Praxis Practice: Prepare to Pass!

About the Event:

Come to learn about the Praxis II Music Content/Instruction Assessment, and learn some practical tips and strategies geared toward preparing for and passing it! Both presenters have had exceptional success in supporting students preparing for this test. 

Join Collegiate Advisory Council members Dr. Heidi Welch (Eastern Division Representative) and Dr. Tomisha Price-Brock (Member-At-Large) as they present on this heavily requested topic.

Dr. Heidi Welch is the Director of Music Education and serves as the advisor to the NAfME Collegiate chapter at Vermont State University @ Castleton in Castleton, Vermont.  Her work at the University includes teaching undergraduate courses in Music Education, facilitating and supervising field experience and student teacher placements, and directing the Spartan Spirit Band.

Dr. Welch currently serves as NAfME Collegiate Coordinator for the Vermont Music Educators Association, has served as President of NH Music Educators Association, and is a member of the National Network of State Teachers of the Year (NNSTOY).  She also served as recording secretary for NH Band Directors Association for many years.   She is the 2013 NH Teacher of the Year and one of four finalists for the 2013 National Teacher of the Year.   She is an active adjudicator, clinician, and guest conductor throughout New England, serves on the Grammy Educator of the Year committee, and is a Praxis II reviewer for ETS.

Prior to joining VTSU-Castleton in 2019, she was the sole music director at Hillsboro-Deering HS in Hillsboro, NH for twenty years teaching band, chorus, guitar, music theory, and other elective courses.  Prior to that, she taught K-5 general music, beginning band and elementary chorus in Claremont, NH.  Dr. Welch currently serves as the Eastern Division Representative for the NAfME Collegiate Advisory Council.

Tomisha L. Price-Brock, Ph.D. An accomplished educator, Tomisha Brock has led superior instrumental and vocal ensembles on the public school level and in higher education in Virginia, South Carolina, North Carolina, Mississippi, Washington and Nevada. A native of Carrollton, Virginia, Tomisha Brock began her education at the age of 3 at the Hampton University Laboratory Institute and graduated at the age of 16 from Smithfield High School (Smithfield, Virginia). She received a Bachelor of Music Education degree from Virginia State University in 2005, a Master of Music Education degree from Norfolk State University in 2011, and has completed additional coursework at Capella University, Southern University of Utah, and the University of Illinois-Chicago. Dr. Brock received her Ph.D. in Music Education from the University of North Carolina at Greensboro in 2020.

Prior professional appointments include serving as Director of Bands at Basic Academy of International Studies (Henderson, NV), Director of Instrumental Music and Coordinator of Music Education at The University of Mount Olive (Mount Olive, NC), Director of Bands at Garfield High School (Seattle, WA), and Director of University Bands and Assistant Professor of Music at Clark Atlanta University. She holds the distinct honor of being the first female band director at Clark Atlanta University and in the Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (SIAC). Dr. Brock has also served as Associate Director of Bands and Assistant Professor of Music at Mississippi Valley State University (2016-2017) and Director of University Bands at Elizabeth City State University (2011-2016).

In the community, Dr. Brock is the Owner and CEO of Prodigious Music Concepts, LLC, and serves as a Professional Development Specialist and a Teacher Licensure and Educational Consultant, assisting music education majors and current professionals with the tools necessary for success on teacher licensure assessments. She is also the Founder and Executive Director of the Fuel Your Dreams Foundation and The HBCU Recruitment Center, PSC, providing information and resources pertaining to educational opportunities at our nation’s Historically Black Colleges and Universities to BIPOC communities in the Western region of the United States.

Dr. Brock is an honorary member of Tuba Phi Tuba Brass Fellowship, Tau Beta Sigma National Honorary Band Sorority, Inc., and Kappa Kappa Psi National Honorary Band Fraternity, Inc. She is an active member of Sigma Gamma Rho Sorority, Incorporated and Sigma Alpha Iota International Music Fraternity for Women, and holds active memberships in the Virginia State University, Norfolk State University, and the University of North Carolina at Greensboro Alumni Associations.

Currently serving as President of the HBCU National Band and Orchestra Directors’ Consortium (HBCU-NBODC), Dr. Brock maintains active professional memberships in the HBCU-NBODC, Intercollegiate Music Association, College Band Directors National Association, Association of Black Women Band Directors (Charter Member), American Association of Blacks in Higher Education, National Association for Music Educators, Women Band Directors International, National Band Association, and the National Black Musicians’ Coalition.

NAfME presents this live virtual event at no charge to all as a service to the music education profession. To register, you must enter your NAfME member information or create a nonmember account. After registering, check your email for instructions. A recording of this program will be available to all registrants for one week following the live event. Members can also view archived NAfME webinars in the NAfME Academy. The views expressed are those of the presenter; they do not necessarily reflect the views of NAfME.