Courses 

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

Learn How to Practice - starts September 9
Recreational Singing (1) - starts September 14
Singing in German - starts September 15
Performance Workshop for Singers - starts Setember 16
Class Piano I and II - starts September 16
Italian Literature - starts September 16
Cello Ensemble (1) - starts September 19
Music Appreciation: An Overview of Western Music History - starts September 20
Alexander Technique - starts September 21
Jazz Piano - starts September 22
Cello Ensemble (2) - starts September 22
Beginning Musicianship - starts September 23
The Psychology of Performance - starts October 21
Who's Afraid of Opera - starts November 9
Recreational Singing (2) - starts November 16


SINGING IN GERMAN
Anja Strauss
Tuesdays, 7:00-8:30 p.m.
Starting September 15
Room 207
Class Recital on Saturday, October 24 at 2.30 PM, Recital Hall
7 classes, $295

This class - taught by native German singer Anja Strauss- serves as a hands-on approach to the preparation of German 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, October 24 at 2.30 PM in the Conservatory's Recital Hall.

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



PERFORMANCE WORKSHOP FOR SINGERS 
Anja Strauss
Wednesdays, 7:00-8:30 p.m.
Starting September 16
Room 323
Class Recital on Saturday, October 24 at 2.30 PM, Recital Hall
7 classes, $295

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, October 24 at 2.30 PM in the Conservatory's Recital Hall.

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
Dr. Helen Dilworth
Mondays, 6:30-8:00 p.m.
Starting September 14
Room 201
4 classes, $125

Mondays, 6:30-8:00 p.m.
Starting November 16
Room 201
4 classes, $125

“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 Musical History 
Richard Roper
Sundays, 7:00-8:30 p.m.
Starting September 20
Room 207
8 classes, $300

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 November 9
Room C-07
4 classes, $175

It’s Grand. It’s Glorious. It’s Larger than Life. It’s Opera.

• 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 insiders’ 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.

We’ll discuss 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 September 21
Room 207
6 classes, $220

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 September 22
Keyboard Lab
8 classes, $295

Jazz piano is designed for those students who love jazz, already play the piano, read music, have a little 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.



BEGINNING MUSICIANSHIP (replaces Intermediate Musicianship) 
June Bonacich
Wednesdays, 7:00-8:30
Starting September 23
Room 201
10 classes, $320

Curious about the architecture of your favorite music? This course introduces music notation and elementary theory to those students with little or no previous experience. It will cover the following fundamental elements of musicianship:

• notation of pitch and rhythm
• basic music theory
• aural and visual recognition of scales, keys, triads and simple intervals within the context of major and minor tonality
• Sight singing drills, a dictation of simple diatonic melodies and elementary rhythmic patterns and meter.

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
Piano II - Wednesdays 6:00-7:30 p.m.
Piano I - Wednesdays, 7:30-9:00 p.m.
Starting September 16
Room C01
13 classes, $350

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
All Levels - every other Saturday, 4:00-5:30 p.m.
Starting September 19
Room 207
Advanced - every other Tuesday, 7:00-8:30 p.m.
Starting September 22
Room 104
9 classes, $270

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 September 16
Room 207
15 classes, $415

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.



THE PSYCHOLOGY OF PERFORMANCE(tm) 
Dana Fonteneau
Wednesdays, 6:00-8:00 p.m.
Starting October 21
Room C-07
8 classes, $320

Have you ever struggled with performance anxiety? Ever felt that no matter how hard you practice, your thoughts and nerves undermine you at the very moment you want to do your best?

The Psychology of Performance is an experiential journey from performance anxiety to performance empowerment. This class explores the psychological aspects of performing--from mental preparation and visualization to successful practice techniques and audition preparation. The class is a mind/body tool kit that will identify and positively affect old habits that can sabotage performance and help you become the most successful performer you can be.

Class enrollment is limited to active performers and teachers, with the expectation of active participation.



LEARN HOW TO PRACTICE! 
Dana Fonteneau
Wednesdays, 6:00-8:00 p.m.
Starting September 9
Room C-07
6 classes, $240

Practice for many can be a chore, a challenge, dreaded event looming over our daily schedule, ineffective, frustrating, overwhelming, you name it! We know we need to do it, but HOW can we get the results we need in a manner that is effective, fulfilling, consistent, and dare I say, (fun?)

This class will address the many factors involved in learning how to practice well.

Topics addressed will be:

• time management/scheduling
• goal setting-how to set reasonable, achievable goals
• how to get consistent results
• how to harness creativity
• problem solving skills
• physical and emotional stamina
• mental focus
• psychological preparation for performing
• and much, much more

This class will meet for 6 weeks. Each participant will bring an excerpt of a piece that they will learn over the six weeks by practicing with the tools presented in the course. An informal performance of that work will take place at the end of the course. Open to intermediate and advanced performers and teachers.

Dana Fonteneau has the distinction of being equally fluent in the performing and fine arts. She has both an M.M. in chamber music performance from the San Francisco Conservatory and an M.A. in counseling psychology from the California Institute of Integral Studies. She is an active performer, teacher and healer. She is an associate MFTi at the Center for Somatic Psychotherapy, as well as a Reiki Master and Somato-Respiratory-Integration Wellness Educator. She brings her diverse background together to work with private clients to empower their performance in auditions and competitions. She is principle cellist of the San Francisco Chamber Orchestra, and founding member of the Round Top String Quartet, California Piano Quartet and the Raven String Trio. She has collaborated with such artists as Robert Mann, Joel Krosnick, Donald Wallerstein and Gilbert Kalish. She currently serves on the Preparatory and Adult Extension Divisions, teaching cello and chamber music.