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Build Student Connection and Community: Advisory Period Activities That Engage
Wednesday, September 16, 2026 @ 4:00 pm - 5:00 pm EDT
Presented by Triza Cox, Experienced Educator, Harmony Program Manager, TeachRock
Moderated by Gina Machado, Director of Programs and Partnerships, Former New York City Public School Teacher, TeachRock
Sponsored by TeachRock
Watch the RecordingLearn more about earning a CE certificate and our accessibility features.
Advisory periods are meant to be where students build trust, connection, and the soft skills for success in school and beyond, but many educators are handed the time slot without the tools to make it work. This edWebinar introduces Harmony, TeachRock’s free, open-source advisory curriculum that uses music and the arts as a gateway to social-emotional learning and community building.
Viewers see how Harmony’s ready-to-use lessons help teachers turn advisory time into a space where students practice skills like communication, empathy, collaboration, and self-reflection through music and arts activities. Presenters walk through the program’s structure, share examples of lessons, and discuss how music’s universal, low-barrier appeal makes it an effective entry point for building relationships among students who might otherwise stay disengaged.
By the end of the session, viewers are able to:
- Explain how music and the arts can support SEL and advisory goals
- Identify practical strategies for using Harmony’s lessons to build classroom community and connection
- Access and begin implementing Harmony in their own advisory periods at no cost
This edWebinar is especially relevant for middle and high school teachers, school leaders, and district leaders looking for an engaging, low-lift way to strengthen advisory programming and for any educator seeking creative, arts-based approaches to social-emotional learning that resonate with students.
View all of the recent TeachRock edWebinars.
About the Presenter
Triza Cox is the Program Manager for TeachRock’s Harmony Advisory Program. In this capacity, she uses her passion for democratizing arts access as well as her commitment to wellness through the use of art to engage students in social and emotional learning. Triza holds a Master of Fine Arts in Theatre Performance from the University of Louisville and has worked for over a decade as an arts educator as well as a playwright, director, producer, and actor. Additionally, Triza has been a Certified Prevention Specialist and worked in drug and alcohol prevention. She is currently a National Leaders of Color Fellow in Arts Administration. In 2021, Triza was awarded a fellowship in screenwriting from the South Carolina Arts Commission. She is also currently the Artistic Director of The Drama Lady Theatre Group.
About the Moderator
Gina Machado is the Director of Programs and Partnerships at TeachRock, where she leads the development of an arts-integrated social and emotional learning program and designs and facilitates professional development initiatives nationwide. Drawing from her experience as a classroom educator in The Bronx, New York, and her master’s degrees in special education and educational leadership, Gina supports educators across the United States in implementing TeachRock’s curriculum and pedagogical approaches. An educator at heart with extensive experience working with students of various levels and abilities, Gina’s passion lies in developing creative ways to engage all learners while strengthening meaningful student-teacher relationships.
Learn more about earning a CE certificate and our accessibility features.
Join the Social-Emotional Learning community to network with educators, participate in online discussions, receive invitations to upcoming edWebinars, and view recordings of previous programs to earn CE certificates.
Launched by Stevie Van Zandt and the Founders Board of Bono, Jackson Browne, Martin Scorsese, and Bruce Springsteen, TeachRock.org provides free, standards-aligned resources that use music to help K-12 students succeed in science, math, social studies, language arts, and more.
