Our Workshops
Our workshops are designed to provide music educators & students with practical, hands-on learning experiences that can be immediately applied in the classroom.
Whether you're looking to integrate music technology, improve aural skills, or enhance music theory instruction, our expert-led workshops cover a wide range of topics to support your teaching journey.
Available both in-person and online, our workshops are tailored to meet the diverse needs of high school music teachers, helping you stay up-to-date with the latest teaching strategies, resources, and curriculum standards.
Explore our workshop options and discover how we can help you take your music teaching to the next level.
Browse our course offerings and start your journey toward transforming music education today.
Teacher Training in Music Technology Workshops
You Can't Algorithm a Soul: Teaching Students What AI Can Never Replace
In a world where AI can generate a song in seconds, what does it mean to teach music? This workshop is for every music educator wrestling with that question, whether you teach classical, contemporary, or anything in between.
Join Duncan Ferguson for an informative yet practical day exploring how to protect and nurture student creativity in the age of AI, while also embracing the tools that genuinely support the production process.
This workshop isn't about fear. It's about empowering your students to understand that their lived experience, their unique voice, and their creative instincts are the things no algorithm can replicate. It's about helping them see that their story is worth telling, and giving them the tools and the confidence to tell it.
At the same time, you'll leave with a clear, practical framework for where AI can legitimately assist students, particularly on the production and technical side, without replacing the creative work that makes music meaningful.
Overview of the workshop:
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The Irreplaceable Human Element: How to build a classroom culture that champions student voice, lived experience, and creative risk-taking as the foundation of all composition and songwriting, across all genres.
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Composition Without Shortcuts: Practical strategies for guiding students through the initial creative process in a way that keeps AI out of the driver's seat and keeps students invested in their own ideas.
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Where AI Belongs: A clear-eyed look at where AI tools genuinely help students, particularly in production, mixing, arrangement, and technical refinement, without undermining creative ownership.
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Protecting Student Creativity: How to identify when AI is being used as a crutch, and how to respond in a way that re-engages rather than penalises.
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Integrity and Assessment: How to design tasks and assessments that make student voice visible and make AI-generated shortcuts obvious.
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Practical Classroom Frameworks: Units of work, discussion prompts, and classroom policies that help students engage with AI thoughtfully and on their own terms.
Cost: $189 + GST
Payment is due on receipt of invoice and must be paid in advance. No refunds will be given for non-attendance.
Please note: morning tea will be provided but you will need to provide your own lunch.
To register please click here.
WORKSHOPS
VENUES
& DATES
AUCKLAND
Tuesday 30 June
Kristin College
AUCKLAND
Wednesday 1 July
Manurewa High School - TBC (if demand is high enough)
WELLINGTON
Thursday 2 July
Rongotai College
CHRISTCHURCH
Friday 3 July
St Andrew's College
ONLINE
Sunday 5 July
12.00pm – 4.30pm (NZT)
“It was really useful day! I liked how you went through your junior program year by year and shared with us your resources. It will definitely change the way I approach composition and reinvigorated me during the holidays to make some changes to my units. Thanks very much!”
2019
Workshop Attendee
“You are a true enthusiast and skilled presenter. It is a great refresher to attend your seminars. You make it seem less scary Duncan. Thanks”
2019
Workshop Attendee
“The day was well planned out and I loved that you had lots of examples to illustrate and support the course content covered on the day. At the end of the course, I felt confident that my basic knowledge and understanding of how to use music technology in the classroom had improved greatly with the new learning. I feel more equipped to be able to take what I have learnt and use it to support my students’ learning when we focus on using music technology in our Compositions next term. Thank you Duncan for a great day!”
2019
Workshop Attendee
“Duncan's workshop was well structured with practical information and resources that I can use straight away in the classroom. I went away having a clear idea of where to start my Year 9s with musical technology and knowing what programmes and resources I would need to carry them through Year 13. He had just the right balance of sharing information and giving us time to try it out for ourselves. I found this workshop very helpful and would recommend it to anyone secondary music!”
2019
Workshop Attendee