Teenagers – have you ever wanted to learn how to write music? Have you ever wondered how music is organized? Have you ever wanted to have in-person feedback from musicians who will perform your music? Then this summer’s Introduction to Music Composition program is for you!

In this week-long half-day program (July 17-21), Teaching Artist Dr. Andrew Cote will walk students through how to generate, create, and organize their musical sketches into compositions. As a composer of acoustic and electronic music, Mr. Cote’s compositions have been performed and recorded across three continents. His latest album, Ulterior Motives: The Saxophone Music of Andrew Cote, was released in December 2016 and is available on Itunes, Amazon, and most other online retailers. As a rock and popular music artist, Mr. Cote has recorded with several groups and is an active studio drummer, recording on several albums each year. He currently teaches orchestration, aural skills, and popular music history at George Mason University.
www.andrewcotemusic.com

 

 

“You will be writing music in class starting the very first day, and you will have several opportunities throughout the week to hear your music performed by fellow students and guest musicians,” explained Mr. Cote. “Whether you have been writing music for a while or you are just starting to put your pencil to paper, you are guaranteed to walk away from this class with a better understanding of how to organize your musical thoughts in a clear and exciting way!” Note: participants should have a basic understanding of treble and bass clef, experience playing an instrument, and basic understanding of music theory (scales, key signatures, time signatures)

Mr. Cote earned a Doctorate in Music Composition from George Mason University, a Master’s degree in Music Composition from Central Michigan University, and a Bachelor’s degree in Music Education from the University of New Hampshire. He has taught the Introduction to Music Composition program for several summers and continually inspires young students to think creatively while giving them tools to realize their ideas.

 

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Learning the piano can be a highly rewarding experience for kids, but it can also be a rather lonely affair mainly concentrated on weekly private one-on-one lessons and at-home practice. Piano Teaching Artist Michelle Richardson has created summer piano programs that not only augment students’ piano education, but also provide opportunities for group learning and fun, social activities!

Ms. Richardson has been teaching private piano lessons, group piano classes and summer camps at the Academy for several years. As a Doctoral student at Mason’s School of Music, she also teaches piano/ keyboard classes to university students. She has built the framework for the current children’s group class curriculum at the Academy based on what she has learned about piano pedagogy at Mason. She has also created the Piano Adventures summer camp series for young beginners ages 6-9 and last year introduced the Mason Summer Piano Academy for ages 8-18, a week-long intensive for students above beginner level. You can read some insights to both of these summer programs from Ms. Richardson below.

Mason Summer Piano Academy
August 7-11, 2017
“This is a fantastic program that I ran last summer with my good friends and colleagues in my DMA program at George Mason,” said Ms. Richardson. “Along with using the beautiful facilities in the Mason School of Music (equipped with Steinway pianos!), students have lots of opportunities to expand their musical learning outside of their normal weekly private piano lessons. Students typically receive one to two hours of individual and guided practice time during each day, and they also play duo pieces with partners. We have music classes in history and theory, along with chances to perform at the end of each day. Along with the in-depth musical part of the intensive, we keep the atmosphere fun, having games and opportunities for students to mingle and make friends. Although it is a wide age difference (ages 8-18), we separate the students into groups according to age and level to provide the best experience for each student. It was a wonderful first summer last year! I know year #2 will be even better and I hope to see you there!” (Note: Participants should have a minimum of 1 to 2 years of private piano lesson experience to be prepared for this program.)

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Summer Piano Adventures/ Discoveries
Weekly Options in June/ July
“These camps are geared more toward beginners and younger ages (under 9 years),” explained Ms. Richardson. “It is a half-day camp and centers around the Piano Lab at the Academy Building [near the Mason campus], which houses a group of 8 full-sized, high quality digital pianos that are electronically synced to my ‘instructor’ keyboard. Students will have a fun experience, integrating their piano skills in a group setting with the use of technology at the keyboard. Part of the program takes place in a large room free from the pianos, where students can spread out for musical games and a snack break.”

The specialized “Discoveries Week” is formatted for students who have taken Adventures before and/or have taken less than a year of private piano lessons. “We will expand on topics covered in piano lessons, improve on basic note reading skills, and have opportunities for group and partner playing and individual performances,” clarified Ms. Richardson.  “Along with the piano emphasis, we cover some music theory and history, too. I highly encourage this for young beginners who would like to have a fun musical camp experience!”

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Because we require that each student has his/her own piano to work with during these programs, space is limited. We encourage you to plan your schedule and register as early as possible. It’s time to get piano-tized!

 

Guitar teaching artists Christopher Jenkins and Suzanne Dorman team up for the Summer Classical Guitar Workshop for teens, July 31- August 4, providing students with valuable tools for continuing their pursuit of excellent guitar playing. Mr. Jenkins will also present Beginner Guitar Camps for kids and teens.

Classical Guitar Workshop
The Classical Guitar Workshop is intended for young guitarists who are at an intermediate to advanced level of playing. Mr. Jenkins and Ms. Dorman will guide students in practical strategies for and applications of effective practice, daily warm up exercises, how to rehearse with an ensemble, how to prepare for a performance, how to memorize music, and much more! All of this will be enriched by learning in group sessions, in master classes, as well as in private lessons. Participants will be actively applying what they are learning throughout the week, with the Workshop wrapping up with an informal group recital on Friday afternoon.

Christopher Jenkins is a performer and teacher in the Washington DC area. He has given performances both at home and abroad, from Spain and Argentina to locations in South Carolina, Virginia, West Virginia, Maryland, Texas, and Washington D.C. He holds his Master’s Degree in Music from the University of South Carolina, and he received his Bachelor’s Degree from George Mason University. Christopher and Brett Floyd have been performing together as The Coda Duo.  Their work can be found online at CDBaby, Amazon, and iTunes.

 

 

“Regardless of a student’s age or skill level, I work to envision what the potential and goals are for them,” said Mr. Jenkins. “I believe that providing students with a solid understanding of music theory and guitar technique will only help them to grow. I have students from all walks of life, various ages and backgrounds, and with very different reasons for pursuing the guitar, so I try to work hard to understand the needs of each student. I want students to discover more about themselves through playing and performing on the guitar.  I also want my students to understand how to practice well, thinking critically and understanding both the music and the instrument.”

Suzanne Dorman is a classically trained guitarist recently relocated to the Northern Virginia area. She holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in Guitar Performance from Belhaven University, and she has studied at Peabody Conservatory. She has performed in venues in several states as well as in Mexico, where she taught music in an orphanage for one year.

“My philosophy, in essence, is that people are musical,” explained Ms. Dorman. “We have this fascinating way of expressing emotions and ideas that can’t even be expressed through language. With practice and persistence, everyone can grow their musical abilities. My job as a teacher is to help students learn how to practice, and hopefully to inspire them to imagine what is possible. Patience, persistence, and empathy – you need all three of these things to be a good musician. Of course, I also hope to teach good technique and practice strategies!”

The phrase “classical guitar” may refer to either of two concepts other than the instrument itself: the instrumental finger technique common to classical guitar (individual strings plucked with the fingernails or, rarely, fingertips) and the instrument’s classical music repertoire, such as works by composers Mauro Giuliani, Heitor Villa-Lobos, Mario Castelnuovo-Tedesco, Manuel Ponce, Leo Brouwer, and Lennox Berkeley.

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Beginner Guitar Camps
Brand new to guitar? Have no fear! We also have a program geared just for you. Both teens (ages 13-18) and older kids (ages 8-12) will enjoy learning the fundamentals of acoustic guitar playing at our Beginner Guitar Camps, July 17-21. Led by Guitar Teaching Artist Christopher Jenkins, students will learn guitar notation forms, how to play melodies, and strum chords. The camp is only a half-day, one-week program, but students should expect to practice outside of program hours as well.

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It’s “American Idol” and “The Voice” on a smaller, more educational, and way more friendly scale – this summer’s Singer/ Songwriter Workshop gives musically-minded teens the opportunity to develop songwriting skills, improve vocal technique, and explore stage performance strategies in a casual, nurturing environment.

The program, which is scheduled for July 24-28, is directed by Thom Routon, a recent Mason alum with unique songwriting, audio engineering, music recording, and performance experience. A classically trained musician,  Mr. Routon plays the violin, mandolin and acoustic guitar. Under the name Brother Kestrel, Thom released his debut EP “In the Earth” in February 2016.

 

 

In most methods of modern music education, students are taught the core values of how to understand and perform music, but they don’t always learn the ability to make new and original music creatively on their own. “My goal is to foster the creative process that is so crucial to creating original music from the heart of a musician,” explained Mr. Routon. “From the most fundamental beginner to the veteran troubadour, there will certainly be opportunities for students to develop new skills both as individual artists and collaborative musicians in a small group setting.”

Joining Mr. Routon will be accomplished vocalist and actress Emi Eiting, who brings several years of theater and stage experience to the program. Ms. Eiting will assist the students with vocal coaching and performance insights. Guest speaker Jesse Guessford, Professor of Music Technology at Mason’s School of Music, will also make an appearance to discuss music improvisation and audio recording. Mr. Guessford will be directing the Music Recording Camp the following week.

 

 

“We will be exploring the ideas of improvisation and collaboration to help students think outside the box and approach the process of music-making in a fun new way,” said Mr. Routon. “By meeting the needs of each individual participant and matching their levels of creativity to others in the group, we hope that this workshop will connect fellow musicians and artists through ways they may not have previously had in their traditional music education curriculum.”

Whether you are interested in contemporary, pop, hip-hop, folk, rock, or classical music (or all of the above!), you will find the insights and experiences at the Singer/ Songwriter Workshop enjoyable and enlightening. Plus, there’s a coffeehouse-style performance presentation at the end of the week where you can show off a little for family and friends!

 

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