Young singers: find your voice and learn to blend it into a group by singing in CMC’s Children’s Chorus! You will develop basic ear training, sight singing and performance skills in an environment that emphasizes cooperation, teamwork and fun. In addition to presenting three theme concerts each year, the Children’s Chorus performs in Spanish at CMC’s “Las Posadas” celebration each December.

Whether you are an advanced beginner or an accomplished amateur musician, CMC’s chamber music program offers an opportunity to develop your musicianship and technique as well as the chance to play with others. Groups are composed of two to five students of compatible levels. Advanced beginners and intermediate students will focus on developing basic ensemble skills, intonation, tone quality, and rhythmic accuracy. Advanced students will study important aspects of ensemble playing, including interpretation and performance techniques.

Learn how to play in the context of an ensemble while developing improvisational skills and learning basic grooves. Repertoire includes standard Latin-jazz tunes and pieces developed in the workshop. There will be performances each winter and spring quarter.

Develop ensemble skills, such as soloing and accompanying, while you build a repertoire of songs to prepare for performances. This workshop will cover chords, progressions, scales, patterns, and “licks” found in a variety of blues styles.

Learn the basic concepts, terminology and strategies for jazz improvisation, and develop a repertoire along the way. By the end of the term, you will know how to recognize and play all of the mixolidian and dorian scales, and you will be introduced to the other modes as well as the blues and diminished scales. We will dedicate time to ear training exercises and work on the following jazz standards as a group.

Beginning singers: this is a fun and supportive environment for learning basic vocal technique, fundamentals of breathing and supporting your tone, note reading, and simple two and three part harmony. This class is designed for singers with little to no experience. It is focused on group singing, but also allows for attention to individual needs.

Aspiring pianists, this comprehensive and gradually paced course is a great introduction to the instrument. Absolute beginners are welcome as well as those who have some piano experience but are in need of a refresher course. Emphasis is on technique, reading, rhythm, theory and ear-training. Each student is provided with a keyboard and headphones to use in this hands-on class. Although students can register at any time, this class will be most beneficial for those who start in the fall and continue through the spring quarter.

Improve your rhythmic skills and develop your musicianship through Flamenco, Afro-American and Latin music. Emphasis is given to the study of “compás,” the Flamenco rhythmic flow, and “clave,” the key rhythmic concept in the Cuban polyrhythmic ensemble. In addition to their instrument, students will play “palmas” (hand clapping) and percussion.

This group class uses Body-Mind Centering and Feldenkrais methods to facilitate creative expression. It is an inquiry into the relationship between the body and the mind through movement, guided attention and non-verbal dialogue. This work can create fertile ground for new performance material and improvisation. In the process students may find improvements in breathing, tone, coordination and technical proficiency as well as prevent and rehabilitate injuries.Students should bring their instruments if they have one and a piece of music to play or compose at the end of each class.

Enjoy performing more and build your confidence on stage. This class will give students a chance to practice performing, get structured feedback, learn details of stage etiquette, discuss strategies for dealing with performance anxieties, and practice simple meditation and stretching exercises to enhance focus and relaxation during performance. Held at Instructor's Studio.