CMC is proud to launch the Black Music Studies Program developed and taught by faculty members Maestro Curtis and Nola Curtis. In addition to being well-known teachers and performers, the Curtises along with their five children (who are CMC students) make up The Curtis Family C-Notes aka San Francisco’s First Family of Song and America’s Got Talent contestants on season 16.
The Black Music Studies Program is a tuition-free program designed to inspire and empower students by learning and experiencing the foundations, innovations, and expansion of American music given to the world by the enslaved peoples from the continent of Africa and their descendants. The course aims to give students a deep sense of love, respect, and appreciation for the contributions of Black culture, which has impacted and crossed all ethnic and color lines. The Black Music Studies Program is a carefully designed program that includes lectures, workshops, and interactive participation to explore the history of Black music, including vocal and instrumental music. CMC students who complete varying levels of the coursework will be eligible for certificates of completion.
This program does not run in Summer Quarter.
Winter 2023 Quarter
In-person class with online participation via Zoom available 💻
There are two tuition-free weekly online classes available.
Fall 2022 Quarter
In-person class with online participation via Zoom available 💻
There are two tuition-free weekly online classes available.
A musical and cultural reflection on the importance and purposes of music. Drumming, singing, vocal harmonies, ceremony, instrumentation, and the music of agrarian civilization will be explored. This is a required prerequisite for completion of the certificate program.
Location, Days and Times: Tuesdays, 7:00–8:00pm;
Jones United Methodist Church, 1975 Post Street, San Francisco, CA 94115. Remote participation also available.
Tuition: None. $47 annual registration fee.
This class will trace the origins of hip hop and its impact historical, cultural, and musical lenses—from the oral tradition of “the dozens” to rhythm and rhyme in everyday speech, rhetoric, black preachers, and Muhammad Ali’s iconic press conferences. Notable musical examples will cover the influence of scatting, the political poetry of The Watts Prophets, Gil Scott Heron’s groundbreaking The Revolution Will Not Be Televised (1970), James Brown, Parliament Funkadelic, the significance of Herbie Hancock, and more. We will also explore differences in regional hip hop styles, including Afrika Bambaata and the east coast hip hop revolution in relation to West Coast, Midwest, Southern regional hip hop.
Location, Days and Times: Tuesdays, 8:15–9:15pm;
Jones United Methodist Church, 1975 Post Street, San Francisco, CA 94115. Remote participation also available.
Tuition: None. $47 annual registration fee.
This class explores the history of the Rock, Soul, and Funk genres that changed the world of popular music, through artists such as Little Richard, Chuck Berry, Jimi Hendrix, James Brown, George Clinton, Sly & The Family Stone, Earth Wind & Fire, and others. Students who have musical backgrounds will be encouraged to participate in the learning and performing of these genres and material from the artists of the era.
Location, Days and Times: Tuesdays, 7:00–8:00pm;
Jones United Methodist Church, 1975 Post Street, San Francisco, CA 94115. Remote participation also available.
*Class will meet online until September 13
Tuition: None. $47 annual registration fee.
The new type of artistic freedom for Black musicians and a more scientific approach to so-called “Jazz” music and its cultural giants changed and impacted music forever. This class will examine the evolution of jazz movements like pre-bop, bebop, hardbop, progressive modern, and contemporary small ensembles, through iconic artists such as Monk, Parker, Pettiford, Christian, Guilespie, Powell, Coltrane, Rollins, Davis and more.
Location, Days and Times: Tuesdays, 8:15–9:15pm;
Jones United Methodist Church, 1975 Post Street, San Francisco, CA 94115. Remote participation also available.
*Class will meet online until September 13
Tuition: None. $47 annual registration fee.
Ages: All ages welcome, but most appropriate for teens and adults
Instruments: Open to all interested, who play an instrument, sing, or are simply interested in the subject matter
Class sizes: 15 students
For questions about the program or to expense interest, fill out the inquiry form at this link
