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Music For Kiddos Symposium: Friday, November 6th, 2026
The premier 100% online early childhood music conference is back for its 7th year, featuring keynote speaker Charlie Hope!
The Music For Kiddos Symposium is an online conference and continuing education opportunity for anyone who loves supporting kids through music, play, and creative engagement.
Every session is designed with the nuances of childhood development in mind. Our speakers are innovators, advocates, and creatives who share fresh ideas, resources, and encouragement to help you in your work with kids.
We also want to hear from you! That’s why we build in extra time for questions and comments during every session and host a Speaker’s Forum at the end of the day where you can bring your questions to the entire group of speakers.
If you’ve been needing a music therapy or music education pick-me-up, this is the conference for you. You’ll leave feeling rejuvenated and refreshed, armed with new ideas and inspiration to bring back to your work.
Watch live online (webinar-style), watch the recording for up to a year after the event, or mix and match to fit your schedule.
FEATURED SPEAKERS:
Charlie Hope - Keynote
Lorrie Kubicek, MT-BC and Kimberly Khare, MA, MT-BC - Get Your Groove On!
Gabby Banzon - Electronic Music Genres & Culture
Mollie Schwartz - Tuned In: The Power of Musical Transitions
Kate Mostyn - Creative Pathways to Regulation: Moving Beyond Coping Skills to Whole-Body Creative Regulation
Darlene Machacon - Authenticity Over Assumptions
Music therapists, this course is pre-approved for 10 CMTE credits, and it fulfills the requirements for ethics credits.
Music educators and other related professionals, upon completion of the course you will be given a certificate for 10 professional development credits that you can self-submit (we cannot guarantee that they will be accepted, but they often are).
KIND WORDS FROM LAST YEAR’S SYMPOSIUM:
“This was my first year attending the Symposium with MFK and I will definitely be back! Not only was it great value for cost, the wealth of information shared by music therapists as well as our colleagues in music education was so refreshing and inspiring to hear. The quality of professionals who presented made each presentation session fly by, and I loved learning from them. Don't miss it!” -Jamie M. Sacca LCAT, MS, MT-BC
“I have attended every MFK Symposium, and can honestly say it's my favorite professional development opportunity of the entire year. It's such a joyful day of learning and sharing, and I feel blessed to be a part of it!” -Kimberly Beck, MT-BC
“The Music For Kiddos Symposium was incredibly inspiring! Every session was packed with creative, practical ideas I can bring straight into my sessions with children. I left feeling refreshed and motivated.” -Sophie Adelman, MT-BC
“This is the second MFK Symposium I have attended. I have enjoyed and found inspiration in both of them. The presenters were excellent. I recommend this Symposium for music therapists and teachers.” -Rebecca T. Googe, MM, MT-BC
SCHEDULE:
Total Course Time: 500 minutes (10 credits, fulfills ethics credits for music therapists)
PRICE: $107 ($87 early bird pricing until October 27th)
Charlie Hope is a Juno Award-winning singer-songwriter whose music celebrates the joy, creativity, and wellbeing of children. With a degree in Art Therapy with Children and years of experience working with young kids, Charlie brings a unique perspective on how music and the arts can support children’s emotional, social, and creative development. Her music has reached families around the world as one of the most-streamed and widely recognized independent children’s artists today.
Kate Mostyn, LCPC, LCAT, MT-BC is a play therapist and music therapist who loves using creativity, music, and play to support children, teens, and adults. She is a certified EMDR therapist and uses creative and narrative-based approaches in her trauma-focused private practice. Through Creative Therapy Umbrella, Kate helps therapists bring creative modalities into their work in fun, practical, and engaging ways.
Mollie Schwartz is an elementary music teacher and choral director entering her 10th year of teaching. She is passionate about making music fun, engaging, and meaningful for every student. Through singing, movement, and games, Mollie creates musical experiences where kids can explore, create, and discover the joy of making music.
Gabby Banzon, PhD, LPMT, MT-BC is a Filipino-American music therapist, professor, songwriter, and producer. As a music therapist, she’s worked with people across the lifespan with various disabilities and diagnoses. As a songwriter, she’s written and produced 3 EPs; the most recent one, titled “Rockstar Tendencies,” was released earlier this year.
Darlene Machacon is a high school choral director, music educator, national presenter, and content creator behind @thedarlingmusicteacher, where she shares ideas for culturally responsive teaching, social-emotional learning, and authentic student engagement. She is passionate about helping educators build meaningful connections with adolescents by partnering with culture bearers, elevating student voice, and creating music experiences that bridge cultural traditions with the music students love today. Darlene was named a GRAMMY Music Educator Award Quarterfinalist and a Give A Note Foundation Music Educator Innovator in 2026, and was recognized as a CMA Foundation Music Teacher of Excellence in 2022 and 2026.
Kimberly Khare, MA, MT-BC is a board certified music therapist and a Nordoff-Robbins
music therapist. For 30 years she has worked in community-focused settings supporting children, families, teens and young adults by designing and facilitating programming that helps them build their accessibility, creativity and agency. Kimberly has taught at Berklee College of Music for 29 years, supporting generations of music therapists in their development of clinical musicianship and relational facilitation.
Lorrie Kubicek, MT-BC is board certified music therapist, program manager for Expressive Therapies at MGH and founder of “Our Neighborhood ROCKS!!”, a kiddo-centered music experience that brings live music, song, dance, and instruments to kiddos in YOUR neighborhood. With 25+ years professional medical music therapy experience and 7 additional years doing music and creative arts at a specialized summer camp, Lorrie finds a very effective balance between traditional music therapy techniques, childhood development knowledge and clinical fun.
(Event host)Stephanie Leavell, MT-BC is the creator of Music for Kiddos, a resource and education website dedicated to high-quality children’s music. She’s an educator, board certified music therapist, Berklee College of Music graduate, community-builder, and above all, is passionate about using music to help kids succeed.
Course Format: Online webinar format with five 70-minute presentations, a 75-minute keynote and a “Speaker’s Forum” featuring all the speakers together for 75 minutes. There is also an optional “Reflect and Connect” online gathering the day after the event where participants can connect and share insights learned.
Prerequisites: None.
Course Access: One year of video access. To receive CMTE credit, the course must be completed within one year of the event
Music therapists, this course is pre-approved by the Certification Board of Music Therapists (CBMT) for 10 continuing music therapy education (CMTE) credits, and fulfills ethics credit requirements! To receive CMTE credit, the course must be completed within 90 days of purchase. Upon completion of the course and course evaluation, a certificate will be delivered via email within 2 business days. We are not able to grant partial credit. (Certificates can be expedited upon request. Please find the evaluation and additional instructions in the course PDF received after purchase. This is a simple process and we’re happy to help!)
Music therapists and professionals in other related fields, upon completion of this course, you are eligible for a certificate for 10 professional development credits. We cannot guarantee that your professional development credits will be approved, but we will provide a certificate that can be self-submitted.
Music Therapy Board Certification Domains (In compliance with 2025 Board Certification Domains)
1: Participants will identify at least one new musical tool (resource, musical cue, etc.) that can be utilized in their clinical practice. (Knowledge 2D8; Task 30)
2: Participants will give an example of a technology tool that can support a goal-based intervention. (Knowledge 5A3; Task 52)
3: Participants will be able to examine their own interventions and repertoire to determine whether or not the music is ethical and culturally inclusive. (Knowledge 2D5; Task 28)
Number of CMTEs or Professional Development Credits: 10 Materials Included: Instructional PDF course, recorded webinars, and access to a private Facebook group for community support.
Refund Policy: We offer a 100% refund within 90 days of purchase if you are unsatisfied with the quality of the course or materials. Please note that no refunds will be issued after CMTE credits have been granted or after 30 days from the date of purchase. For questions, please contact us at hello@musicforkiddos.com for more information.
Please visit musicforkiddos.com/grievance-policy for our grievance policy in participation with the Certification Board of Music Therapists.
Music for Kiddos strongly encourages course participants to communicate any questions, concerns or grievances so we can help foster a supportive and pleasant continuing education experience. Please contact Stephanie Leavell, MT-BC, at hello@musicforkiddos.com with any questions or concerns. Emails will be returned within 2 business days. In the event that a suitable resolution is not provided, the participant may contact the Continuing Education Committee of CBMT to report a grievance.
Music For Kiddos Symposium is approved by the Certification Board for Music Therapists (CBMT) for 10 Continuing Music Therapy Education credits (fulfills ethics requirements). Music For Kiddos, Inc. (Provider Number P-196) maintains responsibility for program quality, and adherence to CBMT policies and criteria.
