Sweetwater Receives Award
Sweetwater has been named the fourth most inspiring workplace in North America in the 2026 Top 100 Inspiring Workplaces Awards—an impressive jump from ninth place in 2025. The Fort Wayne, Indiana-based company is also the highest-ranked retailer on this year’s list. This recognition is especially meaningful as Sweetwater also earned Special Recognition in four categories: Culture and Purpose, Employee Experience, Wellbeing, and Inclusion—doubling the number of special honors it received last year.
Gillian Keller Named TI:ME President-Elect
The Technology in Music Education (TI:ME) has named SBO+ contributor Gillian Keller as their next president. Gillian was also the representative from Minnesota in the SBO+ “50+ Music Teachers Who Make a Difference in 2026” awards.
Ti:ME Announces Transatlantic Music Technology Education Partnership
TiME UK and TI:ME USA have announced a new transatlantic partnership designed to expand music technology opportunities for inclusive music making.
The partnership will create an international platform for sharing best practices in music technology, inclusion, digital and adaptive instruments, professional development and classroom implementation. TiME UK was created in 2019 to help educators embrace new music technology and connect product developers with real-world classroom use.
With a membership of about 1,000, TiME UK works with music technology brands including Ableton, Yamaha, Sontronics, Woojer, Digit Music, Robkoo, Soundbeam and Arcana Instruments. The organization said the partnership with TI:ME USA will support educators and young creators in both the United Kingdom and United States.
“Music tech companies need trusted routes into education,” said Kate Rounding, executive director of TiME UK. “We’ve seen great success in putting products in front of teachers, music services, SEND practitioners and young people, while feeding real-world classroom insight back to industry. This exciting new partnership strengthens the bridge between industry, classrooms and young creators in both the UK and US.”
Richard Llewellyn, CEO of TiME UK, said music technology has become central to how young people create music, but many educators need more training, equipment knowledge and sector connections to use it meaningfully.
TI:ME USA has been active since 1995 and works to help music educators apply technology to improve teaching and learning in music. The memorandum of understanding between the two organizations includes professional development, research and knowledge exchange, advocacy, shared resources and international networking.
ASTA Announces 2027 Convention
ASTA will host the National Orchestra Festival and hold their 2027 convention in Chicago, February 24-27, 2027.
Orchestra 3.0: Harnessing Technology to Transform Your Ensemble
Discover how technology can revolutionize your orchestra classroom! In this session, we’ll explore a suite of innovative tech tools designed to enhance rehearsal efficiency, deepen student engagement, inspire curiosity, and make music learning more accessible. Learn how to create interactive play-along videos; foster collaboration and creativity with digital audio workstations (DAWs); reimagine notational literacy; and motivate your students to take ownership over their musical growth.
Music for All Appoints Anne Fennell as Senior Director of Education
Music for All is pleased to announce the appointment of Anne Fennell as Senior Director of Education, bringing one of the nation’s most accomplished and respected music education leaders to the organization’s senior leadership team.
A nationally recognized educator, administrator, author, and advocate for music education, Fennell joins Music for All following a distinguished career spanning nearly four decades in public education and educational leadership. Most recently, she served as Music Program Manager and Supervisor for San Diego Unified School District, one of the nation’s largest school districts, overseeing comprehensive music education programs serving thousands of students.
In her role as Senior Director of Education, Fennell will provide strategic leadership for Music for All’s educational vision and programming, guiding the continued growth and excellence of the organization’s national educational initiatives, honor ensembles, camps, educator professional learning, advocacy efforts, and student experiences.
