Trailer: Programming 101: The Art of Reaching Hands, Heads, and Hearts

Course Description

Repertoire selection is more than filling a concert- it's about reaching students through music that challenges the hands, stimulates the mind, and touches the heart. This session explores programming strategies, resources for music evaluation and composer diversity, and curating repertoire to help you create meaningful, engaging, and inclusive concerts.

Released: 04/06/2026

About the Presenter

Desiree Overree is the Director of Orchestras at Seven Lakes High School in Katy, Texas. Her ensembles have consistently earned state and national recognitions, including earning the title of Honor String and Honor Full Orchestra in TMEA’s Honor Orchestra Competitions, being named National Orchestra Winners for the Mark of Excellence from the Foundation of Music Education, and winning the American Prize in Music. She has been recognized in “Who’s Who Among American High School Teachers,” awarded Katy ISD’s Excellence in Teaching Award multiple times, and has been recognized as an Educator of Distinction by the National Society of High School Scholars. Additionally, she was awarded the Yale Distinguished Music Educator Award and was named an Outstanding Educator Award from the University of Chicago. In 2023, she was selected by the American Prize in Music as an Honored Artist and was most recently awarded the Kathy Fishburn “Excellence in Orchestra” Award from Mu Omicron in 2025. She is frequently invited as an adjudicator, presenter, clinician, and conductor. She holds professional memberships in TMAA, TODA, and Mu Omicron, and proudly serves TMEA as the President of Region 23. Outside of Texas, she serves as an Educational Consultant for Music for All.