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View the 2012-2013 Brochure (pdf)

Preparatory Certificate Program
Participation in the Certificate Program is the ultimate experience in the San Francisco Conservatory Preparatory Division.  This comprehensive program of private instruction, musicianship. and ensemble is designed for students who will 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
• 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
• Enrollment in Ensemble class or accepted outside ensemble
• Completion of Musicianship Level 3
• Attendance at five Preparatory Division recitals per semester
• Community outreach performance or project

Advanced

• Enrollment in private instruction
• Grade of B or higher on a Level 9 performance jury
• Enrollment in Ensemble class or accepted outside ensemble
• Completion of Musicianship Level 5
• Attendance at five Preparatory Dicision recitals per semester
• Performance of half recital
• Community outreach project

Young Artist

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

Preparatory Division performance jury repertoire requirements are at a level commensurate with the Carnegie Hall Achievement Program.

 

Musicianship/Composition

The musicianship program is designed to cultivate aural perception, musical literacy and a strong inner pulse. Students master the 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 consultations with the teacher are available as needed. Accelerated progress through the curriculum is also available by placement exam.

Musicianship classes cover all the material necessary to pass the Theory, Musicianship and History assessments offered by the Carnegie Hall Achievement Program as well as the AP Music Theory test offered by the College Board.  A refresher course prior to the AP exam may be offered dependent upon demand for those who have previously completed Musicianship Level 4

Musicianship Course Listings
The following are sample listings of current courses.  Courses are continually reviewed and adjusted as necessary.

Beginning

Introduction to Musicianship - An introduction to sight singing, condcucting and dictation designed for younger students.

Level 1 - Theory & Ear Training: Sight singing and conducting using diatonic melodies in simple and compound meter. Students study major and minor keys, the intervals in those keys, chord progressions, rhythmic design and phrasing.
Level 2 - Theory & Ear Training: Sight singing  and conducting using skips in all diatonic triads, syncopation, harmonic cycles of fifths and thirds, dominant 7th and V7 chords, non-tonal use of seconds, fourths and fifths; binary and ternary form.

Intermediate
Level 3 - Theory & Ear Training: Sight singing, conducting and improvisation using material to include 7th chords, rhythmic patterns of two against three, inversions of triads and dominant 7th chords, non-tonal use of thirds, theme & 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 7th chords, secondary dominants, modulation, non-tonal use of sixths, 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, meters with unequal beats, tempo modulation, leading tone 7th chords, augmented sixth chords, Neapolitan chords, all intervals in a non-tonal context, fugue.
Advanced
Classes in Music History and Analysis: The study of the musical style of major composers, analysis of complete scores, 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

20th/21st Centuries: Mahler, Debussy, Strauss, Sibelious, Ravel, Stravinsky, Webern, Berb, Gershwin, Copland, Carter, Britten, Ligeti, Riley, Golijov
 

Electives

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.

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.

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.


Early Childhood

Early Childhood classes provide developmentally appropriate training for children ages 4-8. These classes are aimed at cultivating each child’s appreciation of music and giving parents the tools to create a musically rich home environment. Because of the early childhood curriculum’s progressive nature, students are required to commit to enrollment for the entire academic year.

Dalcroze-Eurhythmics
Eurhythmics uses the natural desire for movement all children possess. Students receive a thorough sense and feeling for music as well as an understanding of its written language. Among other benefits, the study of music through movement cultivates inner hearing and gives children an intuitive understanding of musical elements such as pulse, meter, rhythm pattern, phrasing and form.

First Steps at the Keyboard
First Steps at the Keyboard is a two-year course for the young pianist ages 5-8. 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. Each practice must be supervised by the same parent attending the lesson.
• Have an acoustic piano in good working condition available for practice.

A materials fee of $120 is due at the first class.