Instrumental and Vocal Lessons
MUSICIANSHIP CLASSES
Musicianship, in its broadest sense, is a responsive awareness of the elements of music and their relationship to one another within a composition. The recognition of these inner relationships is vital to the understanding of any piece of music, and perhaps the most important part of the performer's interpretation. Musicianship training is essential to a comprehensive music education and critical to continued growth with instrumental and vocal study.
Weekly musicianship classes are a core component of instrument and voice study at Diller-Quaile. As students progress through the sequential and leveled curriculum, they develop music literacy and an understanding of the elements and structure of music. Levels are determined by the age of the student and experience with musicianship training. Over time students will be placed in a variety of class formats, all of which include experiences in reading, writing, singing, playing, improvising, and composing.
Final decisions regarding appropriate class placement are at the discretion of the School. Ages listed are as of September 1, 2010.
MUSICIANSHIP COURSES
Composition
Through experience with the fundamentals of creative improvisation and composition, students deepen their understanding of music structure and notation. Class members study scores through singing, playing, and conducting, and regularly play and discuss each other's works. Students are admitted to this class with the permission of the instructor.
Dalcroze Eurhythmics
Through movement, singing and improvisation, students experience music concepts and begin to develop music literacy. When they walk, run, and gallop, they experience beat, meter, and rhythm. As the year proceeds, the children describe their rhythmic movement, identify note values, and begin to read and notate simple rhythms. When singing, they use their hands and arms to show the shape of a melody or a phrase. These movements help students feel and internalize the relationship of pitches while tuning the voice and ear to each other. Teachers participating in Diller-Quaile's Graduate Level Dalcroze courses observe the Thursday classes.
Ear Training and Notation
Through active listening, group singing, dictation, sight-singing with solfège, and score study, students build music literacy and an understanding of the structure of music. As students' skills advance, they apply this knowledge to music literature at their level of study.
Fundamentals
This class is designed for preteen and teenage students new to music study. Students learn fundamental music concepts, such as rhythmic values, meter, scales, intervals, chords, and melodic reading using solfège. Through active listening, ear training, group singing, dictation, sight-singing, and score study, students build music literacy and musicianship skills as a foundation for instrument and voice study.
Great Composers
Through active listening, score reading, group singing, playing and conducting, students become familiar with significant works and come to place the composers, their works, and the musical styles they represent in an historical context. These classes explore music of the Renaissance through the Modern Era.
Improvisation
Students deepen their understanding of the elements of music through exploring individual, partnered, and group improvisations. In the earliest years, singing and simple percussion instruments, as well as body sounds such as clapping and tapping, are used. Older students will also explore the piano keyboard and have an opportunity to improvise on their own instruments. Both standard and invented forms of notation are incorporated.
Meet the Instrument
This class introduces students to instruments in the string, woodwind, brass, and percussion families. Students explore the elements of music through group singing, rhythmic movement, playing small percussion instruments, and ear training games that introduce music notation.
Meet the Orchestra
This class introduces students to the instruments of the orchestra. Guest musicians perform engaging classical selections, and students discuss with the musicians the timbre, range, qualities, and repertoire of the instruments. Students explore the elements of music through group singing, rhythmic movement, experiences with small percussion instruments, and ear training games that incorporate music notation.
Musicianship with Chorus
Choral singing is a core component of musicianship training. In fact, composers such as Orlando di Lasso, J.S. Bach, Joseph Haydn, and Franz Schubert were all accomplished child choristers. Through the study of choral repertoire spanning various periods and styles, students develop music literacy and sight-singing skills. Diller-Quaile choruses age six and older also perform in the School's winter and spring concerts.
Musicianship with Computers
This class is designed for students who enjoy and learn well with computers. The software used incorporates several levels of material that can be shaped to the student's needs. Class experiences include opportunities to sing, play rhythm instruments, read, and conduct, as computer work reinforces musical concepts and notation skills.
MUSICIANSHIP COURSE SCHEDULE
Class ages, levels, and formats are subject to change.
| Pre-Reading | |||||
| 3 & 4 years | Meet the Instrument | (#56) | Mon | 2:55 - 3:40 p.m. | |
| 3 & 4 years | Dalcroze Eurhythmics | (#47) | Tues | 2:55 - 3:40 p.m. | |
| Early Reading | |||||
| 4 & 5 years | Dalcroze Eurhythmics | (#48) | Mon | 2:55 - 3:40 p.m. | |
| 5 & 6 years | Improvisation | (#110) | Mon | 3:45 - 4:30 p.m. | |
| 5 & 6 years | Meet the Orchestra (#64) | Mon | 3:45 - 4:30 p.m. | ||
| 4 & 5 years | Musicianship with Chorus | (#52) | Tue | 2:55 - 3:40 p.m. | |
| 4 & 5 years | Musicianship with Chorus | (#53) | Tue | 3:45 - 4:30 p.m. | |
| 4 & 5 years | Dalcroze Eurhythmics | (#49) | Tue | 3:45 - 4:30 p.m. | |
| 4 & 5 years | Dalcroze Eurhythmics | (#50) | Wed | 2:45 - 3:30 p.m. | |
| Level I | |||||
| 6 & 7 years | Improvisation | (#120) | Tue | 4:30 - 5:15 p.m. | |
| 6 & 7 years | Musicianship with Chorus | (#54) | Wed 3:45 - 4:30 p.m. | ||
| 6 & 7 years | Dalcroze Eurhythmics | (#51) | Thurs | 4:00 - 4:45 p.m. | |
| 6 & 7 years | Great Composers | (#150) | Fri | 3:15 - 4:00 p.m. | |
| Level I - II | |||||
| 7 & 8 years | Great Composers | (#111) | Mon | 4:30 - 5:15 p.m. | |
| 8 - 10 years | Improvisation | (#121) | Tue | 5:15 - 6:00 p.m. | |
| 7 - 9 years | Great Composers (#141) | Thurs | 4:30 - 5:15 p.m. | ||
| 7 - 9 years | Improvisation | (#161) | Sat | 11:00 - 11:45 a.m. | |
| Level II | |||||
| 9 - 11 years | Ear Training and Notation | (#113) | Mon 4:30 - 5:15 p.m. | ||
| 8 - 10 years | Improvisation | (#151) | Fri | 3:15 - 4:00 p.m. | |
| Level II - III | |||||
| 8 - 10 years | Musicianship with Chorus | (#130) | Wed | 4:30 - 5:15 p.m. | |
| 8 - 10 years | Ear Training and Notation | (#131) | Wed | 4:30 - 5:15 p.m. | |
| 8 - 10 years | Ear Training and Notation | (#140) | Thurs | 3:45 - 4:30 p.m. | |
| 8 - 10 years | Dalcroze Eurhythmics | (#142) | Thurs | 5:00 - 5:45 p.m. | |
| 9 - 11 years | Improvisation | (#162) | Sat | 11:00 - 11:45 a.m. | |
| Level III | |||||
| 9 - 12 years | Musicianship with Chorus | (#112) | Mon | 4:40 - 5:25 p.m. | |
| 12 - 14 years | Improvisation | (#122) | Tue | 5:15 - 6:00 p.m. | |
| 11 - 13 years | Great Composers | (#132) | Wed | 4:30 - 5:15 p.m. | |
| 11 - 13 years | Improvisation | (#143) | Thurs | 5:15 - 6:00 p.m. | |
| 10 - 12 years | Musicianship with Computers | (#152) | Fri | 4:00 - 4:45 p.m. | |
| 11 - 13 years | Great Composers | (#160) | Sat | 10:15 - 11:00 a.m. | |
| Level IV | |||||
| 13 - 15 years | Ear Training and Notation | (#133) | Wed | 5:15 - 6:00 p.m. | |
| 13 - 15 years | Ear Training and Notation | (#153) | Fri | 4:00 - 4:45 p.m. | |
| Level IV - V | |||||
| 15 - 17 years | Great Composers | (#114) | Mon | 5:15 - 6:00 p.m. | |
| 14 - 16 years | Ear Training and Notation | (#115) | Mon | 6:00 - 6:45 p.m. | |
| 14 - 17 years | Composition | (#144) | Thurs | 5:15 - 6:00 p.m. | |
| Older Beginners | |||||
| Various ages | Fundamentals | (#163) | Sat | 11:45 - 12:30 p.m. | |