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.
Group class tuition is reduced by 50% for those students currently taking private lessons at CMC.
Ear training teaches students how to hear and work with the elements of melody, rhythm, and harmony. It assists instrumentalists and vocalists in mastering technique, musical style, and supports sight-reading and sight-singing. Ear training is essential for composers and arrangers, and it benefits anyone who simply wants to be a better listener. This class is a perfect combination with theory and/or composition class.
In this class students will learn to understand the structure of an instrumental or vocal piece beyond its melody—recognizing and refining the ability to hear intervals, chords, and chord progressions. We will analyze music and song forms in a variety of sources from the 17th to the 21st centuries, including folk songs, classical favorites, and some pop hits.
Prerequisites: A basic understanding of key signatures, scales, chords (triads), and familiarity with circle of fifths or concurrent enrollment in any level theory class.
Ages: Adults, older teens (high school students)
Class Size: 3–12 students
Location, Day and Time: Mission District Branch, Tuesdays, 8:15–9:15pm
Instructor: Erik Andersen
Tuition: $469 Fall (14 weeks), $402 Winter (12 weeks), $335 Spring (10 weeks), $268 Summer (8 weeks)
Students enrolled in private lessons at CMC receive 50% discount.
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. Students are encouraged to communicate with the teacher ahead of time about their prior experience.
Locations, Days and Times: Mission District Branch, Thursdays 7:05–7:55 pm
Styles of music studied: Jazz
Class size: 2-8 students
Instructor: Jono Kornfeld
Tuition: Summer Quarter only (8 weeks) $268
Students enrolled in private lessons at CMC receive 50% discount
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, Thursdays, 6:15–7:05pm
Alternates quarters with Music Theory I, depending on enrollment
Instructor: Jono Kornfeld
Tuition: $469 Fall (14 weeks), $402 Winter (12 weeks), $335 Spring (10 weeks). Class does not meet during Summer Quarter
Students enrolled in private lessons at CMC receive 50% discount.
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, 7:05–7:55pm
Alternates quarters with Introduction to Music Notation and Reading, depending on enrollment
Instructor: Jono Kornfeld
Tuition: $469 Fall (14 weeks), $402 Winter (12 weeks), $335 Spring (10 weeks). Class does not meet during the Summer Quarter.
Students enrolled in private lessons at CMC receive 50% discount.
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, Thursdays, 7:55–8:45pm
Alternates quarters with Music Theory III or Modern Music Survey, depending on enrollment.
Instructor: Jono Kornfeld
Tuition: $469 Fall (14 weeks), $402 Winter (12 weeks), $335 Spring (10 weeks). Class does not meet during Summer Quarter.
Students enrolled in private lessons at CMC receive 50% discount.
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, Thursdays, 7:55–8:45pm*
Alternates quarters with Music Theory II or Modern Music Survey, depending on enrollment.
Instructor: Jono Kornfeld
Tuition: $469 Fall (14 weeks), $402 Winter (12 weeks), $335 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 run Fall Quarter 2019
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, Thursdays, 7:05–7:55pm*
Alternates quarters with Music Theory III or Modern Music Survey, depending on enrollment.
Instructor: Jono Kornfeld
Tuition: $469 Fall (14 weeks), $402 Winter (12 weeks), $335 Spring (10 weeks). Class does not meet during the Summer Quarter.
*This class will not run Fall Quarter 2019
Students enrolled in private lessons at CMC receive 50% discount.
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 the teacher before the first class meeting is recommended.
Class size: 2–10 students
Locations, Days and Times:
Mission District Branch, Thursdays, 7:55–8:45pm*
Alternates quarters with Music Theory III and IV, depending on enrollment.
Instructor: Jono Kornfeld
Tuition: $469 Fall (14 weeks), $402 Winter (12 weeks), $335 Spring (10 weeks). Class does not meet during the Summer Quarter.
*This class will not run Fall Quarter 2019
Students enrolled in private lessons at CMC receive 50% discount.
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, Thursdays, 7:55-8:45 pm
Styles of music studied: Rock, Blues, Pop, Acid Rock
Class size: 2–10 students
Instructor: Jono Kornfeld
Tuition: Summer Quarter only (8 weeks) $268
Students enrolled in private lessons at CMC receive 50% discount
Private Lessons in Music Theory and Musicianship are also available.
