West Bank School of Music
Composer-Performer Orchestra
INSTRUCTOR: Stefan Kac
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Want to sign up? Contact the West Bank School of Music:
1813 South 6th Street
Minneapolis, MN, 55454
•(612) 333-6651•
•info@westbankmusic.org•
•http://www.westbankmusic.org•
 
Want more info about the program? Keep reading...  
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Go beyond band and join an ensemble where the students write the music! Through the process of workshopping and performing their own compositions and arrangements, members of this ensemble become empowered to forge their own musical paths. Students attend one group rehearsal and one individual private lesson with the instructor each week. Tuition for the program is $160 per 4-week session.
“OKAY, SO WHAT EXACTLY IS THIS PROGRAM, ANYWAY?” The West Bank School of Music Composer-Performer Orchestra is an educational program for musicians of all ages who are interested in writing and performing their own instrumental music. In this program, students: •compose original instrumental music under the guidance of an instructor •study great music of the past by arranging it for the group to play •workshop and perform these compositions and arrangements with the other students •learn about music notation, orchestration, history, conducting, and more •become valued members of a non-competitive, non-graded, all-ages musical ensemble “HOW IS THE PROGRAM STRUCTURED?” The program runs in 4-week sessions. While each session is organized around a particular topic, the long-term focus is on giving concerts of original music composed and arranged by the students. New students may join at the beginning of a session. Students attend CPO activities twice a week when the program is in session: •One Class Meeting (all students present) -group rehearsal of student compositions -collaborative study/arranging of other works -instructor-led lectures -group listening and discussion •One Individual Private Lesson -individualized instruction related to current class topics and projects “WHAT DOES IT COST?” Tuition for the program is $160 for each 4-week session. “ISN'T THAT A LOT?” This is a highly competitive rate considering that the program includes both ensemble rehearsals and private lessons. It is not unheard of to pay $40 or more for a single private lesson, yet for the same price per week, the WBSM CPO offers both a lesson and an ensemble program in one (plus, it's totally unique and way cooler than any other local program). It would cost a student considerably less to enroll in the program for one year (9 sessions, or 36 weeks) then it would to enroll in 36 lessons and 36 ensemble meetings through most any other local music school and/or youth symphony. “WHAT ABOUT SCHEDULING?” The group rehearses Monday nights from 7:30-8:30pm. Private lessons are scheduled individually based on students’ and instructors’ mutual availability. If a student must miss a lesson, every effort will be made to make that lesson up before the end of the session. Because classes involve the entire group, however, they cannot be made up. In the absence of extreme circumstances, missed lessons and classes cannot be credited towards future sessions. Regarding private lessons, students and parents should be advised that the WBSM maintains a 24-hour cancellation policy. “DO I HAVE TO COMPOSE TO BE IN THE GROUP?” No, but you have to be willing to try it. The goal of this program is not to make professional composers out of every student, but rather to use composing and arranging as vehicles for learning about “The Big Picture.” That means topics like music theory, history, conducting, notation, orchestration, improvisation, listening skills, analysis, criticism, business, and more are all fair game. Of course, for students who are serious about composing, it’s also a one-of-a-kind opportunity to hear their music played by others and to hone their compositional skills based on this invaluable experience. But even for those who aren’t, it’s an exciting alternative to business as usual and a chance to broaden their musical horizons in a way no other local program can offer. “WHAT ELSE SHOULD I KNOW?” First off, this "orchestra" may not look or sound exactly like what you most readily associate with that term. For one thing, this is a brand new program, and the current group is quite small. As the program grows, it will become more "orchestral" in scope, but there are distinct advantages to having a smaller group as well (more individual attention, and a chance to play chamber music, where everyone's part is crucial). Either way, the program accepts all students who want to join, regardless of their age, the instrument they play, or their experience with composing. We won't always have every instrument represented, and we may often have many of the same instrument represented, but finding ways to make music anyway is a crucial lesson which, once it is learned, becomes tremendously empowering. The program was founded with this very scenario in mind. Secondly, students and parents should know that I (the program director, a brass player) will be teaching many of the private lessons, even to non-brass students. Like the group rehearsals, lessons have a dual focus (i.e. on both playing and composing) in this program, which means that they are less about traditional instrumental technique than about helping students with their projects. What exactly that entails is entirely dependent on what the class is working on at the time, and within that, what the student needs the most help with. While we welcome all students into the program who wish to sign up, it is advisable that they have previously attained an intermediate level of technical fluency on their instrument before joining the CPO, whether through school band, youth symphony, community groups, private lessons, or a combination thereof. Prospective students should discuss these criteria with the instructor if they are unsure. Finally, students should realize that all of the other students in the program will be depending on them to come to rehearsal prepared. They may be assigned to have something written and ready for the group to play, or they may be assigned to practice their part and be ready to perform it with the group. Either way, the success of that week's class meeting depends heavily on them completing these tasks on time. While I believe strongly in letting the creative process take as much time as it needs, some deadlines are unavoidable, and in this case, the program depends heavily on students making tangible week-to-week progress on their current projects. “THIS ALL SOUNDS VERY NICE... BUT CAN YOU REALLY TEACH COMPOSITION?” Maybe not, but you most definitely can LEARN it. Not just anyone can be a composer, but the ones who can aren't born doing it: they have to learn, too. Wherever and however it happens, we learn constantly from the music of other composers, beginning with the very first time we heard music as young children, and later by way of more focused listening, playing an instrument, forming bands with our friends, and ultimately writing our own music and (hopefully) hearing it played. Some situations are more conducive to this learning process than others, though, and school bands, youth orchestras, and community ensembles are not always among the best options for students who want to compose, though they certainly have their place. If you've tried those kinds of groups, learned from them, and found yourself wanting more, perhaps this is the program you've been looking for. It’s a program that I certainly wish had existed when I was a student, but since I can’t go back in time, the next best thing I can do is to create it myself for today’s students. It is by personal choice that I do not have a degree in composition, nor even so much as a single "formal" composition lesson. However, I have played and listened to quite a bit of other people's music, as well as written and performed quite a bit of my own. I was never TAUGHT how to compose, but I'd be lying to say I didn't LEARN it somewhere (I most certainly wasn't born doing it, either), and I strive to learn a little bit more every day. Now I'm a teacher, too, but in the case of this particular program, I believe that if I can create an environment where the most important lessons students learn are from each other and from the composers we study rather than from me, they will have a better than average chance of themselves succeeding as composers, even if I can't really be said to have taught them to do it. Stefan Kac Director, WBSM Composer-Performer Orchestra To sign up, or for more info, contact the West Bank School of Music: •(612) 333-6651• •info@westbankmusic.org• •http://www.westbankmusic.org• mailto:info@westbankmusic.orghttp://www.westbankmusic.orgshapeimage_3_link_0shapeimage_3_link_1