CMC Sparks: Beginning Youth Music Classes

Private Lesson

Private Lesson

Immerse yourself in chamber music and develop your collaborative ensemble playing this summer! Participants will play in supportive small ensembles, coached by expert CMC faculty specializing in chamber music. The two-weekend workshop includes master classes, listening skills, ensemble skills, and rehearsal time for instrumentalists, culminating in a friendly salon concert where you can share your work with one another and invited guests. Pre-formed groups as well as individuals are encouraged to apply. Individuals will be placed in an ensemble based on skill level and instrumentation available. Groups will be finalized and music sent out one month prior to our start date. Ages: Adults, older teens (high school students) Instruments: Piano, strings, woodwinds, brass Styles of music studied: Classical Prerequisites: Minimum three years of private lessons on the instrument you plan to play. As part of the application, you will need to submit a pre-recorded audition in which you perform two contrasting pieces: one slow and one fast; and a two-octave scale in the key of your choice. Workshop size: A maximum of 20 students working in small ensembles Location, Day and Time: Mission District Branch; August 2–4 and August 9–11; Fridays from 6:30–9:00pm, Saturdays and Sundays from 10:00am–2:00pm Faculty: Erik Andersen, Director; additional faculty TBA Tuition: $495 early bird pricing before February 15, 2024; or $525 after February 15, 2024. Tuition includes both weekends and a $150 non-refundable deposit. Tuition Assistance is available. Additional Information:How to enroll: Fill out the Chamber Workshop Questionnaire to submit your registration information and follow the links to pay your deposit and schedule your audition.The Camp Director will contact you to confirm you've scheduled your in-person or zoom audition for acceptance and ensemble placement. Please schedule your audition quickly to ensure availability.Payment: A $150 non-refundable deposit is due with your application to hold your spot and request an audition. In the event that your child is not accepted into camp, a full refund including the deposit will be made. For students who are accepted to camp, this deposit is non-refundable If you do not pay for the entire camp tuition at registration, the remainder of your fee will be due by June 15, 2024. Outstanding balances will be automatically charged on June 15, 2024 to the stored account added during registration. If you wish to pay using a different payment method, please make the payment before the pay-in-full date. If you would like to change your payment method, please contact us. Registrations not paid in full by June 15, 2024 may be canceled and the spot opened to our waitlist. Registrations after June 15, 2024 must be paid in full at the time of registration and are nonrefundable. If you would like to inquire about tuition assistance, please make an appointment with a registrar or email registrars@sfcmc.org. The application deadline is June 15, 2024 for this workshop, but we recommend applying early to ensure placement. Because camp is designed around the exact number of campers attending, we are unable to issue refunds after June 15, 2024. Prior to the June 15 deadline, please send refund requests to ssherman@sfcmc.org.

Explore a standard jazz repertoire in a dynamic, participatory setting. The advanced ensemble plays the music of Miles Davis, John Coltrane, Freddie Hubbard, and others; with emphasis on communicating as an ensemble, improvising, phrasing, groove, and dynamics to make the music come alive. There will be a culminating performance at Community Music Center at the end of each quarter. Ages: Adults, older teens (high school students) Instruments: Brass, woodwinds, strings and rhythm section (piano, guitar, bass and drums) Musical Styles: Jazz standards, be-bop, blues, Latin jazz Prerequisites: Proficiency on an instrument, mastery of scales, and prior experience in improvisation. Admission with instructor’s consent. New students will be asked to audition. Instructor: Charlie Gurke Students enrolled in private lessons at CMC receive a 50% discount on this class tuition. Please read CMC's registration policies before enrolling.Online signup for this class is unavailable. Submit a Prerequisite Form to get started!

Private Lesson

Private Lesson

Private Lesson

Learn chords, simple strums, and tuning in a fun, relaxed group setting. You’ll be introduced to the basic elements of rhythm and harmony that will help you to play music right away! Guitar 1 is for the absolute beginner. Students leave Guitar 1 with the following:Basic open position chords: A, D, E, G, C, Am, Em, A7, B7, D7, E7, G7Basic strums in 4/4 and 3/4 timeI-IV-V tunes in A, D, G, and EKnowledge of how to read a “lead sheet”The desire to keep playing Ages: Adults and older teens (high school students) Instruments: Guitar Musical Styles: Diverse, based on participant interests Prerequisites: none Instructor: Vivian Sharp Size: 4-6 studentsStudents enrolled in private lessons at CMC receive a 50% discount on this class tuition. Please read CMC's registration policies before enrolling.

The Beginning Jazz Ensemble focuses on building standard repertoire, improvisation concepts, and developing ensemble skills. Ages: Adults, older teens (high school students) Instruments: Brass, woodwinds, strings and rhythm section (piano, guitar, bass and drums) Musical Styles: Jazz standards, be-bop, blues, Latin jazz Prerequisites: Proficiency on an instrument, knowledge of scales, and some experience in improvisation. Instructors: Erick Peralta, Charlie Gurke, David Steinberg Students enrolled in private lessons at CMC receive a 50% discount on this class tuition.Students enrolled in private lessons at CMC receive 50% discount. Please read CMC's registration policies before enrolling.Online signup for this class is unavailable. Submit a Prerequisite Form to get started!

Explore “Old Time” traditional American music, focusing on tunes from Appalachia: songs that crossed the pond from Ireland and Scotland that mixed with African American influences to become the American traditional music known as Old Time. We will also dive into how to play bluegrass interpretations, solos and backup. Singers, mandolin and bass are also welcome! We’ll be working on tunes from Appalachia, Irish and Scottish folk tunes, and African American traditional music. We will be focusing on Old Time tunes that are also part of the Bluegrass repertory, from standards to rarely played tunes, versions, and regional interpretations. Printed music will be provided. Ages: Adults and older teens (high school students) Instruments: fiddle, mandolin, banjo, guitar, ukulele, voice, bass (upright preferred) Musical Styles: Old Time and Bluegrass Prerequisites: an intermediate level of playing (especially on the fiddle). Basic reading of chord charts and fiddle notation Instructors: Erik Pearson and Tregar Otton. Instructors will alternate weeks and sometimes teach together.Students enrolled in private lessons at CMC receive a 50% discount. Please read CMC's registration policies before enrolling. Online signup for this class is unavailable. Submit a Prerequisite Form to get started!

This Electric Blues workshop will introduce students to the wide variety of blues grooves that one might encounter at a blues jam. We'll listen and learn from the recordings performed by the original artists that define a particular groove e.g., a Magic Sam boogie, an Albert King blues rhumba/mambo, a Jimmy Reed shuffle, a B.B. King jump blues, a Muddy Waters 'mojo' groove, a Lowell Fulson 'tramp' groove, and much more. Ensemble playing and individual improvisation will be encouraged with a focus on group interaction and the supporting role each individual instrument plays in establishing the groove. Ages: adult, older teens (high school) Instruments: guitar (electric), bass (electric), piano, drums, brass/woodwinds Prerequisites: Intermediate playing proficiency on your instrument, ability to play 7th and 9th chords (barred for guitars), have some major scale and blues scale knowledge, read a simple chord chart Instructor: Larry Dunn Students enrolled in private lessons at CMC receive 50% discount. Please read CMC's registration policies before enrolling.Online signup for this class is unavailable. Submit a Prerequisite Form to get started!

Learn traditional Afro Brazilian rhythms in a unique group setting. You will have a chance to study the techniques that makeup this musical language which has influenced other well known Brazilian musical styles such as samba and samba reggae. While some techniques are similar to that of the conga or djembe, the hand and stick techniques in this tradition will lead you into new sonic territories. This class will introduce you to many duplet and triplet based rhythms along with areas that are a mixture of the two and exist in between common rhythmic divisions. Students will gain insight into how this music fits into the song and dance context and how these elements combine to create a captivating atmosphere which is an essential cultural practice linking West Africa to the Americas. Ages: Adults, older teens (high school students) Musical Styles: All styles are welcome Prerequisites: Students must be prepared to learn and memorize several rhythmic patterns along with several hand and stick techniques Instructor: Robert Lopez Students enrolled in private lessons at CMC receive 50% discount. Please read CMC's registration policies before enrolling.

Make great music and new friends at Community Music Center this summer! Camp CMC offers young musicians the chance to play in small and large groups and explore many musical styles such as Latin, jazz, classical, blues, folk, rock, American song book, and klezmer. Students are grouped into ensembles by instrument and level and learn general musicianship skills with rhythm and pitch games, playing percussion instruments, singing and movement, culminating in a performance at the end of the week.Ages: 9–14 Instruments: All instruments, and voice Styles of music studied: Classical, Latin, jazz, other Prerequisites: Minimum two years of study on an instrument and concurrent enrollment in private lessons (not necessarily at CMC). Vocal students may fulfill the requirement by participating in chorus or glee club. Students will be asked to send a 2–3 minute video of a scale and favorite solo piece to the camp director as a placement audition. Camp size: A maximum of 15 students working in large and small ensembles Location, Day and Time: Mission District Branch; Monday–Friday, June 10–14, 2024, 9:00am–3:00pm Faculty: Katie Wreede, Director; Erik Andersen; additional faculty TBA Tuition: $495 early bird pricing before February 15, 2024; or $525 after February 15, 2024. Tuition includes a $150 non-refundable deposit. Tuition Assistance is available. Additional Information:How to enroll: Submit your registration information and make your depositby clicking the "Register Now" button.Then fill out the Camp CMC Questionnaire to submit details for our faculty.The Camp Director will contact you after you submit your application with information about how to prepare and send the 2–3 minute audition video. Campers are encouraged to attend one of the online orientation sessions prior to camp, on April 19 or May 28, from 7:00–7:30pm.Payment:A $150 non-refundable deposit is due with your application to hold your spot and request an audition. In the event that your child is not accepted into camp, a full refund including the deposit will be made. For students who are accepted to camp, this deposit is non-refundableIf you do not pay for the entire camp tuition at registration, the remainder of your fee will be due by May 6, 2024.Outstanding balances will be automatically charged on May 6, 2024 to the stored account added during registration. If you wish to pay using a different payment method, please make the payment before the pay-in-full date. If you would like to change your payment method, please contact us. Registrations not paid in full by May 6, 2024 may be canceled and the spot opened to our waitlist. Registrations after May 6, 2024 must be paid in full at the time of registration and are nonrefundable.If you would like to inquire about tuition assistance, please make an appointment with a registrar.The application deadline is May 6, 2024 for all CMC camps, but we recommend applying early to ensure placement. Because camp is designed around the exact number of campers attending, we are unable to issue refunds after May 6, 2024. Prior to the May 6 deadline, please send refund requests to ssherman@sfcmc.org.

LATIN MUSIC SUMMER CAMP This summer music program will offer young musicians a chance to play together in both small and large groups, and explore diverse Mexican and Latin American musical styles. Camp will provide an immersive experience that includes developing musicianship skills like rhythm, theory, and ear training, actively relating these concepts to styles of music they will be learning. Community-building activities will include musical games, a composition project, and student-led activities. Family communications will be bilingual Spanish/English. Ages: 11–14 Instruments: All instruments, and voice Styles of music studied: Mexican and Latin American music Prerequisites: Minimum two years of study on an instrument and concurrent enrollment in private lessons (not necessarily at CMC). Vocal students may fulfill the requirement by participating in chorus or glee club. Students will need to submit a pre-recorded video audition demonstrating them play 3 scales (C, G, B-flat), a favorite solo piece, and performance of short excerpts provided. Camp size: Maximum 25 students working in small and large ensembles Location, Day and Time: Mission District Branch; Monday–Friday, June 17–21, 2024, 9:00am–3:00pm Faculty: Tregar Otton and Marco Diaz, Co-directors; additional faculty TBA. Tuition: $495 early bird pricing before February 15, 2024; or $525 after February 15, 2024. Tuition includes a $150 non-refundable deposit. Tuition Assistance is available. How to enroll: Please fill out the Campamento CMC Application to submit your registration information and a short camp questionnaire. The camp coordinator will contact you after you submit your application with information about how to prepare and send the 2–3 minute audition video. Your application will be complete once you send in your audition materials.Payment: A $150 non-refundable deposit is due with your application to hold your spot and request an audition. In the event that your child is not accepted into camp, a full refund including the deposit will be made. For students who are accepted to camp, this deposit is non-refundable If you do not pay for the entire camp tuition at registration, the remainder of your fee will be due by May 6, 2024. Outstanding balances will be automatically charged on May 6, 2024 to the stored account added during registration. If you wish to pay using a different payment method, please make the payment before the pay-in-full date.  If you would like to change your payment method, please contact us. Registrations not paid in full by May 6, 2024 may be canceled and the spot opened to our waitlist.  Registrations after May 6, 2024 must be paid in full at the time of registration and are nonrefundable. If you would like to inquire about tuition assistance, please make an appointment with a registrar. Additional Information:The application deadline is May 6, 2024 for all CMC camps, but we recommend applying early to ensure placement. Because camp is designed around the exact number of campers attending, we are unable to issue refunds after May 6, 2024. Prior to the May 6 deadline, please send refund requests to ssherman@sfcmc.org.

Private Lesson