CLASS OFFERINGS
SPRING SESSION 2021 CALENDAR
Spring Semester Dates
First Weekday: Tuesday, February 2nd
SPRING SESSION 2021 COURSE OFFERINGS
Spring individual lessons
Pricing is offered for the entire semester of individual lessons. Individual instrument and voice lessons are offered including piano, guitar, percussion, voice, saxophone, clarinet, flute, recorder, Braille music, music theory, composition, and arranging.
- 30 minutes (for ages 7 and under) $375
- 45 minutes: $465
- 1 hour: $620
Performance Ensembles: $100
- Vocal Ensemble (with permission of instructor)
- Jam59 (with permission of instructor)
- VIPs (with permission of instructor)
- The Rock Band (with permission of instructor)
Comprehensive Music Program for Young People (CMPYP): $480
The Comprehensive Music Program for Young People brings the FMDG mission of education, access, and inclusion to students 6-19 years of age who are blind or visually impaired. The CMPYP offers an array of classes covering music literacy, theory, history, dance, instrumental ensemble, and chorus. History and dance will be enjoyed together as a group via Zoom. Other lessons and classes will be scheduled separately and will be held in smaller groups or individually.
We strive to customize the experience for each student based on interests, needs, abilities, and age. Every student receives three music classes as part of the CMPYP Curriculum. Additional music classes and lessons will incur an additional free. The CMPYP offers the many classes listed above and more but the Core CMPYP Curriculum includes:
Theory/Braille Music Class
- To develop musical literacy and notate music in staff or Braille format
- To understand and apply music theory; intervals, scales, chords, and musical form
- To meaningfully integrate concepts into the keyboard or guitar
Youth Chorus
- To sing and blend in unison
- To explore part singing
- To discover and perform music from many cultures
Instrumental Ensemble
- The fundamentals of wind, percussion, or keyboard playing
- To play together in an ensemble setting and learn about rehearsal and performance processes
- To learn and practice improvisation
- To experience playing music from diverse cultures and in various styles
Special Five and Six-Week Group Classes: $120
Artistry as a Singing Actor
Teacher: Michelle Trovato
Thursdays from 6 to 7 pm, January 7 to February 11
For singers interested in bringing stories to life in vocal literature and increasing storytelling with each performance. Using text analysis and research to breathe life to a character, students will be asked to think like an actor. Students will use musical analysis of the score to inform and present a fully well-rounded character. Musical theatre and classical selections welcome!
Beethoven 250 Years: Part 2
Teacher: Juan Pablo Horcasitas
Tuesdays and Fridays from 6 to 7 pm, January 12 to January 29
This course will be a musical analysis of major works by Beethoven, one from each of the three periods: Early, Heroic, and Late. Students will listen and discuss style, form, harmony, rhythm, and motivic development focusing on three works by the composer. This course is a continuation of the summer 2020 Beethoven course but any student may join.
Visionary Musicians: Jacob van Eyck, Lennie Tristano, Rahsaan Roland Kirk
Teacher: Richard Thai
Saturdays from 4 to 5 pm, February 20 to March 27
“Visionary Musicians” travels through genres and periods to examine the pioneering blind and low vision musicians that have shaped the course of music history. From composers and virtuosos, to educators and activists, the influence of these musicians is present and stronger than ever in the music of today. Classes will include an oral introduction to each musician, guided listening and compositional analysis. Supplementary transcriptions of music examples, parts and lead sheets will be available in accessible formats. Participants are strongly encouraged to explore and experiment with the music transcriptions on their primary instrument.
Conversations with Opera Heroines
Teacher: Michelle Trovato
Thursdays from 5 to 6 pm, April 8 to May 13
Each week during this special 6-week class we'll examine a new opera and a new heroine, exploring Carmen, Aida, Tosca, Susanna (Le Nozze di Figaro), Tatiana (Eugene Onegin), and Brünhilde (Wagner’s Ring Cycle)! Plot, history, and musical highlights from each of the operas from which these prima donnas derive will be covered. Guest performers and presenters will discuss each leading lady and give insight to how these characters come to life onstage.
History of Jazz
Teacher: Chris Petz
Fridays from 5 to 6 pm, February 12 to March 19
Jazz is the great American art form. The origins of jazz are still debated amongst scholars. One theory is that jazz came from the pre-civil war voodoo rituals of New Orleans. Some cite Buddy Bolden’s first band in 1985 as the beginning. Others argue it was not until the 1917 recording of Livery Stable Blues in by Nino LaRocca and his Original Dixieland Band. Jelly Roll Morton said he invented jazz in 1902. This claims and the history that follows will be covered in a lecture format. Audio examples provided by instructor. No prerequisite.
Alternative to the White Eurocentric Piano Repertoire
Teacher: Pablo Rodriguez
Thursdays from 4 to 5 pm, February 11 to March 18
In this workshop we will learn how to perform piano pieces from a repertoire different from the white Eurocentric canon. We will have fun playing Latin-American, Folk, Jazz, Rock, Urban, and Pop music, among many others styles. We will discuss key elements of music making such as historical contexts, cultural appropriation issues, and marginalized communities’ music traditions. Finally, by the end of this course, each student will perform or video record a short piece of his/her interest.
Students will need a piano/electric keyboard along with a device able to play .mp3 files and YouTube videos. Backing tracks, braille scores, and large print scores will be provided before each session.
Please call us at (315) 842-4489 for more information.
Cancelation and Make-up Lesson Policy
Cancelation Policy
The FMDG Music School reserves the right to cancel or change class offerings for any reason, such as insufficient enrollment, or unavailability of the instructor. In the event of cancellation, registered students will be notified and given a full refund. If a student chooses to withdraw, a full refund will be made before the first class. There is no refund after the third class or lesson. Registration fees are nonrefundable and apply only to the semester for which you enroll.
Make-up Lesson Policy
Lessons are offered only on a full-semester basis. Once the schedule is established, the specific lesson time is an agreement between teacher and student, whether the lesson or class is taken or missed by the student. Instructors are not required to make-up lessons or classes that are canceled or missed by students without a prior rescheduling arrangement made at least 24 hours in advance. Reasonable accommodation of make-up is made in cases of illness and unavoidable circumstances. However, in the case when an instructor cancels, a make-up lesson will be arranged.
Late Registration
If you register after the fourth week of the semester, tuition will be appropriately pro-rated.