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SMC Senior choir students at practiceSMC Senior choir students at practice

Senior Session (Grades 9-12)

Sample Daily Schedule

7:00 a.m. Breakfast
7:30 a.m. Daily Commuter students arrive
8:00 a.m.–12:05 p.m. Morning classes and All Camp Wellness begins with first period – start your day off well!
12:15–1:10 p.m. Lunch and community activities
1:20–4:20 p.m. Afternoon classes
4:30-7:00 p.m. Daily Commuter Students depart at 4:30pm, Residential Students start Community activities, Campus Experiences, Practice Time, Dinner, and Floor Meetings
8:00 p.m. Evening concert experience and coordinated activities with Counseling Staff
11:00 p.m. Lights out to rest for the next day!

Guest Performers

SMC students will have the opportunity to listen to and experience diverse local musicians who have honed their craft and excel in their field.

Community Activities

Students will take part in Summer Music Clinic traditions, meet their residential counselors, arts and crafts, sporting activities, games, community celebrations, and connect with peers from across the country and world.

"There is an atmosphere of not just acceptance, but celebration of each and every camper. There is a zero-negative-judgement policy on the topic of race, orientation, musical ability and style that is present everywhere at camp. Staff is enthusiastic and dedicated to creating the safest yet most enjoyable experience possible."

SMC Student, 2022

Course Offerings

Students choose their experience for each class period. You must choose one course per period. Note that some courses are a double period.

(*)=includes a final performance/presentation on Friday evening, June 28, or Saturday morning/afternoon, June 29, 2024.

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A Cappella*

Be a part of an acapella 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. 

Accompanying/Collaborative Piano (Limited Enrollment of 12)

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

Acting for Musicians*

All of the arts are connected to one another. When we learn about physical movement, character representation and interpretation through acting on the stage, and more through a different art form we become richer and more authentic musicians. Learn about and actively participate in acting as it relates to your skills as a musician.

Advanced Guitar (Limited enrollment, 15)

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.

Alternative String Styles/Chopping

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.

Audition Crushing (Limited enrollment, 15)

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!

Aural Skills

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

Band*

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. 

Instruments: Flute, Oboe, Bassoon, Clarinet, Bass Clarinet, Alto Saxophone, Tenor Saxophone, Baritone Saxophone, Trumpet, Horn, Trombone, Euphonium, Tuba, Percussion, Other

Baroque and Roll

An interactive, lively, and fun introduction to playing baroque music. Learn about baroque ornamentation, phrasing, and articulation through playing the music of Bach, Handel, and Vivaldi. Open to all strings, singers, flute, oboe, and bassoon.

Beat Making (Limited enrollment of 15)

This class focuses on telling stories without saying a word through the foundations of making beats. This session revolves around making contemporary musical compositions and the different ways that it happens.

Beginning Guitar (Limited Enrollment - 15)

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.

Beginning Piano (Limited Enrollment of 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.

Brazilian Drumming*

This class will explore some of the major drumming styles from North east and southern Brazil. Students will use authentic instruments and techniques, including the basic body movement and singing! This style of drumming is accessible to all, no previous drumming experience required. Instruments are provided for this course.

Chamber Strings* (Limited Enrollment- Violin (24), Viola (12), Cello (12), 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

Chamber Winds* (Limited Enrollment: Brass Choir (8), Woodwind Choir (8), Mixed Choir (8))

Chamber Winds is a wind instrument based ensemble that focuses on a diverse, challenging, and varied repertoire for small 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. This course is offered through a collaboration with the Bach Dancing and Dynamite Society.

Instruments: Flute, Oboe, Bassoon, Clarinet, Bass Clarinet, Alto Saxophone, Tenor Saxophone, Baritone Saxophone, Trumpet, Horn, Trombone, Euphonium, Tuba, Percussion, Other

Choir*

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

Choral Conducting

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.

Composition and Arranging

Come 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.

Dance for Musicians*

All of the arts are connected to one another. When we learn about physical movement, rhythm, style, and more through a different art form we become richer and more authentic musicians. Learn about and actively participate in dance as it relates to your skills as a musician. A variety of dance styles will be explored in this course in coordination with Barrio Dance Studio! Hip Hop, Jazz, Contemporary, and Afro styles.

Digital Audio Recording Lab (Limited Enrollment, 15)

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.

Latin American Music

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.

Learn to DJ (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.

Drumline* (Beginning, Limited Enrollment, 20)

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.

Drumline* (Intermediate/Advanced, Limited Enrollment, 20)

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.

Fiddle Band*

Explore the world of traditional fiddling! Music is taught by rote or ear primarily in this ensemble. If this is your best way of learning music this ensemble is for you! If you are working to build on this listening skill this ensemble is also for you! Learn skills like improvisation, reading chord charts, tablature, and writing and arranging for different string instruments.

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

Film Scoring

This course investigates the aesthetic relationship between film and music, discusses the many function of music scored to visuals, analyzes effective applications of linear music to dramatic situations, and explores career opportunities in film and television music.

Gospel Choir*

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.

Guitar Ensemble

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

Harmony and Song Structure in Popular Music

In this class, we’ll explore common chord progressions found in songs by Irving Berlin, U2, The Beatles and Beyoncé. We’ll also look closely at 4 primary song structures —and discover how they’re used by artists such as Taylor Swift, Vampire Weekend, Ani DiFranco and Johnny Cash. Then we’ll spend time experimenting with these chord progressions and song structures by writing songs in small groups.

History of Hip Hop

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

History of the Blending of Indian Musics with Jazz/Black American Music

Indian musics 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 musics 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 musics-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.

How to Arrange for A Cappella

Come learn how to arrange your favorite tune for an a cappella ensemble! Prior experience not required. Please come with a song in mind to arrange during the class.

How to Work With an Accompanist (Limited enrollment, 12)

Playing and singing with an accompanist is a learned skill and enhances your musicianship. Come learn tips and tricks for preparing and performing with an accompanist. Please bring pieces you are working and their accompaniment to use in the course.

Introduction to Konnakol

Konnakol is the art form of vocalizing rhythms in Carnatic (South Indian classical) music. With konnakol you can perform rhythms vocally, analyze the rhythms you hear and read, and execute the rhythmic ideas you conceive without the need for an instrument. Konnakol will also hone your rhythmic proficiency at any music you are learning and performing. This Introduction to Konnakol course will teach you the basic building blocks of konnakol, how they are applied in Carnatic music, and how konnakol can be applied to the rhythms of all musics.

Instrumental Conducting (Limited enrollment, 50)

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 instrumental musicians.

Instrument Techniques Strings (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!

Instrument Techniques Class Winds and Percussion (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.

Jazz Combo* (Limited Enrollment)

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

Jazz Ensemble*

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, Clarinets, Double Reeds, Saxophones, Trumpet, Trombone, Euphonium, Tuba, Piano, Guitar, Bass, Drums

Jazz Improvisation Beginning (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!

Jazz Improvisation Continuing (Wind Instruments and High Strings)

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

Jazz Listening

As musicians, listening is a crucial part of our training and development. This workshop will focus on the practice of listening with an emphasis on listening across a variety of artists and genres. We will spend time listening to tracks of historical and cultural significance from as early as Dixieland Jazz Band, to the groundbreaking recordings of the Miles Davis Nonet, and contemporary artists such as Vijay Iyer, Snarky Puppy, and Esperanza Spalding, among others. Our goal is for students to develop a listening list by the end of the workshop, with names of artists, record labels, and genres they can explore in the future.

Jazz Rhythm (Bass, Guitar, Piano (Limited Enrollment 12), Drums)

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!

Jazz Theory

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.

Keyboard Skills and Thrills (Intermediate/Advanced) - Limited Enrollment, 12

This class is designed for the intermediate or advanced pianist (approximately four or more 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.

Music/Arts Business and Administration

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. 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. This course is offered through a collaboration with the Bolz Center for Arts Administration with the Wisconsin School of Business.

Musical Making (Limited enrollment, 15)

In this workshop class, 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 an 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.

Music Theory: The Harmonic Styles of 18th Century European Musicians

Beginning and Advanced – 2 separate courses
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.

Musical Creativity through Improvisational Play (Limited enrollment, 30 per 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.

Musical Theatre*

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

Orchestra*

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

Percussion Ensemble (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.

Piano Ensemble (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.

Rock Band* (Limited Enrollment, 24)

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, Guitar, Drums, Bass, Piano, Wind Instrument

Score Creation/Media Production* (Limited enrollment, 15)

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

Sight Singing Strategies

Work on your ability to read music quickly and easily! Practice sight singing approaches designed to help vocalists gain facility with standard rhythmic patterns and interval recognition.

Songwriting/Hip Hop Performance* (Limited enrollment, 15)

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!

Spoken Word/Rap*

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 season 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.

Sound Design for Content Creation (Limited enrollment, 15)

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!

The Funky Drummer (Limited enrollment, 12)

This class is for drummers who would like to learn how to play beats that were the foundation of all funk and hip hop beats. The “Funky Drummer” class will explore the beats, history and impact of Clyde Stubblefield’s drum beat on American music as we know it. The class will be taught by two time Grammy Award nominee Joey B. Banks who was a close friend, band mate, and musical director for the Clyde Stubblefield All Star Band before Clyde passed away in 2017. The class is part of the dedication to keeping Clyde’s legacy alive through performance and education.

Ukulele Jam (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.

Visual Music (Limited enrollment, 50)

This class will be an exploration of how visual art can represent musical sound and how musical sound can represent what we see. Exploring other art forms makes our music-making richer! Students will experience multiple examples of visual art that represent musical sounds and study music that represents visual art. Students will also have the opportunity to create their own art and/or music as part of this course.

Vocal Coaching*

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.

Voice 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!

Wellness for Musicians - Everyone at SMC participates!

You will get to start each day focused on your breathing, your body, and preparing mentally and physically for a day of music making and the arts together. Learn how mindfulness and movement practices positively impact your music-making. This class promises to be a fun and exciting way to start off your day together well!

West African Drumming* (Limited Enrollment, 20)

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.

What's Going on In The Score? 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 help 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.

Women in Music/Gender Studies in Music

Women have been and are musical composers, performers, teachers, and patrons since antiquity, but their contributions are often overlooked. This course explores musical traditions from around the world and across history from the perspectives of women. We will consider women’s musical accomplishments, how musical women have been depicted in media, and how gender intersects with social position.

Writing Melodies for Songs

Would you like to learn more about the melodies your favorite songwriters and artists write? In this class, you’ll learn 8 key aspects of melody that are used throughout popular music! We’ll listen to songs by Bruno Mars, Taylor Swift, Bill Withers, Sara Bareilles (and many others – feel free to bring your favorite song!) to discover how these artists are creating their impactful melodies. You’ll learn how utilizing aspects of melody can help you deliver your song’s message more powerfully and authentically.