Spring Semester 2010
Course Listings 

To register, complete and return the Registration Form (link at left).

From Muzak to Mantra - starts February 16
Singing in German - starts February 23
Performance Workshop for Singers - starts February 24
Recreational Singing - starts March 1
Music Appreciation - starts April 11
Who's Afraid of Opera - starts April 12
Alexander Technique - starts March 8
Jazz Piano - starts March 2
Intermediate Musicianship - starts February 10
Class Piano I and II - starts February 3
Cello Ensemble - starts January 26
Italian Literature - starts February 3


FROM MUZAK TO MANTRA: MUSIC IN DAILY LIFE, ITS USES AND EFFECTS
Alden Jenks & Indre Viskontas
Tuesdays, 7-8:30 p.m.
Starting February 16
Room 101
8 classes, $320

We will examine the many and varied uses of music outside of churches and concert halls. The broad sweep of this survey will include: personal, commercial, and political uses of music; noise pollution; music in the mind, from ear to brain, and its psychological effects; music therapy, modern and ancient; leading to a discussion of the spiritual roles of music. The activities in each class meeting will be based on assigned reading and listening (materials to be provided), supplemented by lectures, audio and video materials, --- and above all, discussion.

Indre Viskontas holds a B.A. in Psychology from the University of Toronto, a PhD. degree in Cognitive Neuroscience from U.C.L.A., and a Master's Degree in Vocal Performance from the San Francisco Conservatory. Composer Alden Jenks holds degrees in music composition and theory from Yale University and U.C. Berkeley, is Professor of Composition at the Conservatory and past Chair of the department. His music has been heard and performed around the world. Since 1971 he has also been a student and practitioner within the traditions of Japanese and Tibetan Buddhism.



SINGING IN GERMAN 
Anja Strauss
Tuesdays, 7:00-8:30 p.m.
Starting February 23
Room 207
Class Recital on Saturday, April 17 at 2:30 p.m., Osher Salon
8 classes, $336.00

This class--taught by native German singer Anja Strauss--serves as a hands-on approach to the preparation of German art songs and arias. The class will meet weekly and each participant will present selections of their choice. Repertoire may be suggested by the instructor upon student's request. Students are expected to prepare assigned song selections on their own, and all songs will be performed and discussed in class. This class will conclude with a public recital on Saturday, April 17 at 2:30 p.m. in the Conservatory’s Osher Salon.

Covered topics will include:

• International Phonetic Alphabet
• German Diction
• Tools for translation/interpretation of German poetry and text
• Musical interpretation and execution
• The singer-pianist relationship
• Breaking down the formal barrier between performer and audience

Prerequisites: Open to intermediate/advanced singers

Number of students: 10 maximum

Anja Strauss holds degrees from The Juilliard School and Musikhochschule Luebeck, Germany. She is active as an opera, concert, and lied performer. Appearances include Carnegie's Weill Hall and Lincoln Center, San Francisco Chamber Orchestra, Fremont Symphony, Mozart Society CA, festivals in San Antonio, TX, Madison,WI, Olympic Music Festival WA; opera performances with Sacramento Opera, San Francisco Lyric, Lamplighters Theater, Pacific Repertory Opera, Pocket Opera, Stockton Opera, and German opera companies of Luebeck, Kiel, Potsdam and Detmold and collaborations with conductors such as Kent Nagano. She has worked repeatedly as a German diction coach at the San Francisco Opera's Merola program.



PERFORMANCE WORKSHOP FOR SINGERS
Anja Strauss
Wednesdays, 7:00-8:30 p.m.
Starting February 24
Room 323
Class Recital on Saturday, April 17 at 2:30 PM, Osher Salon
8 classes, $336.00

This class will provide a safe environment for singers of all levels to enhance their performance skills. The class will meet weekly and each participant will present selections of their choice. Students are encouraged to critique each other. We will then work on improving stage presence, such as introducing yourself and your repertoire, physical presentation and getting into character. This class will conclude with a public recital on Saturday, April 17 at 2:30 PM in the Conservatory's Osher Salon.

Covered topics will include:

• Stage presence (introductions, bowing, etc.)
• Body language and acting tools (How to get into character)
• Musical interpretation and execution
• Breaking down the formal barrier between performer and audience
• Auditioning
• Video-taped performance with viewing session and discussion

Prerequisites: Open to singers of all levels

Number of students:10 maximum

Anja Strauss holds degrees from The Juilliard School and Musikhochschule Luebeck, Germany. She is active as an opera, concert, and lied performer. Appearances include Carnegie's Weill Hall and Lincoln Center, San Francisco Chamber Orchestra, Fremont Symphony, Mozart Society CA, festivals in San Antonio, TX, Madison,WI, Olympic Music Festival WA; opera performances with Sacramento Opera, San Francisco Lyric, Lamplighters Theater, Pacific Repertory Opera, Pocket Opera, Stockton Opera, and German opera companies of Luebeck, Kiel, Potsdam and Detmold and collaborations with conductors such as Kent Nagano. She has worked repeatedly as a German diction coach at the San Francisco Opera's Merola program.



RECREATIONAL SINGING 
Helen Dilworth
Mondays, 7:00-8:30 p.m.
Starting March 1
Room 201
4 classes, $125.00

“Since singing is so good a thing, I'd like all men to learn to sing". That's ancient wisdom from Byrd. Singing is also fun and healthy for women, children, and all. In this basic and primarily group singing class, special attention will be available for skill-building in pitch and rhythm.

Dr. Helen Dilworth is a distinguished teacher, administrator, and world class soprano familiar with various styles of music. She delights in developing perceptive listeners and musicians capable of performing better, faster, and longer. Winner of Merola and Metropolitan opera awards, Dr. Dilworth has taught at San Francisco State University, Jazz Camp, Gospel Workshops, professional conferences and community colleges. She is on the voice faculty of the Preparatory and Adult Extension Divisions.



MUSIC APPRECIATION: An Overview of Western Music History 
Richard Roper
Sundays, 7:00-8:30 p.m.
Starting April 11
Room 207
8 classes, $300.00

Join us on a journey which covers the major periods of Western music history. From Pythagoras to Philip Glass, this course takes you by the hand through the landmark achievements of our musical culture. See how the ancient Greeks have influenced Western musical thought in the Middle Ages and the Renaissance. Observe the emergence of opera and concert instrumental music during the baroque and classical eras. Empathize with the need for individual expression of the romantic artist. Appreciate the impact that world events have had on the history of music. This series of lectures will provide an overview of our Western musical heritage. They will invite you to explore beyond the realm of your familiar musical territory.

Richard Roper holds degrees from the San Francisco Conservatory of Music, Yale School of Music, and the University of Maryland. Dr. Roper has served on the faculty of the University of Maine, and currently teaches at the Community School of Music and Arts in Mountain View, the Preparatory and Extension Divisions at the San Francisco Conservatory of Music, and the California State University Stanislaus. As a Harriet Hale Woolley Scholar, he spent a year studying trumpet in Paris, and also studied and performed at the Aspen Music Festival, the Music Academy of the West, Tanglewood Institute, and the Norfolk Chamber Music Festival. In addition to teaching, he stays busy performing with many of the ensembles in Northern California.



WHO'S AFRAID OF OPERA? 
Clifford “Kip” Cranna
Mondays 6:30-8:30 p.m.
Starting April 12
Room C-07
4 classes, $175.00

• Curious about opera but don’t know where to get started?
• Know a little about opera but want to know more?
• Love opera but would like better background knowledge?

Join San Francisco Opera’s Director of Musical Administration, Kip Cranna, a noted Bay Area music-appreciation speaker, as he offers an insider’s look at the world of opera, and brings some clarity to the confusion that often prevents real enjoyment of this glorious art form.

Using video and audio examples, the class will focus on listening skills to help you increase your enjoyment of opera in performance. No previous opera experience or knowledge necessary. Just come prepared to listen, watch, ask questions, and enjoy. Special attention will be given to the operas of the Spring 2010 season at San Francisco Opera.

We’ll deal with such basics as:

• How did it all get started? And Why?
• Define terms
• What to listen for
• What comes first: words or music?
• Appreciating styles: Italian, French, German, English, and (yes!) American opera
• Understanding voices: how to tell a good singer from a great one
• Form and Function: insights into how operas are shaped dramatically

ALEXANDER TECHNIQUE 
Robert Britton
Mondays 7:00-8:30p.m.
Starting March 8
Room 207
6 classes, $220.00

The Alexander Technique is helpful for musicians who wish to play with more coordination and freedom. Understanding the subtleties of how the head, torso, breath, and limbs relate to each other enables us to make music at our full potential of power and expression. Unconscious habits of movement can lead to excess muscle tensions, which can lead to pain and injury as well as dampening the free flow of communication with the audience. In this class, we will enjoyably explore how to use our muscles, joints, and awareness to bring the entire body into an efficient relationship with instruments and the voice.

Robert Britton graduated as an Alexander Technique teacher in 1978. In addition to his private practice in San Francisco and Marin County, he has taught the Alexander Technique to musicians at the San Francisco Conservatory of Music since 1984. He served as chairman of the American Society for the Alexander Technique from 1997 to 1999. He has helped train Alexander Technique teachers since 1989, and teaches at the Alexander Educational Center in Berkeley. He regularly teaches in Berlin at the Ausbildungszentrum für F.M. Alexander-Technik Berlin, as well as contributing to the well being of the international Alexander Technique Affiliated Societies, and the Annual Members Meeting of the Affiliated Societies. He is also a faculty member of the Bay Area Summer Opera Training Institute (BASOTI).



JAZZ PIANO 
Tim Price
Tuesday, 6:30-8:30 p.m.
Starting March 2
Keyboard Lab
8 classes, $295.00

Jazz piano is designed for those students who love jazz, already play the piano, read music, have some experience with music theory, and are interested in learning how to improvise. Students learn about chord symbols, voicings, common jazz chord progressions, scales and modes, as well as other tools that allow them to begin the rewarding journey into jazz improvisation. A play-a-long CD is provided to give students the opportunity to learn tunes at home while playing with a drummer and bass player anytime! Lessons are shaped to match each student’s interest and level of ability.

Tim Price is a freelance woodwind and keyboard performer. He has performed with many artists including James Moody, Gary Foster, Bill Yeager, Kim Richmond, Eddie Marshall, Dmitri Metheny, and John Tchichai. His group, The Tim Price Jazz Orchestra performs his original compositions and arrangements in the Bay Area.



INTERMEDIATE MUSICIANSHIP 
June Bonacich
Wednesdays, 7:00-8:30
Starting Feb 10
Room 201
10 classes, $320.00

This class is designed for students who want to enhance their current musical literacy. Coursework will focus on developing aural perception and understanding musical materials – rhythmic, melodic, and harmonic-- in both tonal and modal contexts. The class covers the following musical elements:

• Chromatic intervals
• Common chord progressions and cadences
• Basic keyboard harmony
• Introduction to harmonic analysis and musical form

June Bonacich received the Kris Getz Award for Composition at the San Francisco Conservatory of Music. She teaches musicianship and composition in the San Francisco Conservatory of Music’s Preparatory Division and was formerly on the San Francisco Boy’s Chorus faculty. She received a B.A. from Cal State Sonoma and holds a M.M. from the San Francisco Conservatory of Music.



CLASS PIANO I and II 
Jacqueline Chew
Wednesdays, 6:00-7:30 p.m. Piano I; 7:30-9:00 p.m. Piano II
Starting Feb 3
Room C01
13 classes, $350.00

These classes approach playing the piano through understanding music theory with emphasis on sight-reading, transposition, and rhythm. Piano I begins with music notation (rhythm and intervals). In conjunction with playing simple classical pieces, students learn major scales, relative and parallel minor scales, and chords (tonic, dominant, and sub-dominant). Piano II explores these same subjects in greater depth, while adding seventh chords, practice techniques, ensemble, and analysis of students’ repertoire.

Jacqueline Chew, known for her performances of Olivier Messiaen’s music, has released a double-CD entitled Messiaen: Vingt Regards sur l’Enfant Jesus. In preparation for this work, she coached with French pianist Roger Muraro as well as Yvonne Loriod-Messiaen, for whom the piece was written. MSR Classics recently released her “Sweet irrational Worship: The Niles-Merton Songs”, recorded with baritone Chad Runyon. In addition to solo and chamber music concerts, Ms. Chew performed, toured, and recorded as pianist in the Women’s Philharmonic from 1990-2004. She received degrees from the State University of New York, Binghamton and the San Francisco Conservatory of Music and pursued private studies with Leonard Shure in Boston. Ms. Chew also teaches at the University of California at Berkeley.



CELLO ENSEMBLE 
Barbara Wirth
Advanced: Tuesdays, every other week, 7:00-8:30 p.m.
Starting January 26
Room 104
9 classes, $270.00
Intermediate: Saturdays, every other week 4:00-5:30 p.m.
Starting January 30
Room 207
9 classes, $270.00

Student ensembles will perform works recorded by notable groups including the Berlin Philharmonic Cellos, the Yale Cellos, and the London Cello Sound. Students should have good intonation and rhythm and be comfortable with thumb position as well as bass, tenor, and treble clefs.

Barbara Wirth received a B. M. from Northwestern University and a M.M. from Indiana University. She studied with Janos Starker and Pierre Fournier. She has been a member of the Chicago Lyric Opera Orchestra, the Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra, the San Francisco Opera Orchestra, and has played for the San Francisco Symphony, Ballet, and Theater Orchestras. Ms. Wirth has taught cello for the Northwestern University Preparatory Department, Eastern Kentucky University, Louisville Academy of Music, Dominican College, San Francisco State University, University of San Francisco and is currently a member of the Preparatory and Adult Extension Divisions faculty at the San Francisco Conservatory of Music.



ITALIAN LITERATURE 
Brian Neilson
Wednesdays, 6:30-9:30 p.m.
Starting February 3
Room 207
15 classes, $415.00

In this course, conducted entirely in Italian, we will read and discuss Giorgio Bassani’s moving and tragic novel of a Jewish family in Fascist Italy, Il giardino dei Finzi-Contini.

Brian Neilson has taught at the Istituto Americano in Florence, the University of California, and, for over twenty years, in the Collegiate Division of the San Francisco Conservatory of Music. He received the George Sarlo Award for Excellence in Teaching at the Conservatory for the 2005-2006 academic year.