Dear NBS Families,
This 2024-25 year, we are excited to offer our students all different kinds of ways to expand their understanding of music language and that includes musical grammar as part of our theory/composition classes.
We are also thinking of engaging the parents at our school, who love music and are bringing their children for lessons, and might also be very interested in learning about music history as part of a music appreciation class.
We are planning to offer
one class (out of the three projected for the year)
per semester with Dr. Jean-Francois Proulx. We will start the first class of the year in October, once we have at least 5 students who have signed up for one class. If interested in a particular class, please select which semester you would like to attend, and all the possible days and times that would work. We will choose which class to run per semester once we get at least five students to express enthusiasm for a particular class for this coming fall semester!
Your response is time sensitive, as much preparation is needed by Jean-Francois to put together a curriculum, and he needs to know ASAP which one of the three classes he will be teaching in the fall semester.
Here are the descriptions of the three classes we will be offering this year.
Music Appreciation Course
Age Group: Adults
Prior Experience Required: None
Class Length: 1 hour
Cost: $450/student (10 classes)
This course will explore composers, the different eras of classical music they lived in, and how their music reflected the philosophy, art, and historical events of the times. This course is for parents who always wanted to learn about music, and can now have meaningful conversations with their children about composers and music history.Introduction to Music Theory
Age Group: 8-10
Prior Experience Required: At least one and a half years of playing an instrument
Class Length: 1 hour
Cost: $450/student (10 classes)
Theory 1 is the perfect course to complement individual music lessons; your main instrument teacher will thank you for taking it! Students will receive an introduction to musical theory, including notation, vocabulary, rhythm, solfège, dictation and more, leading to a better understanding and enjoyment of music making! Studying music theory is like studying the grammar and sentence structure of a language. Assignments will include homework sheets to fill out, readings, listening, and solfège practicing.
Advanced Music Theory Course
Age Group: 12-18
Prior Experience Required: At least 5 years playing an instrument, strong commitment to music studies
Class Length: 1 hour
Cost: $450/student (10 classes)
This would be the first out of several Theory courses, leading to the completion of an RCM level 8 or ABRSM level 6 course equivalence. This course will cover ear training, dictation, modulations from one tonality to the next, and analysis of musical structures of pieces from different eras. Students will be taught the rudiments of composition of pieces in different styles.
Please indicate your interest in the following sections.
