Rocky Point Music Educator Celebrates Release of Third Book

Last month, Rocky Point Elementary Music Department Chairperson and JAE Classroom Music Teacher/Choral Director had his third published book from GIA Publications, Inc. released at the Feierabend Association for Music Education Biennial Conference in Chicago, IL.

Written by a team of five highly skilled elementary classroom music educators, Mr. Knapp's latest book project, "Conversational Solfege with Orff Schulwerk: Sing, Say, Dance, Play" offers a dynamic and practical resource for integrating two of the most powerful approaches in music education: Orff Schulwerk and John M. Feierabend’s Conversational Solfege. The authors provide dozens of classroom-ready activities aligned with all 12 steps of the Conversational Solfege method, complemented by purposeful Orff extensions that deepen understanding through singing, saying, dancing, and playing. The detailed lesson sequences and adaptable strategies expertly connect music literacy with active music-making while also emphasizing student choice and creativity. Mr. Knapp's co-authors include some of the most reputable and accomplished music educators from throughout the country. 

The entire writing team includes:

• Joani Brandon, Professor of Music Emeritus at Anderson University, and current K–5 music educator at Red Rocks Elementary and Leawood Elementary in the metro-Denver area.
• Betsy Greene, an elementary music educator with over forty years of experience in Burlington, Vermont.
• Andrew M. Himelick, an elementary music educator in Carmel, Indiana for over 30 years and as an assistant choir director with the Indianapolis Children’s Choir for over 25 years.
• Craig Knapp, current Elementary Music Department Chairperson in the Rocky Point School District, where he has been teaching classroom music and chorus, Grades 3–5, since 1998. He also directs the Metropolitan Youth Orchestra’s Children’s Treble Choirs, where he has conducted performances at Carnegie Hall, Lincoln Center and Radio City Music Hall. Mr. Knapp was inducted in the Long Island Music & Entertainment Hall of Fame as Educator of Note in 2025.
• Christopher Tranberg, current superintendent of Branford Public Schools in Branford, Connecticut and a career that spans two decades serving as a music educator, department leader, assistant principal, principal, and assistant superintendent.

As part of the book premiere at the Feierabend Association for Music Education Biennial Conference in Chicago, IL, Mr. Knapp and his coauthors presented two pre-conference courses as well as two conference sessions on topics from the recently released book, as well as from their first book, "First Steps in Music with Orff Schulwerk: Sing, Say, Dance Play." The conference also included a book signing session for conference attendees.

Mr. Knapp said, "It was a tremendous honor to work with some of the finest music educators in the country on this book. Our hope is that this publication provides a lifetime of joyful music making experiences for teachers and students for years to come. I am very proud to represent the Rocky Point School District as a published author and as a workshop presenter/clinician locally, regionally and nationally. Many of my contributions to this project came from classroom experiences I shared with my students here in Rocky Point, and that was one of the most gratifying aspects for me in coauthoring this book."