One of the things that I’ve told friends in the past is that if they go to one of the MTNA Conferences, they are guaranteed to bring home enough free materials to almost cover the cost of the conference! This year proved to be no exception. Between the Exhibit Hall and the Exhibitor Showcases, you accumulate enough books and other goodies to necessitate at least one additional piece of luggage. 
I tallied up my take-home stack and the retail value of all the books and sheet music came to right around $155. And if you factor in the wonderful handouts prepared by most of the presenters, well…that’s priceless!
I’ll try not to talk about the conference [too much] any more, but in case the notes from all the sessions didn’t convince you to put the conference on your schedule next year, I thought maybe seeing all these freebies would do the trick. 
Wow…I think you racked up a few more freebies than me! On the way home I had a super heavy carry-on, full of music books and new mexican red and green chile! It was ridiculous to deal with plus a stroller and a one and half year old, but the important part is that I got it back home to Michigan! Have you tried any improvising with Pattern Play? I just started today with my students and it was fun, interesting and taught me a lot about them!
You did have your arms full, Sarah! Yes, I’ve been using Pattern Play with all my students this week. Some of their reactions have been priceless! I love to watch their face light up when they hear how good it sounds. Several students went on and on about how cool it was! I’m planning to keep trying a new pattern each week through the end of the semester. It’s an exciting change of pace for all of us.