contest
We also have an annual composition contest for our graduating students where winners are selected by a guest judge and announced at Symposium. This year's brilliant young student entries were evaluated and presented by guest judge Dr. Carmen Hall (President of the Utah Music Teachers Association and founder of Young Pianists International). You can read this blog post to listen to and celebrate our incredible 2026 Student Composition Winners!
Why It Matters
When our teachers grow, our students benefit. The skills, ideas, and encouragement gained at Symposium ripple outward—touching classrooms, students, and communities in powerful ways. Each year, our teachers leave feeling inspired, equipped, and excited to continue making a difference!
We are grateful for every educator who joins us, and we look forward to another year of learning, laughter, and music-making together. Until next Symposium—go forth and Be the Beat!
Want in on this fabulous event? Become a teacher!
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