Preparatory Certificate Program

The Certificate Program is the ultimate experience in the San Francisco Conservatory Preparatory Division. This well-rounded and comprehensive program of private instruction, musicianship study and ensemble performance is designed for students who work with extraordinary dedication and purpose.   

Each of these levels is designed to be completed over a period of one to three years.

Beginning

• Enrollment in private instruction
• Grade of B or higher on a Level 3 performance jury
• Completion of Introduction to Musicianship
• Attendance at five Preparatory Division recitals per semester
• Community outreach performance or project

Intermediate

• Enrollment in private instruction
• Grade B or higher on a Level 6 performance jury
• Completion of Musicianship Level 2
• Attendance at five Preparatory Division recitals per semester
• Enrollment in Ensemble class or accepted outside ensemble
• Community outreach performance or project

 Advanced

• Enrollment in private instruction
• Grade of B or higher on a Level 9 performance jury
• Completion of Musicianship Level 4
• Attendance at five Preparatory Division recitals per semester
• Enrollment in Ensemble class or accepted outside ensemble
• Performance of a half recital
• Community outreach performance or project

 Young Artist

• Enrollment in private instruction
• Completion of at least two courses in Music History and Analysis
• Attendance at five Preparatory Division recitals per semester
• Enrollment in Ensemble class or accepted outside ensemble
• Performance of a full recital
• Community outreach performance or project

Our musicianship courses and jury-level requirements correlate with the levels of the Royal Conservatory Music Development Program.

 

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Musicianship/Composition

The musicianship program is designed to cultivate aural perception, musical literacy and a strong inner pulse. Students master elements of music through performance, aural dictation and score analysis. 

All musicianship students are required to take departmental examinations each semester. Student reports are issued in June, and teacher consultations are available as needed. Accelerated progress through the curriculum is also possible and determined by placement exam. 

Musicianship classes cover all the material necessary to pass the Theory, Musicianship and History assessments offered by the Royal Conservatory Music Development Program as well as the College Board AP Music Theory test. A refresher course for the AP exam may be offered depending on demand among students who have completed Musicianship Level 4. 

Composition seminars are offered each year and structured based on level and age. Instructor and chair approval are required.

Musicianship Course Listings

Required materials must be purchased prior to the first class.

Introduction to Musicianship – An introduction to sight singing, conducting. dictation and improvisation, designed for younger students.

Level 1 – Theory, ear training, sight singing, improvisation and conducting, using diatonic melodies in simple and compound meter. Students study major and minor keys, intervals in those keys, chord progressions, rhythmic design and phrasing.

Level 2 – Theory, ear training, improvisation and sight singing, using skips in all diatonic triads; syncopation; harmonic cycles of fifths and thirds; dominant seventh and V7 chords; non-tonal use of seconds, fourths and fifths; and binary and ternary form.

Level 3 – Theory, ear training, sight singing, conducting and improvisation, using seventh chords; rhythmic patterns of two against three; inversions of triads and dominant seventh chords; non-tonal use of thirds; theme and variations; and rondo form.

Level 4 – Theory, ear training, sight singing, conducting and improvisation, using secondary dominants and chromatic non-harmonic tones; small subdivisions of the beat; changing meters; inversions of dominant seventh chords; secondary dominants; modulation; non-tonal use of sixths; and sonata and concerto form.

Level 5 – Theory, ear training, sight singing, conducting and improvisation, using modes and remote modulation in twentieth-century idioms; polyrhythms, quintuplets and meters with unequal beats; tempo modulation; leading tone seventh chords, augmented sixth chords and Neapolitan chords; fugue; and all intervals in a non-tonal context.

Advanced Classes in Music History and Analysis – The study of the musical style of major composers, analysis of complete scores and readings in musicology. Students must complete a minimum of two of the following courses to meet the requirement for the Young Artist Certificate:

Baroque - Couperin, Vivaldi, Scarlatti, Handel, Bach

Classical - Haydn, Mozart, Beethoven

Romantic - Schubert, Chopin, Schumann, Liszt, Berlioz, Verdi, Wagner, Brahms

Twentieth & Twenty-first Centuries - Mahler, Debussy, Strauss, Sibelius, Ravel, Stravinsky, Webern, Berg, Gershwin, Copland, Carter, Britten, Ligeti, Riley, Golijov

Elective: Composition Seminar – Open to all students enrolled in the musicianship curriculum with permission of the department chair. Composition assignments are performed and discussed in class.

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Ensembles

Ensemble training is an important and extremely gratifying part of the full development of a young musician. Participation in ensembles cultivates collaborative skills through an emphasis on performance preparation and acquiring rehearsal techniques.
Several public chamber music master classes and workshops are part of the curriculum.  Recent mastr classes have been presented by renowned musicians of our time, including cellist Bonnie Hampton, violinist Jennifer Koh, pianist-composer Magnus Lindberg, guitarist David Tanenbaum and the Katona Duo.

Acceptance is based on ability, level of commitment to serious study.  Enrollment for the entire academic year is required. Strong preference for placement in ensembles is given to those that are enrolled in private lesson study in the Preparatory Division.

Chamber Music Ensembles include repertoire study for piano, strings, winds, guitar and harp ensembles. Acceptance by audition.

Chamber Orchestra is an advanced training ensemble devoted to studying chamber orchestra repertoire of four centuries. Acceptance by audition.

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Early Childhood Classes provide developmentally appropriate training for children ages four through eight. These classes are aimed at cultivating each child’s musical response. Because of the early childhood curriculum’s progressive nature, students are required to commit to enrollment for the entire academic year.

Dalcroze-Eurhythmics taps children’s natural desire for movement to help them develop a thorough sense and feel for music and an understanding of its written language. The study of music through movement cultivates inner hearing and gives children an intuitive understanding of musical elements, such as pulse, meter, rhythm, phrasing and form.

First Steps at the Keyboard is a two-year course for the young pianist (ages five through eight). Using the Peery Habits Piano Curriculum, each group class contains assignments in three categories:

·       Muscular - developing muscular skills and a strong and correct hand position

·       Practical - developing sight reading, theory and ear training skills

·       Musical - developing musical and physical abilities using the standard piano repertoire

Annual events include:

·       Student recital - students perform both solo and ensemble selections

·       Private evaluations

Students enrolled in this course are required to:

·       Practice a minimum of five days per week. Practice time increases by 15 minutes per day per level.

·       Have one parent attend all classes. Practice must be supervised by the same parent attending the lesson.

·       Have an acoustic piano in good working condition available for practice.

 Required materials must be purchased prior to the first class.

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