This course is designed for the entry-level electric or acoustic guitar player with no prior experience required. Upon completion of the course, students will have gained a basic understanding of the instrument, how it is tuned, held correctly, and how it is played.

Students will be introduced to the fundamentals of written music, the G, G7, C and D7 chords, and notes in the first position. Students can expect to gain the confidence necessary to perform a short piece of music alongside his/her/their Musical Mentor.

Students will grow their understanding of written music, the notes on all six strings of the guitar, and they will learn the E minor, A7 and D chords. New concepts introduced in this course include rests, rhythms, e-harmonics and strumming the guitar. Students will also learn about intervals through the exploration of ear training and singing.

Building on the knowledge and skills acquired from previous levels, this course is designed for students already possessing a basic understanding of the guitar. Students are introduced to the D minor, A and E chords, power chords, the major scale, and playing accidentals on the top-three strings.

Additional exposure to reading and writing tablature, rhythms and strumming patterns with increased difficulty are introduced, as well as expanded singing and ear training components which will include the perfect and imperfect fourths and fifths.

Students will continue to expand their knowledge of chords to include the F barre chord and B7 chord. Students will be able to play notes on all six strings including those with accidentals. Students will begin to explore writing and improvising using the minor pentatonic and chromatic scales.

Ear training and singing skills include major and minor 2nds and 3rds, as well as perfect and imperfect 4ths and 5ths. Muting techniques and eighth-note rests and rhythms are introduced.

Building on the knowledge and skills acquired from previous levels, this course integrates improvising and writing, using the transposable major and minor scales, major and minor barre chords, sixteenth rests and rhythms. Ear training and singing now include all intervals up to and including the major and minor 6th intervals.

Students will focus upon integrating all of their previous skills into group-performance and teaching opportunities. In addition, students learn the mixolydian scale, major, minor and dominant barre chords, rests and rhythms for all combinations of sixteenth and notes or larger duration, and singing and recognition of all intervals within the octave.

Piano I equips students with the necessary foundations for keyboard playing by giving careful attention to the different elements of music. The first part of this course places heavy emphasis on keyboard etiquette & technique.

It is important in the early stages of learning to make sure that good technique is encouraged for ease of playing in more-advanced stages. It is recommended that the student practices approximately 10 minutes every day to develop good practice habits.

This course is the follow up to Piano I. Here the student switches focus to theory and general music education. This will ensure a balanced understanding of music as the student progresses in their musical training. It is recommended that the student practices approximately 10-15 minutes every day to develop good practice habits.

Finger dexterity and independence are the main targets of Piano II. After developing a strong foundational technique, this course gives the student a few challenges by bringing articulation and dynamics into the player’s skill set. It is recommended that the student practices approximately 15-20 minutes every day to help develop a strong technique.

Piano IV introduces more complex music theory while developing good technique in the hands. At the end of the course the student should be fairly comfortable reading both treble and bass clefs. It is recommended that the student practices approximately 25-30 minutes daily to help with a higher level of musical development.

This is a 2 part course that will expose already developed pianists to more complex musical concepts. With an emphasis on phrasing and function, Piano V will develop a more mature understanding of melody and harmony in the student. It is recommended that the advanced student practices a minimum of 30 minutes daily.

Piano VI introduces already developed pianists to advanced musical genres and forms. It is important for the well rounded musician to have exposure to as many types of music as possible in order to develop a more informed career. It is recommended that the advanced student practices a minimum of 30 minutes daily.

Voice I starts every singer off with a strong foundation in proper singing technique. This is very important so that singers do not injure themselves, especially when performing more difficult repertoire. In this course we cover the basics of breathing and theory to arm each student for a successful musical career. At this level it is recommended that students practice approximately 10 minutes a day.

Voice I starts every singer off with a strong foundation in proper singing technique. This is very important so that singers do not injure themselves, especially when performing more difficult repertoire. In this course we cover the basics of breathing and theory to arm each student for a successful musical career. At this level it is recommended that students practice approximately 10 minutes a day.

Voice II is a course designed to strengthen the foundations introduced in Beginner Voice I. At this stage we expand the singer’s knowledge of theory to include rhythm and accidentals while targeting endurance and agility in the voice. It is recommended that the student practices 10-15 minutes daily.

A strong understanding of the musical elements is the basis of Voice III. This course introduces form, dynamics, articulation and makes sure the singer is consciously aware of musical vocal decisions. It is recommended that the student practices 15-20 minutes a day to reinforce these new concepts.

Voice IV expands on some of the more advanced concepts introduced in Voice III. In this course we strengthen the voice through endurance, but also allow the singer to craft a short performance. This gives the student the opportunity to start experiencing the physical and emotional aspects of performing. Students should practice 25-30 minutes daily.

Voice V is a course that prepares students for a professional career in voice. In this course we emphasize an awareness of vocal anatomy as well as English phonetics. We also start to develop a more mature sense of music through phrasing and harmony. It is recommended that advanced students practice 30+ minutes a day.

The main objective of Voice VI is to hone independence and maturity in the singer. This course exposes students to complex musical forms as well as music in other languages. Voice VI also gives the student the chance to craft a themed 30 minute recital in order to develop programming and performance skills. It is recommended that the advanced student practices 30+ minutes a day.

Drumming that we all know and love comes from great patterns, fun fills, and proper technique. In this course, students will learn how to set themselves up physically on the drum set, how to hold the sticks properly, how to read rhythms that will always be a part of their vocabulary, how to play a number of different grooves and fills, how to move around the drum set in an effective way, and most importantly, how to play a song and get into the music!

Drawing on the first course, Drums I will dive further into technique, reading rhythms, grooves & fills, more complex grouping of notes, and more songs. In the first course, students have created the building blocks to be able to push their abilities further. A more even combination of playing and reading is used to reach the goals of the course.

In Drums II, students will continue to build upon their technique, reading, and pattern playing. During this course, bars and phrases will have larger groupings of notes, and also focus will be put on using the bass drum more fluidly. Students will also become more familiar with the drum set as a physical instrument and how component works.

By this point, students will have a notably trained ear, and will continue to develop it by listening to played ideas and repeating them back. The course will keep on with the idea of grooves and fills in larger groupings, as well as enter the four-way independence phase, which is where all four limbs are used simultaneously. Students will continue learning songs, both from memory and practice, as well as directly from specifically designed charts.

This course will continue developing students’ notation knowledge, as well as working on the weaker side (left hand/left foot if you’re right-handed, or vice-verse if you’re left-handed). Four-way independence will also keep playing an important role in the students’ development. Lastly, we begin to use brushes, as opposed to drumsticks 100% of the time.

In Drums V, students will begin to expand their musical horizon by veering away from traditional rock & pop patterns, and starting up with funk patterns. The course will also feature more odd note groupings. Students will continue to develop their knowledge of the physical instrument, and of common chart markings.

This course will focus on smaller details that make ordinary grooves and fills sound more professional and interesting. Ghost notes and dotted notes will be explored in detail. Students will also enter into the world of jazz music and drumming.
In Drums VI, all of the previous ideas will be flushed out in detail. More chart creation, familiarity with drum equipment, and four-way independence will be common. Students will also continue on with jazz studies, as well as entering the world of Afro-Cuban music.