We are open for in-person learning and continue to offer online lessons and classes.
Music Theory provides a language for talking about music and an understanding of how it works. Studying theory helps to develop rhythm, ear training, reading, composition and many other skills. Music Theory classes rotate on a quarterly basis.
Group class tuition is reduced by 50% for those students currently taking private lessons at CMC.
This is an introduction to some of the basic elements of jazz, including: chords and chord symbols, lead sheet notation,, typical chord progressions, melodic construction, forms, and improvisation using scales, modes and other devices. The class will culminate in the composition of a song in the jazz standard style.
Ages: Adults, Teens (middle and high school students)
Instruments: Any (none used in class)
Prerequisites: Familiarity with an intermediate level of music theory and notation approximately equivalent to Music Theory I, particularly scales, key signatures, and chords. Students are encouraged to communicate with the teacher ahead of time about their prior experience.
Locations, Days and Times: Mission District Branch, Thursdays, 7:00–7:55pm.
Styles of music studied: Jazz
Class size: 2-8 students
Instructor: Jono Kornfeld
Tuition: $464 Winter Quarter (12 weeks), $352, Summer Quarter (8 weeks) $281
Students enrolled in private lessons at CMC receive 50% discount
Sign Up
Online Class 💻
Whether you are a complete beginner, or trying to remember what you studied years ago, this class will get you up to speed by covering the basics of notation and reading, including rhythms, time signatures, repeat symbols and other performance instructions. Classes will encourage participation and incorporate discussion, sight-reading exercises, weekly homework reviews and occasional composing. Materials designed specifically for this course are free and available for download online, including Jono’s book Music Theory and Notation for Intelligent Beginners.
Jono’s website
Ages: Adults, older teens (high school students)
Instruments: Any (none used in class)
Styles of music studied: Varied
Prerequisites: None
Class size: 2–10 students
Locations, Days and Times: Mission District Branch. These music theory courses are offered on rotating basis, check back for schedule updates!
Instructor: Jono Kornfeld
Tuition: $542 Fall (14 weeks), $464 Winter (12 weeks), 387 Spring (10 weeks). Class does not meet during Summer Quarter
Students enrolled in private lessons at CMC receive 50% discount.
*This class will not meet Winter Quarter 2023
For enrollment, please make an appointment with CMC’s registration team
Through critical listening sessions, we will dig under the surface of these two related styles to understand some of their distinguishing features, especially overlapping aspects from the 1960s to the present. This is not as much music history, but an overview of stylistic ingredients focusing on instrumentation, chords, scales and forms. Class activities include detailed listening sessions, lectures and participation-based discussion.
Ages: Adults, Teens (middle and high school students)
Instruments: Any (none used in class)
Prerequisites: Students should have some familiarity with the styles and an idea of how basic chords and scales are constructed, but user-friendly handouts covering all vocabulary are provided in class. Students are welcome to communicate with the teacher prior to enrolling.
Locations, Days and Times: Mission District Branch, Thursdays, 8:00-8:55 pm*
Alternates quarters with Rock Music of the ’60s and ’70s, depending on enrollment
Styles of music studied: Funk and Blues
Class size: 2–10 students
Instructor: Jono Kornfeld
Tuition: $542 Fall (14 weeks), $464 Winter (12 weeks), 387 Spring (10 weeks), $309 Summer (8 weeks)
Students enrolled in private lessons at CMC receive 50% discount
*This class has been cancelled for Winter Quarter 2023
If you have a basic knowledge of music notation, this class will further your understanding of musical components and structures. Topics will include scales, key signatures, the circle of 5ths, overtones, intervals and chords as they relate to all styles of music. Classes will be seminar-style and there will be weekly homework assignments. Materials designed specifically for this course are free and available for download online, including Jono’s book Music Theory and Notation for Intelligent Beginners.
Jono’s website
Ages: Adults, older teens (high school students)
Instrument: Any (none used in class)
Styles of music studied: Various
Prerequisites: Introduction to Music Notation and Reading and/or instructor’s consent
Class size: 2–10 students
Locations, Days and Times: Mission District Branch, Thursdays, 7:00–7:55pm*
Alternates quarters with Introduction to Music Theory III, depending on enrollment
Instructor: Jono Kornfeld
Tuition: $542 Fall (14 weeks), $464 Winter (12 weeks), 387 Spring (10 weeks). Class does not meet during the Summer Quarter.
Students enrolled in private lessons at CMC receive 50% discount.
*This class will not meet Winter Quarter 2023
This class continues the work begun in Music Theory I and follows the same format. Topics will include chord inversions, seventh chords, melody construction, combining melody and harmony, simple structures and forms as they relate to all styles of music. Materials designed specifically for this course are free and available for download online, including Jono’s book Music Theory and Notation for Intelligent Beginners.
Jono’s website
Ages: Adults, older teens (high school students)
Instruments: Any (none used in class)
Styles of music studied: Various
Prerequisites: Familiarity with music notation and music theory at a level comparable with Music Theory I and/or instructor’s consent
Class size: 2–10 students
Locations, Days and Times: Mission District Branch. These music theory courses are offered on rotating basis, check back for schedule updates!
Instructor: Jono Kornfeld
Tuition: $542 Fall (14 weeks), $464 Winter (12 weeks), 387 Spring (10 weeks). Class does not meet during Summer Quarter.
Students enrolled in private lessons at CMC receive 50% discount.
*This class will not meet Winter Quarter 2023
For enrollment, please make an appointment with CMC’s registration team
Online Class 💻
This class continues the course of study set out in Theory I and II, with more of an emphasis on compositional work and homework to achieve fluency within each topic. The first phase of the class will be a quick review of materials from earlier theory classes, adding new depth to these familiar topics. Then we will explore concepts that gradually take an ever-expanding view of music into account, discussing elements that relate to larger forms and structures, while trying to keep the smaller details in mind. All materials for the course will be made available by the instructor. Topics covered include: phrases & cadences; the sequence; the motive and motivic development; modulation/key-changes; musical forms; modes; counterpoint.
Jono’s website
Ages: Adults, older teens (high school students)
Instruments: Any (none used in class)
Styles of music studied: Various
Prerequisites: Students who did not take Theory I and or II are invited to join the class if they have previous experience. Communicating with Jono before the first class meeting is recommended.
Class size: 2–10 students
Locations, Days and Times:
Mission District Branch. These music theory courses are offered on rotating basis, check back for schedule updates!
Instructor: Jono Kornfeld
Tuition: $542 Fall (14 weeks), $464 Winter (12 weeks), 387 Spring (10 weeks). Class does not meet during the Summer Quarter.
Students enrolled in private lessons at CMC receive 50% discount.
*This class will not meet Winter Quarter 2023
For enrollment, please make an appointment with CMC’s registration team
This class continues the work covered in Music Theory I, II & III and follows the same format. Topics include baroque & classical forms (like the fugue and sonata), counterpoint, modes, and chromatic harmony. Students with an intermediate background in theory can join, but are encouraged to communicate with Jono prior to enrolling. Materials designed specifically for this course are free and available for download online, including Jono’s book Music Theory and Notation for Intelligent Beginners.
Jono’s website
Ages: Adults, older teens (high school students)
Instruments: Any (none used in class)
Styles of music studied: Various
Prerequisites: Students who did not take Theory I, II, and III are invited to join the class if they have previous experience. Communicating with Jono before the first class meeting is recommended.
Class size: 2–10 students
Locations, Days and Times: Mission District Branch. These music theory courses are offered on rotating basis, check back for schedule updates!
Instructor: Jono Kornfeld
Tuition: $542 Fall (14 weeks), $464 Winter (12 weeks), 387 Spring (10 weeks). Class does not meet during the Summer Quarter.
Students enrolled in private lessons at CMC receive 50% discount.
*This class will not meet Winter Quarter 2023
For enrollment, please make an appointment with CMC’s registration team
This class surveys a wide variety of modern music styles ranging from Debussy to The Grateful Dead, 12-tone music to 12 bar blues, rock to jazz to punk, funk and contemporary. We will study the techniques of particular composers and also general trends amongst the array musical styles within the 20th and 21st centuries.
Ages: Adults, older teens (high school students)
Instruments: Any (none used in class)
Styles of music studied: Various
Prerequisites: Students with an intermediate background in theory are invited to join the class if they have previous experience. Communicating with Jono before the first class meeting is recommended.
Class size: 2–10 students
Locations, Days and Times: Mission District Branch. These music theory courses are offered on rotating basis, check back for schedule updates!
Instructor: Jono Kornfeld
Tuition: $542 Fall (14 weeks), $464 Winter (12 weeks), 387 Spring (10 weeks). Class does not meet during the Summer Quarter.
Students enrolled in private lessons at CMC receive 50% discount.
*This class will not meet Winter Quarter 2023
For enrollment, please make an appointment with CMC’s registration team
The Summer of Love was 50 years ago! What makes British and American Rock music spawned from that era so likeable and enduring? Listen and identify the stylistic features from bands such as Jimi Hendrix, The Beatles, Led Zeppelin, The Beach Boys, The Grateful Dead and styles such as the blues, rock, pop, and acid rock. This is not so much a history of the music, but an overview of its stylistic ingredients. Class activities include detailed listening sessions, lectures and participation-discussion.
Ages: Adults, Teens (middle and high school students)
Instruments: Any (none used in class)
Prerequisites: Familiarity with an intermediate level of music theory and notation approximately equivalent to Music Theory I. Students are encouraged to communicate with the teacher ahead of time about their prior experience.
Locations, Days and Times: Mission District Branch. These music theory courses are offered on rotating basis, check back for schedule updates!
Styles of music studied: Rock, Blues, Pop, Acid Rock
Class size: 2–10 students
Instructor: Jono Kornfeld
Tuition: $309 Summer Quarter only (8 weeks)
Students enrolled in private lessons at CMC receive 50% discount
*This class will not meet Winter Quarter 2023
For enrollment, please make an appointment with CMC’s registration team
Private Lessons in Music Theory and Musicianship are also available.
