Music Classes and Performance Ensembles

This course is for students with no or minimal piano background. Students will learn basic note reading, technique, rhythm, and music theory. Pieces will include familiar melodies of classical, folk and pop songs.

Continuation of Piano 1. Students will continue studies of note reading, technique, rhythm, and music theory.

Students who have just finished Piano Semester 2 will continue with a second adult piano book.

Intermediate Continuing Piano is a group piano course for students progressing above the elementary level. The study of early intermediate level piano solos from the Baroque, Classical, Romantic, and Contemporary periods as well as course work with technical exercises and piano pieces utilizing different rhythmic variations and theoretical ideas will be included.

Rumba is a rhythm unique to Cuba, it also is a dance, but it really means community. This course starts with the basics of percussion instruments: Conga drums, bongo, campana, shekere, clave, guiro. Learning to feel the rhythm in daily life. The traditions are old and formal, but easy to learn as a group, locking the rhythms together is amazing group experience. The basics of clave, the underlying pulse of AfroLatin music. Then there is the dance. We explore the dance traditions of Cuba and its African roots and impact on American music and current trends in hip hop. This is about building synergy of a group for enjoyment, public performance, education for kids. strumming, and learn how to invent your own chords.

Learn how to read music and interpret chord diagrams for the guitar as well as basic strumming rhythms/patterns. We will play basic tunes together as a class. Bring your own guitar (preferably acoustic) to each class.

For this class, you should be comfortable with basic music reading and chord knowledge. The class will review material as needed from Applied Guitar 1 and you will continue to learn to read music as well as tablature. More advanced strumming patterns will be introduced, and beginning blues/rock examples will be explored.

Strum a song using easy chords during the first class! The ukulele has always been a delightful go-to for folks who want to get started playing music now. Learn various strumming patterns and how to pluck melodies on an instrument you can carry with you virtually anywhere. Students are required to provide their own ukuleles.

More chords, more songs, more strumming patterns, more ukulele fun! If you would like to continue on from Ukulele 1 or have some working knowledge of the ukulele and would like to learn more, then this is your class. In addition, learn the rhythmic finger roll, add tremolo to your strumming, and learn how to invent your own chords. Students are required to provide their own ukuleles.