Chasing Inspiration (and Pac-Man): Finding Community and Renewal at the 2025 Conference

By Kari Moskal

I don’t know about the rest of you, but this year by the time October arrived, I felt like I was running on a treadmill that kept inching faster and faster. When it came time for me to leave for the Wisconsin State Music Conference it was one week from opening night of our big musical, and the thought of leaving my students and family behind for four days was honestly the last thing I really wanted to do. If I wasn’t burnt out, I was definitely running low. But, when the conference rolled around, I packed my bags for Madison not entirely sure what I was hoping to find. Ideas? Validation? A moment to breathe? As it turned out, I found all of that and more.

There’s something deeply comforting about stepping into a space full of people who do what you do. Before the first session even began, I’d already had several hallway conversations that made me feel lighter. One teacher talked about navigating a tough recruitment year. Another admitted still felt like she was “winging it” after taking a new position. We laughed, we swapped stories, and I felt that familiar oh good, it’s not just me exhale. That sense of community of being surrounded by people who understand both the joys and the complexities of music education is something we can’t always find in our day-to-day school routines. At conference, it radiates from every corner of Monona Terrace.

I attended sessions that stretched my thinking in ways I didn’t even realize I needed. One focused on small, sustainable changes to improve rehearsal flow with tiny adjustments I implemented the very next week. Another session introduced repertoire that felt fresh and genuinely accessible to my ensembles. But it wasn’t just the content that energized me, it was everyone’s passion. They reminded me that music education is a living, evolving craft, and that part of our job is to keep growing right alongside our students. 

The conference performances, as always, were a highlight. Sitting among colleagues, watching students from across the state give everything they had, was a powerful reminder of why we do this work. It reminded me that every warm-up, every lesson, every quiet encouragement in a lesson or rehearsal builds toward moments like that.

Attending the conference gave me three things I desperately needed but didn’t fully recognize until I was there. First, community, a reminder that I’m part of a statewide network of passionate, resilient educators who lift each other up (and perhaps dress up and chase Pac-Man down State Street as part of the Ghost Gang on Halloween!). Second, inspiration; fresh ideas, new repertoire, and practical strategies that I could implement immediately. And third, reconnection; a return to finding the reason I still do this, even through the chaos, the schedules and the ever-growing to-do lists.

The 2025 Wisconsin State Music Conference in Madison wasn’t just professional development. It was a reset. A chance to breathe, reflect and remember that this work matters, that we matter, and that taking time to grow is not indulgent, it’s essential. If you’ve ever found yourself wondering whether attending a conference is worth the time, the paperwork, the sub plans, or the travel, let me be the one to say it absolutely is. Investing in ourselves as educators ultimately means investing in our students. The ideas, the inspiration and the renewed energy we gain ripple out far beyond those four days in Madison.