Sample Schedule

Accompanying/Keyboard Skills– Full year course
Prerequisite - None
Fees – None
Accompanying/Keyboard Skills is designed to supplement a piano major’s knowledge and abilities with practical theory and playing skills that may not be developed in his/her musical background. The course meets one hour per week. Students may be reenrolled in this class for credit at the discretion of the piano faculty.

Students review proper scale fingerings for all major and minor scales and practice playing all inversions of all major, minor, diminished and augmented triads and seventh chords in all keys. They learn to play secondary dominants on every scale degree of every key, and learn cadences and chord progressions in all keys. The class studies figured bass, transposes and harmonizes melodies, and is introduced to clef reading and some simple score reading.

Additionally, sight-reading is a major component of the course, beginning with simple piano pieces, chorales, vocal accompaniments and ensemble pieces. Later in the year students have the opportunity to sight-read accompaniments for singers and instrumentalists who are invited to class.

Chamber Ensemble – One semester course
Prerequisites – Approval of instructor by audition
Fees - None
Chamber Ensemble focuses on the skills needed for playing in a small group as an essential part of a serious musician’s training. Indeed the practice of playing with a small group of musicians most trains the ear to “get away from the instrument” and into the performance space, thereby improving all aspects of musicianship. For the classical musician, this is one of the richest bodies of music to explore. Although all music students will be expected to participate in small ensemble playing every semester, final assignments will be determined by the music faculty. Examples of typical ensemble combinations include string quartets and quintets, piano quartets and trios, wind quintets, and percussion ensemble.

Class Piano Beginning – Advanced Class Piano – One semester courses
Prerequisites - Permission of instructor by exam.
Fees - None
Class Piano courses meet for one hour once per week and are designed to develop functional keyboard skills in musicians who do not play the piano as a primary instrument. Skills acquired in this class will help develop the student’s musicality and support and enhance the study of music theory, music history, composition, conducting, and other areas. Knowledge of the keyboard is an essential skill for any musician and provides an invaluable tool for the study of harmony. Technical skills include scales, fingering, dexterity, sight reading, and keyboard theory. These courses are required for all instrumentalists, vocalists, classical guitarists and jazz players whose skills are not sufficient to pass the piano proficiency test. Placement into these sections is determined by audition when a student enters the Academy and the student must then complete the series of courses from that point.

Computer Music Applications – Full year course
Prerequisites – None
Fees – None
Computer Music Applications explores the use of programs such as Sibelius and Finale and their use in Music Composition and arranging.

Counterpoint (Honors) – Full year course
Prerequisites – C or better in Music Theory III
Fees - None
Counterpoint (Honors) focuses on the techniques of 16th and 18th century counterpoint in this elective course. Analyses of contrapuntal works by the masters are studied. Counterpoint receives honors credit. This course is offered when enrollment and staffing permit.

Diction for Singers– Full year course
Prerequisites - None
Fees - None
Diction for Singers meets one hour per week and offers practical work in pronunciation and transcription using the International Phonetic Alphabet (IPA), leading to a thorough knowledge of and college-level competence in one vital element of vocal artistry. This is accomplished through weekly assignments of transcriptions of song or operatic texts. The course is offered every semester and will focus on one language per semester.

Film Scoring – Full year course offered jointly by the Music and Moving Pictures departments
Prerequisites - C or better in Music Theory II and permission of Music department chair
Fees - None
Film Scoring is a class that delves into the art and craft of creating music for film. Special emphasis is placed on the collaboration between the composer and the director as we study how music works in a visual medium and how it is created, both traditionally and electronically. Students learn how the computer and a host of musical software have become essential to the composer as he or she works in this exciting field.

Jazz Combo/Jazz Improvisation – Full year course
Prerequisites - Approval by instructor and by audition
Fees - None
Jazz Combo/Jazz Improvisation addressess the paramount among all of the skills a jazz student must learn--the process of “group play.” It is in this environment that the student puts together all of his/her individual abilities and interacts with the individual abilities of the others in the group. The purpose of this combo will be to transcend the details of what has been learned about the material and put ALL energies and attention into group interaction for the purpose of public performance.

Jazz Ensemble - Full year course
Prerequisites - Approval of instructor by audition
Fees - None
Jazz Ensemble teaches the art of improvisation using the standard songs of Rodgers and Hart, George Gershwin and many others. There will be lectures on the different cultures that have made contributions to the evolution of American Jazz over the last sixty years. This class will help the students know and understand how important it is to preserve this music form as a part of our American Heritage created by African-Americans. Jazz Ensemble is a year-long course that meets for four hours per week.

Jazz Theory - Full year course
Prerequisites – None
Fees – None
Jazz Theory is the study of harmony as it pertains to the history of jazz from its beginnings through the early 1950s. Emphasis is on understanding of major scale harmony, its corresponding chord/scale theory and analysis of significant jazz song forms.

Musical History – Full year course – Successful completion is an Arts Certificate requirement.
Prerequisites – Music Theory or consent of the instructor.
Fees - None
Music History is a lively and enlightening survey of Western traditional music including Renaissance, Baroque, Classical, Romantic and 20th century periods.

Music Theory I - Full year course
Prerequisites – None
Fees - None
Beginning Music Theory teaches the musician how to look at music from the composer's point of view. Students gain basic knowledge of musical terminology, symbols, harmony and contrapuntal voice leading, culminating in advanced structural and harmonic analysis.

Music Theory II - Full year course
Prerequisites – Completion of Music Theory I (or successful placement test)
Fees - None
Music Theory II meets in three one-hour sessions per week. The structure of music, harmonic, rhythmic and melodic are studied through skills of analysis and part-writing. It assumes a basic knowledge of music reading—including note names and key signatures. The basics of harmonic and rhythmic structures, scales, modes, and basic diatonic harmony are covered. In addition, aural skills are developed through the use of dictation and sightsinging.

Music Theory III (Advanced Placement) - Full year course
Prerequisites – C or better in Music Theory II
Fees - None
Music Theory III meets in three one-hour sessions per week. The structure of music, harmonic, rhythmic and melodic are studied through skills of analysis and part-writing. Diatonic and secondary harmony are covered. In addition, aural skills are developed through the use of dictation and sightsinging. Near the end of the course, all members of the Theory III class are required to take the Music Theory Advanced Placement Exam.

Opera Literature
Prerequisites – None
Fees - None
Opera Literature is a survey of operatic literature from 1600 to the present. It is offered one semester per year, alternating with Song Literature. Each semester of Opera Literature will focus on solos and ensembles appropriate to the level of the participants in the class. Students are assigned a repertoire to learn and work with a student pianist in the study of this music. The work in this class culminates in a public performance of the repertoire covered in the class. Students may re-enroll in the class for credit at the discretion of the voice faculty.

Orchestra – Full year course
Prerequisites - Discretion of IAAO Music Director
Fees - None
The Idyllwild Arts Academy is one of the finest ensembles of its kind. While every effort is made to help students to rise to the level of excellence that is required to perform with the orchestra, it is ultimately up to each individual. Participation for any student, no matter what age, level of instrumental mastery or previous orchestral experience (including prior participation in IAAO) must be earned, not only for each concert, but at each rehearsal. As the repertoire for the IAAO is identical to that of a professional orchestra it is intended to prepare the individual for life in the college and professional worlds.

Performance Class - Piano – Full year course
Prerequisites - None
Fees - None
Performance Class Piano provides a friendly, safe place for piano students to try out new repertoire, test their memory, and hone their skills in communicating to an audience.

Performance Class - Voice
– Full year course Prerequisites – None Fees – None Vocal Performance Class is an hour-long class which meets once per week and is required of all vocalists. Singers are paired with piano majors and are expected to perform on a weekly basis. Constructive criticism specific to vocal repertoire, technique, interpretation and the vocalist/pianist collaboration is given in a supportive environment. Vocalists are expected to participate in this class each semester of their enrollment at the Academy.

Performance Forum - Full year course (required for Music department freshmen, sophomores and juniors)
Prerequisites - None
Fees - None
Performance Forum is an opportunity to practice performing in a safe and supportive environment. Students work on issues of memory, communication, nerve control, and stamina. It is used to test jury material, competition repertoire and recital music. Although not required of seniors, they may attend and participate as they wish. Performance Forum is a credit/no credit course, requiring only attendance and participation. This course is required for Music department freshmen, sophomores and juniors.

Piano Literature  – Full year course
Prerequisites - None
Fees - None
Piano Literature class is designed to be a chronological survey of music written specifically for keyboard from the 17th to the 21st centuries. This course meets one hour per week. Content is divided into the usual Baroque, Classical, Romantic and contemporary categories. While considering the music itself, the class discusses the historical progression of the instrument, the composer/pianists who wrote the bulk of todays normal recital repertoire, the evolution of technical prowess and the advent of the ‘concert pianist,’ public recitals, the phenomenon of competitions and other aspects of a pianist’s life.

Private Lessons  – Full year course
Prerequisites - Approval of instructor by audition; C or better in Music Theory II for Composition Lessons; Enrollment by non-majors subject to availability of instructor and approval by both department chairs.
Fees - $2625.00 per year
Private Lessons are for serious students of music performance and are the most crucial part of their musical education. They enable musicians to learn their instrument in the most “hands on” way possible, directly from professionals who have walked the path before them.

One hour private instruction is available for violin, viola, cello, double bass (classical and jazz), flute, clarinet, drum set, oboe, bassoon, French horn, trombone, trumpet, percussion, harp, saxophone, guitar (classical and jazz), piano (classical and jazz), composition, voice (classical and musical theatre), and jazz improvisation. Lessons are given twelve per semester (approximately once a week) and required of all music majors. Intensive practice on major instruments is required. Academy students study with teachers assigned to them by the Music Department Chair. In extremely unusual circumstances and after careful consideration, the Music faculty and the Dean of the Arts may choose to change a student’s private instructor. Any change in private instruction must be approved by the Dean of the Arts, the Music Department Chair and both private instructors.

Senior Seminar – Full year course
Prerequisites - None
Fees - None
Senior Seminar is required of all seniors at Idyllwild Arts. The class is divided into two parts: common sessions where all seniors participate under the direction of the college counselor and address such topics as college applications, essays and standardized testing; and breakout sessions which address department/discipline-specific needs such as audition preparation, audition travel, and portfolio development.

Song Literature – One semester course
Prerequisites - None
Fees - None
Song Literature is a survey of solo song literature from 1600 – present. It is offered one semester per year, one hour per week, alternating semesters with Opera Literature. Each semester of Song Literature will focus on a single language or composer. Topics in recent years have included the Lieder of Schubert, Melodies of Faure and Songs in the English Language. Students will be assigned repertoire to learn and will work with a student pianist in the study of this music. The work in this class will culminate in a public performance of the repertoire covered in the class. Students may be reenrolled in this class for credit at the discretion of the voice faculty.

Sample Schedule

Morning: Academics
.	Monday	.	Tuesday	Wednesday	Thursday	Friday	.	Saturday
8:00-8:45	US History	8:00-9:20	US History	Phys Ed	American Lit	Pre-Calculus	8:00-8:45	.Physics
8:50-9:35	.						8:50-9:35	Physics
9:40-10:25	American Lit	9:30-10:50	Physics	.	Physics	.	9:40-10:25	.
10:30-11:15	.	10:55-11:35	.	.	.	.	10:30-11:15	.
11:20-12:05	.	11:40-1:00	American Lit	Pre-Calculus	US History	Phys Ed	11:20-12:05	.
12:10-12:55	Pre-Calculus						12:10-12:55	.
Afternoon: Arts
2:00-3:00	Orchestra		Mus Thry	.	Chamber Ensemb.	Orchestra		.
3:00-3:30	Orchestra		.	.	.	Orchestra		.
3:30-4:00	Orchestra		.	.	.	Orchestra		.
4:00-4:30	Mus Thry		Chamber Ensemb.	.	Mus Thry	.		.
4:30-5:00	Mus Thry		Chamber Ensemb.	.	Mus Thry	.		.
5:00-5:30	Mus Thry		Jazz Combo/Imp	.	Mus Thry	.		.
5:30-6:30	Jazz Combo/Imp		Jazz Combo/Imp	.	Jazz Combo/Imp	Jazz Theory		.
.	.		.	.	Orchestra	Jazz Theory		.
.	.		.	.	.	.		.
.	.		.	Private Lesson	.	.		.