Beginning

Violin & cello lessons from age 6 with instructor's consent; Voice, Theory and Musicianship age 16 and up. 30 min., 45 min., and 60 min. lessons available.

Develop your vocal performance skills and build a song repertoire from various Spanish-speaking countries. Students may perform in small groups or solo and will present their songs each week in class. There will be quarterly recitals and other performance opportunities throughout the year.

Take your playing to the next level by mastering the guitar fretboard. Learn how to locate chords easily and play melodies that sound good with those chords. The Guitar Fretboard Workshop guides students through a system that helps them quickly find triads, the building blocks of chords. Focusing on the top three strings, this system will teach students to find almost any chord on the fretboard. Learning the corresponding scales and their multiple positions will help students play melodies that fit within those chords.

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 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.

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.