Summer Music Clinic | Senior Session

Be a part of an a cappella ensemble! Music will be made completely through the human voice. All experience levels are welcome. A diverse and varied repertoire is a focus of this course.

Limited enrollment (18)

This class is for the experienced guitarist looking to build and expand their skills and musicianship. The course is designed as a small group instruction class. All styles and types of guitars welcome.

Limited enrollment (2 per instrument and 5 percussion)

A small jazz ensemble that covers a wide range of Afro-Cuban music, including son, son montuno, guaracha, mambo, bembe, danzón, guaguancó, cha-cha-chá, mozambique, rumba, and bolero. Students in the Afro-Cuban Jazz Ensemble work with the rhythmic concepts of clave in practical application, including improvisation and theoretical knowledge.

Instruments: Saxophone, Trumpet, Trombone, Piano, Bass, Percussion

Limited enrollment (18)

Add rock to your Bach. Put some swing in your strings. Play the blues and some fiddle. Get rhythm in your bows. Explore exciting possibilities for string instruments in contemporary music styles and improvisation.

Limited enrollment (18)

Do you audition for honors ensembles, solos, theatre productions, college, and more? Are you looking to gain valuable experience and tips for how to prepare for and crush your audition in the moment? This course is for you! Come with pieces of music you have prepared to gain valuable experience and insight into the audition processes in music!

Limited enrollment (18)

Develop your skills in ear training. Skills will include listening and identifying scales, intervals, chords and the ability to take aural dictation or transcribe music.

Be a part of a wind band ensemble! A diverse, challenging, and varied repertoire is a focus of this course. Explore the student choice audition process to select the path that is best for you. Music is taught through a variety of methods including reading notation, learning by rote or ear, and an individualized and large ensemble approach.

Flute, Oboe, Bassoon, Clarinet, Bass Clarinet, Alto Saxophone, Tenor Saxophone, Baritone Saxophone, Trumpet, Horn, Trombone, Euphonium, Tuba, Percussion and others

Limited enrollment (18)

Learn about the improvisations of great masters like Sonny Stitt, Bud Powell, and Kenny Dorham – their rhythm & swing feel, articulation, and the melodic & harmonic language of the jazz’s bebop era.  This is a playing class where the material covered will immediately be applied on everyone’s instrument, with a focus on to the repertoire of the bebop era.

Limited enrollment (18)

Come learn the guitar! Students will learn the basics of the instrument, notes, and chords in this course. The course is designed as a small group instruction model and will be taught in a group setting. A limited number of instruments are available on request.

Limited enrollment (12)

Come learn the piano! Students will learn the basics of the instrument, notes, and chords in this course. The course is designed as a small group instruction model and will be taught in a group setting. Instruments are provided.

Limited enrollment (30)

Learn and perform a wide range of repertoire written for large brass ensemble from all historical periods of music.

Instruments: Trumpet, Horn, Trombone, Euphonium, Tuba

Bright and Dark is a class that looks at sound as having a personality that expresses in bright and darker sounds. We look at voices, instruments, and play with how timbre is used to create a story through music. Come create your story with us.

Limited enrollment – Violin (24), viola (16), cello (16), double bass (6)

Chamber strings is a string based ensemble that focuses on a diverse, challenging, and varied repertoire for small string ensembles. Trios, quartets, and more will be explored in this course! Come enjoy a small ensemble experience focused on musician independence and self-rehearsing through a coaching model.

Instruments: Violin, Viola, Cello, Double Bass, Other

Be a part of a choral ensemble! A diverse, challenging, and varied repertoire is a focus of this course. Explore the student choice audition process to select the path that is best for you. Music is taught through a variety of methods including reading notation, learning by rote or ear, and an individualized and large ensemble approach.

All voice parts

Limited enrollment (18)

Learn what making music is like in front of an ensemble! Physical movement, score study, and rehearsal techniques will be explored in this course. All students will be active participants as conductors and choral musicians.

Limited enrollment (12)

The skill of collaborating with other musicians as a pianist is a great addition to the pianist’s skill set! In this course, learn techniques for collaboratively playing with soloists, choirs, and with multiple musicians as collaborative pianists. This course is a combination of learning techniques and then putting them into practice with SMC ensembles and soloists while working with a collaborative pianist.

Limited enrollment (18)

Collegium Musicum is an early music ensemble dedicated to exploring and performing the diverse vocal and instrumental repertories of the medieval, Renaissance, and baroque periods of European music history. The ensemble includes strings, winds, and vocalists on all instruments and parts. Prior experience in early music performance is not required!

Limited enrollment (18)

Learn techniques to compose your own music and arrange the music of others for a variety of ensembles. Composition, focused on creativity, is also a technique rooted in music theory and learned skills to help amplify your creative ideas through the study of melody, harmony and rhythm. Arranging includes arranging original compositions and those of others for the best sounds and results with various ensembles.

Beginning and Advanced Composition and Arranging are two separate classes with enrollment limited to 18 in each course.

What if you could tell other musicians in the moment what to play, how to play, and when to play without writing anything down or uttering a word? Or have the freedom to play in a group without having any music? “Soundpainting” is a universal multidisciplinary live composing sign language for collaborating with and responding to your peers in an improvisational and inclusive environment. Join Dr. Gnojek to learn over 40 gestures to indicate things like woodwind, whistle, increase tempo, skip like a record, play badly, play good-ly!, and improvise.

Limited enrollment (18)

This class can help anyone develop their understanding of how rhythms intersect with one another, regardless of instrument preference or music theory background. We will be listening to music of all styles, genres, and backgrounds, and attempting to dissect what rhythms each instrument is playing, and how they all intersect. If you explore how other people have approached playing certain styles, you can start to understand how you would approach playing those styles through your own lens of creativity, and thus broaden your scope of the types of gigs you can take.

Limited enrollment (36)

All of the art forms are connected to one another, and we become richer and more authentic musicians when we experience different art forms. Learn about dance through physical movement, character representation and interpretation, and more, as it relates to your skills as a musician. A variety of dance styles will be explored in this course including Hip Hop, Jazz, Contemporary, and Afro styles.  

Limited enrollment (16)

Be an active participant in recording SMC ensembles in rehearsal and performance! This hands-on course teaches you about microphones, location vs studio recording, and all things audio before recording various SMC ensembles from fiddle groups to large jazz ensembles to choirs.

Limited enrollment (18)

Be part of a drumline! All experience levels welcome. Be a part of a traditional marching drumline ensemble. Focus will be on strong percussion technique and presentation. Instruments are provided for this course.

Limited enrollment (18)

Be part of a drumline! Students must be a percussionist to be in this course. Be a part of a traditional marching drumline ensemble. Focus will be on strong percussion technique and presentation. Instruments are provided for this course.

Limited enrollment (Drumset; 10, Bass; 1, Guitar; 1)

Perform original music for an ensemble composed of drumsets and bass and guitar. This ensemble works to explore the multitude of unique sound qualities of the drumset through ensemble playing and learning of techniques through original music composed specifically for this ensemble. Multiple genres of drumming styles are played and performed.

Discover the magic of opera in this engaging introductory class that blends a brief overview of opera history with hands-on music-making. Participants will learn and rehearse ensemble pieces from beloved operas, culminating in a final performance to share what they’ve learned.

Explore the world of fiddling! Learn and build on skills of improvisation, reading chord charts, tablature, learning by rote/ear, and writing and arranging for different string instruments. Multiple musical styles are explored!

Instruments: Violin, Viola, Cello, Double Bass, Other

Limited enrollment (20)

Learn to play Javanese gamelan instruments (a traditional ensemble from Java, Indonesia) and perform pieces from the Javanese traditional corpus! You will learn basic theoretical notions of gamelan music and general cultural background. In addition, learn about the tradition of Balinese gamelan music and how to play it on the Javanese instruments.

Be part of a Gospel/Praise Choir! This music originated in the evangelical churches of black populations in the southern United States. Containing elements of jazz and blues, it often takes the form of a call and response between the preacher, who sings or declares a line, and the congregation, which sings an affirmative reply.

All voice parts welcome.

Be a part of a guitar ensemble! A diverse, challenging, and varied repertoire is a focus of this course exploring music that is specifically written for this ensemble. Music is taught through a variety of methods including reading notation, learning by rote or ear, and an individualized and large ensemble approach.

Instruments: Acoustic Guitar, Classical Guitar, Electric Guitar, Other

Limited enrollment (18)

You’ve sung and listened to so many songs, but have you tried writing your own? Whether you’ve composed before or not, this class will help you craft lyrics, melodies, beats, presentations, and give life to that song inside you. Tell your story! Learn to record your song!

Indian music have had a marked influence on jazz since at least the 1950s. Jazz artists such as John Coltrane, Yusef Lateef, Alice Coltrane, Roscoe Mitchell, and John McLaughlin have blended Indian music practices into their jazz performances and compositions. Elements of Indian music such as the use of a drone, raga (melodic scales, patterns, and embellishments), tala (rhythmic cycles), and their rhythmic vernacular have all been incorporated into jazz. This course will be a survey of Indian music-influenced jazz from the 1950s until the present. It will also cover established and emerging generations of South Asian and South Asian-American jazz musicians of the last 10 to 20 years such as Vijay Iyer, Rudresh Mahanthappa, Rez Abbasi, the course’s teacher Arun Luthra, and others, who have brought Indian music into the mainstream of modern jazz and contributed to its continuing development and evolution.

From BeBop to Hip Hip, this course covers the steps of today’s most popular music genre.

Limited enrollment (12)

Playing and singing with a collaborative pianist is a learned skill and enhances your musicianship. Come learn tips and tricks for preparing and performing with a collaborative pianist. Please bring the sheet music for pieces you are working and their piano parts to use in the course.

“In the Spirit of Allyship: Fostering Impactful and Positive Character in Yourself and Your Students,” led by Dr. Julia Baumanis (Rutgers University), is a leadership session for students who want to create an inclusive, supportive ensemble and classroom culture. In this interactive session, participants will learn how to model allyship, encourage empathy, and build an atmosphere where every musician feels valued, respected, and empowered to lead with integrity.

Violin, viola, cello, double bass, guitar, piano, harp

Work on specific instrument techniques in small group instruction to expand your skills and learn new repertoire. These courses are taught by a specialist in your instrument!

Flute, oboe, bassoon, clarinet, saxophone, trumpet, horn, trombone, euphonium, tuba, percussion

Work on specific instrument techniques in small group instruction to expand your skills and learn new repertoire. These courses are taught by a specialist in your instrument.

Limited enrollment, varied by instrument

Be a part of a jazz combo! A diverse, challenging, largely improvisatory, and varied repertoire is a focus of this course. Explore the student choice audition process to select the path that is best for you. Music is taught through a variety of methods including reading notation, learning by rote or ear, and an individualized and large ensemble approach.

Instruments: Flute, Oboe, Bassoon, Clarinet, Bass Clarinet, Alto Saxophone, Tenor Saxophone, Baritone Saxophone, Trumpet, Horn, Trombone, Euphonium, Tuba, Guitar, Bass, Piano, Drums, Vibraphone

Be a part of a jazz ensemble! A diverse, challenging, somewhat improvisatory, and varied repertoire is a focus of this course. Explore the student choice audition process to select the path that is best for you. Music is taught through a variety of methods including reading notation, learning by rote or ear, and an individualized and large ensemble approach.

Instruments: Flute, Oboe, Bassoon, Clarinet, Bass Clarinet, Alto Saxophone, Tenor Saxophone, Baritone Saxophone, Trumpet, Horn, Trombone, Euphonium, Tuba, Guitar, Bass (limited enrollment 8), Piano (limited enrollment 8), Drums (limited enrollment 8), Vibraphone

Wind instruments and high strings

Improvisation is how we can individually express ourselves within a piece of music with others. Experience an introduction to the world of improvisation through exploring jazz scales, rhythmic styles, and standard patterns that will help you improvise in an ensemble and more!

Limited enrollment (Wind instrument section: 18, Strings section: 18)

Improvisation is how we can individually express ourselves within a piece of music with others. Learn to craft more challenging improvisational passages and techniques.

Explore the history of America’s greatest gift to music—jazz. Together, we’ll trace its lineage through the influential artists who shaped its sound, while taking an anthropological look at how and why American culture itself is so profoundly musical.

Bass, guitar, piano (Limited enrollment – 12). Drums (limited enrollment – 20)

Work on specific instrument techniques in small group instruction to expand your skills as part of a rhythm section and learn new repertoire. These courses are taught by a specialist in your instrument!

Limited enrollment (18)

Want to improve your improvisation and understanding of jazz? This course will help you understand and apply core concepts in classic jazz, bebop, and more to become a much better improviser and jazz player.

Limited enrollment (12)

This class is designed for the intermediate or advanced pianist (~4+ years of keyboard study) to explore keyboard skills that are essential for professional development.

Skills covered include: technical skills that improve awareness of keyboard topography; sight-reading solo and ensemble keyboard repertoire with varying textures, styles, and pedagogical issues; melodic and harmonic transposition exercises to develop intervallic reading skills; harmonization exercises to improve awareness of harmonic relationships; score reading exercises; rhythmic exercises to develop reading fluency and groove; basic realization of lead sheets in popular music styles.

This introductory group class explores the essentials of diction for singers, helping students build clarity and confidence in multiple languages. Through learning a mixed selection of English and foreign-language songs, participants will develop practical pronunciation skills and showcase their work in a final performance.

This course covers selected musical cultures from Latin America and the Caribbean within their cultural and geographical contexts. You will become familiar with the different styles and repertoires of music such as bolero, ranchero, marimba de tecomates, bossa-nova, choro, Latin pop, merengue, nueva canción, huayno, bambuco, rumba, salsa, samba, son, bachata, milonga and more. Learn historical backgrounds and social functions of these styles.

Limited enrollment (12)

Learn both mixing and basic turntablism— all using professional, industry standard equipment. This course bridges traditional Western music theory with the latest DJ technology and techniques. Featured instructor is touring DJ Pacal ‘DJ Pain 1’ Bayley.

Limited enrollment (18)

This workshop focuses on developing listening skills and one’s capacity to discuss different dimensions of music. Each day, we will listen to music from different cultural contexts and as identified by students. We’ll talk about each piece, contextualize them in their cultural contexts, and share our perspectives on each piece. So, come, bring some tunes to share, and let’s listen to and talk about music together.

A mariachi ensemble is a group of singing and playing musicians interpreting the folkloric music of Mexico. Mariachi music is a distinct type of traditional Mexican folk music that combines brass and string instruments. The music is accompanied by a distinctive singing style in its harmonies. Ensemble instrumentation is violin, trumpet, nylon-string guitar, vihuela, guitarrón, harp, and voice. All group members sing the vocal chorus parts, and in many pieces vocal soloists are featured. No prior mariachi experience required. 

Instruments: Violin, Trumpet, Guitar, Vihuela, Guitarrón, Harp, Voice

Mindfulness Meditation has been rapidly gaining ground in sports, business, and the arts. Explore techniques specifically designed for musicians to cultivate a calm, centered, and joyful approach to your art.

Limited enrollment (18)

Are you curious about how seemingly opposite fields can merge into something groundbreaking? Are you passionate about music AND want to see how it intersects with other areas? This course explores the surprising connections between music AND… technology/artificial intelligence, health, and history/current events. Discover the innovative ways these fields come together!

The business of music is a global multi-billion dollar industry. Those who create the music, distribute, work at labels, publish, record, manage, promote, produce, counsel, and more are part of this industry. Arts Administration is a thriving career path in the Arts that work to serve communities and artists. Freelance musicians are music business owners who may work a different job in addition to being a freelance musician. Small to large business owners also thrive in the music business world. Learn about various aspects of these careers and the industry as a whole and how the world is changing the music and the music is influencing the world.

Limited enrollment (18)

Come learn how a library can expand your music and learning! Libraries are cool! Learn about the latest online resources in the world of music and visit the UW-Madison acclaimed Mills Music Library to explore and learn from their extensive collections.

The Harmonic Styles of 18th Century European Musicians – Beginning and Advanced tracks, limited enrollment of 18 in each track

This course focuses on the harmonic style of 18th century European musicians or traditional western music theory. To understand western music theory is to understand the building blocks of western tradition music you play and sing. This class will cover the fundamentals you need to know to support your development as a musician. Review major, minor, diminished, and dominant-seventh chords; clefs, notation, scale degrees, and musical rhythms and patterns.

Limited enrollment (30/section)

In this class students will explore the meaning of improvisational play. They will broaden their understanding of improvisation and music-making through experiential learning and an affirming environment.

Limited enrollment (15)

In this workshop, you’ll work on being a musical maker and explore maker culture as you design, code, hack, and build new music controllers and instruments. Maker culture is a do-it-yourself and community-embedded movement that focuses on learning-through-doing in order to create, iterate, and tinker with ideas and objects. You’ll make musical controllers and instruments out of reclaimed and recycled components, design and code controllers for yourself and others to use to make music, and work with others to be a creator, learners, and teacher with your peers.

Be a part of a musical theatre ensemble! A diverse, challenging, and varied repertoire is a focus of this course. Music is chosen from the musical/Broadway genre to create a storied performance. Explore the student choice audition process to select the path that is best for you. Music is taught through a variety of methods including reading notation, learning by rote or ear, and an individualized and large ensemble approach.

All voice parts.

Be a part of a full orchestra ensemble! A diverse, challenging, and varied repertoire is a focus of this course. Explore the student choice audition process to select the path that is best for you. Music is taught through a variety of methods including reading notation, learning by rote or ear, and an individualized and large ensemble approach.

Instruments: Violin, Viola, Cello, Double Bass, Flute, Oboe, Bassoon, Clarinet, Bass Clarinet, Trumpet, Horn, Trombone, Euphonium, Tuba, Percussion, Piano, Harp, Other

Limited enrollment (18)

Be a part of a percussion ensemble! A diverse, challenging, and varied repertoire is a focus of this course. Music is taught through a variety of methods including reading notation, learning by rote or ear, and an individualized and large ensemble approach. *Students must be a percussionist as their primary instrument to be in this course.

Limited enrollment (12)

Be a part of a piano ensemble! A diverse, challenging, and varied repertoire is a focus of this course exploring music that is specifically written for this ensemble. Music is taught through a variety of methods including reading notation, learning by rote or ear, and an individualized and large ensemble approach. Instruments are provided for this course.

Limited enrollment (36)

A dynamic string group where young musicians come together to play exciting contemporary and popular music! Whether you’re interested in pop, rock, or movie soundtracks, our ensemble gives you the chance to perform the music you love while improving your skills and making new friends. This ensemble is open to violinists, violists, cellists and bassists.

Instruments: Violin, Viola, Cello, Bass 

Limited enrollment (36)

Whether you’re preparing to sing an audition for a musical at school, in your community, or a college audition, and more, this class can help you get ready to present your best performance that is reflective of you!

Limited enrollment (12)

Ever feel like odd time signatures are too difficult to play consistently on the drums? In this class we will work with all sorts of time signatures. We will learn how to count them, and then learn how to feel them as a melody so that we can endlessly create phrases in and around the time signature while keeping the time steady for the rest of the band. If you have a pair of drumsticks you can bring, it is highly recommended.

Limited enrollment (18)

This class explores looping, layering, and repetition in music creation and its effect. We use voices and technology to create and reflect on our collaborative work.

Limited enrollment (18)

Develop your rhythmic proficiency as a performer, improviser, sight-reader, and accompanist.  This class will focus on the rhythmic aspect of music performance from the point of view of Afro-diasporic and “groove” musics like jazz, samba, Afro-Cuban music, and funk, as well as the rhythmic vernacular of Carnatic (South Indian classical) music and its tradition of konnakol (vocalised rhythms).

Be a part of a rock band! Come join in a collaborative experience working to create a band and your own sound by choosing cover songs and exploring original material.

Instruments: Voice (4), Guitar (8), Drums (8), Bass (6), Piano (4), Wind Instrument (6)

Limited enrollment (16)

Compose original music for an original short film— experience music production/beatmaking on current digital audio workstations as well as video editing, with an emphasis on storytelling using visual and audio materials. Featured instructors are multi-platinum producer Pacal ‘DJ Pain 1’ Bayley and Rob ‘Rob DZ’ Franklin.

This course will inspire young musicians to explore how music-making itself can be a powerful tool for social change. These principles are woven directly into rehearsals, performances, and creative projects as students examine how identity, culture, and power show up in the music they study and the ways they make it together. Through collaborative composition, reflective rehearsal practices, community-centered projects, and interactions with guest artists, students will deepen their musical skills while learning to create, interpret, and lead music with purpose, awareness, and a commitment to change.

Limited enrollment (16)

Use music and sound to tell a story! In this class, students are given a choice of a short animated film that they’d like to craft a soundscape for. Over the week, we’ll record unique sound effects, create musical scores, and edit it all together to bring these short stories to life!

Spoken word can be powerful, fun, express identity, evoke emotion, and just sound good. This program teaches participants how to tap into that internal voice or provides a good opportunity to practice one’s poetic skill set. In this session we will write, share, revise, and discuss. This is not a course on the history or theoretical underpinnings of spoken word but a practical class where we will learn strategies to write and deliver spoken word poetry that feels most expressive of your inner thoughts and desires.

Limited enrollment (18)

The Fearless Performer empowers young artists to overcome stage fright and transform anxiety into confidence. Through mindfulness, grounding, and practical performance strategies, participants learn how to stay calm, focused, and authentic under pressure. Students leave with tools to silence self-doubt and step into the spotlight with courage and control.

Limited enrollment (30)

In this workshop class, you’ll learn numerous chords, strum patterns, and riffs on ukulele so you can accompany yourself and others on songs you know, love, and create. You’ll learn through playing and creating songs in a fun and non-formal context. We will even host a ukulele jam session at the end of the class so we can teach, lead, and make music with friends, family, and community members as we show off what we have learned and made together.

This course invites young musicians to explore issues of representation in classical music through hands-on, experiential learning. Students will study lesser known composers, performers, and musical traditions while engaging in active score study, ensemble projects, guided listening, and reflective practice. Through activities such as curating mini-recitals, analyzing real-world programming choices, speaking with artists and composers, and creating advocacy projects, students will develop the knowledge and leadership skills needed to enter music with a deeper awareness of history and social responsibility within the classical music field.

Limited enrollment (20 in each of two sessions)

This class is focused on you, the individual, to work on a song of your choice (pop, classical, and more) with a supportive atmosphere to help you craft your song and performance. Learn helpful techniques to bring into your daily practice with a focus on vocal health. Students are asked to bring music with them to this class.

Soprano, alto, tenor, bass

Work on specific vocal techniques in small group instruction to expand your skills and learn new repertoire. These courses are taught by a specialist on your voice part!

Limited enrollment (18)

This class will be a drumming, cultural, and dance experience exploring African cultural traditions through West African Traditional Drum and Dance. Students will use traditional instruments and techniques including Sabar drumming from Senegal. Instruments are provided for this course.

Inside the Mind of a Composer

Ever wonder how you can learn to hear the music better in rehearsal and know more about the piece and how your part relates on your own? This course will focus on score study techniques for instrumental repertoire. Knowing the score and how to know it helps you in rehearsal and personal practice preparation! Students will work to develop the skill of understanding the score of a piece and how their part fits within the big musical picture. The class will focus on repertoire students are potentially learning in SMC ensembles to be able to directly apply the skills they are learning! The class will include large and small group instruction to allow for the practice of skills together.

Limited enrollment (30)

Learn and perform a wide range of repertoire written for large woodwind ensembles from all historical periods of music.

Instruments: Flute/piccolo, Oboe, Bassoon, Clarinet, Bass Clarinet, Alto Saxophone, Tenor Saxophone, Baritone Saxophone