John J. Cali School of Music
Child violinists enjoying themselves

Extension Division

Since 1976, the Extension Division (formerly the Preparatory Center for the Arts) has provided musical education for all age groups, backgrounds and levels of ability. We encourage creative growth and a life-long understanding of and appreciation for the musical arts. Our programs serve beginners of all ages, students seeking personal enrichment and enjoyment, and those pursuing comprehensive musical training leading toward careers in music. All students have the opportunity to share music experiences with professional artist-teachers, energetic-enthusiastic music majors, and members of the Cali School’s renowned faculty. Located on the Montclair State University campus in historic Chapin Hall, we offer unique resources for the study of music.

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Major Summer Enrichment Opportunities

Summer Virtual Musical Theater Vocal Intensive
Ages 12-18

This two-week musical theater vocal intensive offers young singers the opportunity to experience the exhilarating and exciting world that is music theater!  Daily singing and acting classes offer students the chance to increase their confidence, improve their singing and enhance song interpretation and stylizing skills.  Dynamic faculty and alumni from Montclair State University’s College of the Arts including the Cali School of Music, acclaimed Music Theater program and the Theater and Dance Department will keep students excited and engaged as they learn about all aspects of music theater from performing, acting, directing, dancing, composing, health and well-being, auditioning, + more!

 

More Vocal Intensive Details + Registration
A two-week vocal intensive giving young singers the opportunity to experience the exhilarating and exciting world of musical theater!
Monday – Friday, July 13 – 24, 2020
Cost: $685

All activities will take place on Zoom

Daily singing and acting classes offer students the chance to increase their confidence, improve their singing and enhance song interpretation and stylizing skills. Dynamic faculty and alumni from Montclair State University’s College of the Arts including the Cali School of Music, acclaimed Music Theater program and the Theater and Dance Department will keep students excited and engaged as they learn about all aspects of music theater from performing, acting, directing, dancing, composing, health and well-being, auditioning, and more! If you love singing and music theater this summer experience is perfect for you!

Daily Schedule

10:00 – 10:30. Acting Games
10:40 – 11:10: Breathing/Stretching/Vocal Exercises
11:20 – 11:50: Aural Theory
12:00 – 1:00: Chiming Chats
1:00 – 2:00: Lunch Break
2:00 – 2:45: Vocal Styles/Technique Classes
Body Mapping Masterclasses 2:00 – 3:30: Friday July 17 and Thursday, July 23

Additionally, each student receives three 30-minute private voice lessons and one private direction of song lesson.

Artistic Director, George Spitzer, Cali School of Music, Adjunct Professor of Voice

INSTRUCTORS AND PRESENTERS INCLUDE:

Heather J. Buchanan, Cali School of Music, Professor, Director of Choral Activities
Patrick Burns, Adjunct Professor, Cali School of Music, Theory and Aural Skills
Christian Confalone, Senior, Theater Studies and Theater Education, MSU
Aaron De Jesus, Department of Theater and Dance, Adjunct Professor, Selected credits: The Lion King (Timon), Spamalot (Patsy), Wicked (Averic, Boq u/s), Peter Pan (Peter), Little Shop… (Seymour), Forum (Pseudolus), El Muerto Dissimulado (Clarindo), The Crucible (Cheever), Jersey Boys (Frankie Valli).
Gregory Dlugos, Department of Theater and Dance, Clinical Specialist
Sarah Brett England, Music Theater Program, Collaborative Pianist
Brooke Garfunkel, MSU Alum, Marin Shakespeare Company and Equalogy
Mark Hardy, Associate Professor, Department of Theater and Dance
Susan Kerner, Professor, Department of Theater and Dance
Darius Jordon Lee, MSU Alum, credits include Ain’t Too Proud (Broadway), TV: Power Book II (Ghost), Off-Broadway and Regional credits include Clueless the Musical, West Side Story, Fences, Dreamgirls, I’ll Be Home for Christmas
Lori McCann, Cali School of Music, Associate Professor of Voice and Coordinator of Voice Program
Rob McClure, MSU Alum, Broadway credits include Chaplin the Musical, Mrs. Doubtfire, Beetlejuice, Something Rotten!, Noises Off, Honeymoon in Vegas, I’m Not Rappaport and Avenue Q.
Mia Pinero, MSU Alum, regional credits include West Side Story (Maria), Oklahoma! (Laurey), My Fair Lady (Eliza Doolittle),
Jan Prokop, Cali School of Music, Associate Music Theater Voice Coordinator and Adjunct Professor
Alex Racioppi, MSU Alum, credits include Beauty and the Beast at the Paper Mill Playhouse (Silly Girl), West Side Story (Velma), Grease (Patty Simcox), A Chorus Line (Val).
Scott Richards, Cali School of Music, Associate Professor, Composition and Musical Theater

Register!

Questions please email musicprep@montclair.edu

Extension Division, Cali School of Music, Montclair State University, Montclair, NJ. 07043

 

Express Yourself!

Intro to Musical Theater Writing  Collaborative

For Middle/High School, Age 12 – 18

Monday – Friday, July 27 – August 7, 2020
Monday, August 10
The Celebration Cabaret!
Specific Time: TBD
Instructor: Tyler J. Rubin
Cost:  $400

Do you have a passion for creative writing?
Want to EXPRESS YOURSELF through songs and stories?
Then learn the craft of musical theater writing!
Composers, Lyricists, and Composer-Lyricists
of ALL levels are welcome!

 


Express Yourself! Details + Registration

In this Intro to Musical Theater Writing Collaborative you will:

  • Choose subjects and themes to explore
  • Learn ways to generate creative material
  • Collaborate on songwriting and playwriting
  • Get individual lessons
  • Share your work
  • Give and receive constructive feedback

Two original songs and scenes by YOU + NEW friends and collaborators!

Music notation knowledge is a plus but NOT required!

Required:

  • Some way of recording audio or audio-video that can be uploaded for sharing and collaborating
  • Word processing/Notes software and/or a Notebook and Pencil

Strongly Advised:

  • Headphones compatible with the device used for Zoom and recording

Example Schedule

Mondays:  Concept Overviews
10:00 – 11:00: Explorations: Creative Strategies and Techniques
11:15 – 12:00: Music & Lyrics Craft Sessions (song form & analysis)
12:00 – 12:30: Lunch
12:30-1:15: Music & Lyrics Craft Sessions continued (approaching lyric and music writing)
1:15 – 2:15: Special Topics – Considering Words
2:30-3:30: Special Topics – Considering Music

Tuesdays – Thursdays:  Turning Concepts into Creations
10:00 – 10:15:  Group Welcome & Thoughts
10:15 – 12:00:  Individual lessons + Guided Team Creation-Collaborations (There will be breaks)
12:00 – 12:30:  Lunch
12:30 – 2:15:  Guided Team Creation-Collaborations (There will be breaks)
2:15 – 2:30:  End of Day Check Back – Thoughts and Reactions Share

Fridays
12pm – TBD:  Share Labs – Presentations and Feedback.  The end time will be determined by the number of collaborative teams.

 

About the Instructor

Tyler J. Rubin is a NYC/NJ based composer, music educator, and copyist. Rubin’s music lives at the intersection of opera and musical theatre. His works include TEN MINUTES IN THE LIFE OR DEATH OF… and I CELEBRATE (libretti by Marella Martin Koch), HOW TO CREATE A YOUNG GIRL (libretto by Laura Barati), and the most recently performed, NIGHTLIFE (libretto by Deepali Gupta), praised for its “deft combination of sultry jazz and angular modernism” (National Sawdust) which premiered at the Stonewall Inn as part of a collaboration between NYU and The American Opera Project for the 50th anniversary of the Stonewall riots. His compositions have been performed in New York City at The National Opera Center, St. Luke’s Theatre, Don’t Tell Mama, the PIT Loft, the Jamaica Center for Arts & Learning and the Celemente Soto Velez Cultural Center. His writing has also been performed at New York University, Muhlenberg College (PA) and Montclair State University (NJ). He obtained his M.F.A. at NYU Tisch’s Graduate Musical Theatre Writing Program and his B.M. in music theory/composition with a concentration in clarinet from Montclair State University where he studied under Scott Davenport Richards, Robert Livingston Aldridge, and David Singer. He currently teaches music theory/aural skills and songwriting as an adjunct professor at Montclair State University, composition and woodwinds in Montclair State University’s Extension Division, is a guest composer for graduate playwriting students at Columbia University, and guest performs at NYU Tisch’s Graduate Musical Theatre Writing Program.

 

About the Special Guest

Writer-director Marella Martin Koch holds a degree in Theatre and Performance Studies from UC Berkeley. Her ten-minute play, CIRCLE OF FRIENDS, was produced by PianoFight Los Angeles and Theatre Mab Town Hall at Theatre Asylum. NIGHT, her second ten-minute play, was featured at Will Geer Theatricum Botanicum’s SeedlingsFest and subsequently named a New York regional semi-finalist in the Little Black Dress INK festival. Her full-length play, FUGUE FOR EDGAR ALLAN POE, received a workshop at The Electric Lodge. She received a scholarship and earned an MFA in Musical Theatre Writing from NYU/Tisch School of the Arts, where she wrote book and lyrics for her first full-length musical DANNY & THE ROCKET, which won the Pocono Mountains Music Festival Developmental Lab and was further developed at Tisch New Musical Theatre Workshop and the TheatreWorks Silicon Valley Writers Retreat. In 2018, she was commissioned by Washington National Opera’s American Opera Initiative to write PEPITO, a one-act opera that premiered at the Kennedy Center in 2019 and was recognized by the Washington Post for its “complete characters in swift, sure lines.” Marella has also written numerous short operas, musicals, and monologues, most notably ADAM & EVE (The Duplex, The Kraine, Catwalk Institute, Access Theater), HOW LOVE FEELS (Barrington Stage Company), I CELEBRATE (NYU Opera Lab / The American Opera Project), and THE DASHWOOD SISTER SONG CYCLES (UCLA School of Music, Opera America, SUNY Plattsburgh Jane Austen and the Arts Conference, Yale School of Music, Lower Manhattan Cultural Council 2020 UMEZ Creative Engagement Award).

Register!

Questions: musicprep@montclair.edu

Extension Division, Cali School of Music, Montclair State University, Montclair, NJ. 07043

 

Summer Virtual Recording Arts + The Amazing World of Video Game Music
Ages 12-18

Introduction to Recording Technology Mondays 10:30 – 11:45 AM  July 6, 13, 20, 27, August 3, 10, 17, 24 Cost: $225

Building a Home Studio Wednesdays 10:30-11:45 AM July 8, 15, 22, 29, August 5, 12, 19, 26   Cost:  $225

The History of Video Game Music Mondays & Wednesdays: 1-2:15 PM July 6, 8, 13, 15, 20, 22, 27, 29  Cost:  $225

Ludomusicology (Theory & Composition in Video Game Music) Mondays & Wednesdays, 1-2:15 PM August 3, 5, 10, 12, 17, 19, 24, 26  Cost:  $225

 

More Recording Details+ Registration

Introduction to Recording Technology
Mondays 10:30 – 11:45 AM
July 6, 13, 20, 27, August 3, 10, 17, 24
Cost: $225
This course will cover all aspects of recording technology from cables, connectors, audio equipment, microphones, live sound, and more! If the recording arts interest you this is the place to start!

Building a Home Studio
Wednesdays 10:30-11:45 AM
July 8, 15, 22, 29, August 5, 12, 19, 26
Cost:  $225
Want to create your own music without leaving your home? Learn the basics of building your own recording studio, from setting up an audio interface to working with virtual instruments in your digital audio workstation (DAW). Students will create a project and have the option to post it to SoundCloud!

The History of Video Game Music
Mondays & Wednesdays: 1-2:15 PM
July 6, 8, 13, 15, 20, 22, 27, 29
Cost:  $225
Video games are a staple of our society and their music is part of what makes them so popular. This course will explore the history of the sound in video games, from the bleeps-and-blops of Pong consoles to the interactive and dynamic scores of today. This class will prepare students for studying and composing their own game music.  Some knowledge of basic music terminology is a plus!

Ludomusicology (Theory & Composition in Video Game Music)
Mondays & Wednesdays, 1-2:15 PM
August 3, 5, 10, 12, 17, 19, 24, 26
Cost:  $225
Without music, video games would not be as enjoyable. The music tells the player something about where their character is. Is this town friendly? Is this a boss battle? Did I just find a new zone? By analyzing popular game music, this course will explore the musical patterns in video game music. We will also explore how game music helps build worlds and enhance the gaming experience through music, but also how game music differs from classical, jazz, rock, hip-hop, etc. Then, we will work with game design software and learn how to implement music into games.  A basic understanding of music theory is required.

About the Instructor:
Gregory Rossetti holds a Ph.D. in music composition from Rutgers, the State University of New Jersey, with a dissertation on how specific musical tropes build worlds in early console role-playing video games.  He is a producer and teacher of music, and composes music for stage as well as multimedia, including websites, films, and video games.  His concert music has been commissioned or performed by several new music ensembles and touring artists including Englewinds, Dave Wozniak, Nouveau Classical Project, and Newband.  Gregory has toured with the progressive rock band Suspyre, with whom he also produced four commercially-released albums.  His current multimedia projects include working as the sole composer and sound designer for Aether Story, an online role-playing video game that is currently in development by Phanxgames. As an academic, Gregory has presented his research in ludomusicology at GameSoundCon 2018 in Los Angeles. He continues to explore music in video games, specifically focusing on how tropes used in different themes among a game communicate the state of affairs with the player.  In addition to running a recording studio and teaching private students, Gregory has been an adjunct professor at multiple schools since 2012, teaching courses in the history of rap and rock music, music theory, music technology, and composition.

Register!

Questions please email musicprep@montclair.edu

Extension Division, Cali School of Music, Montclair State University, Montclair, NJ. 07043

 

Summer Piano Classes

Intro to Piano Chords Bootcamp (Jam Along with Popular Songs!)
Middle School – High School, Ages 12 – 18 Monday – Friday, July 20 – 24 Cost:  $110
This 1-week class is an introduction to the piano for students who want to learn to play along (jam) with popular songs.  No prior piano experience is necessary.  By the end of the week you will be playing the chords you hear in popular songs and know what you are doing!

Learn to Play Vocal Warm-up Exercises
High School through Adult  Monday – Friday, July 27 – 31 Cost:  $95
No prior piano playing experience is necessary.  If you have access to a piano, keyboard or tablet you can learn to play vocal warm-up exercises that will improve your intonation and enhance your vocal warm-up experience.  What will you learn? All the major chords and 5-note scales that are used in most vocal warm-up exercises.


More Piano Details + Registration

#PianoClasses #ForYou #NoExperienceNeeded!

All activities take place on Zoom

Intro to Piano Chords Bootcamp (Jam Along with Popular Songs!)
Middle School – High School, Ages 12 – 18
Monday – Friday, July 20 – 24
Instructor: Letitia Stancu
Cost: $110
Did you ever want to play piano or keyboard along with a popular song but you do not really know what you are doing or how to go about it? The Intro to Piano Chords Bootcamp was made for you! This 1-week class is an introduction to the piano for students who want to learn to play along (jam) with popular songs. No prior piano experience is necessary. By the end of the week you will be playing the chords you hear in popular songs and know what you are doing!

Class Schedule
Mon, July 20: 10:00 – 11:00 AM Class meets as a group
Tues, July 21: Individual 15-minute check-in/practice technique sessions with instructor
Wed, July 22: 10:00 – 11:00 AM Class meets as a group
Thurs, July 23: Individual 15-minute check-in/practice technique sessions with instructor
Friday, July 24: 10:00 – 11:00 Class meets for wrap-up AND Final Jam Session!

Equipment needed: piano or keyboard

 

Learn to Play Vocal Warm-up Exercises
High School through Adult
Monday – Friday, July 27 – 31
Instructor: Letitia Stancu
Cost: $95
Are you a vocalist but not a pianist? You still need to do vocal warm-ups – right? This 1-week class is designed for you! No prior piano playing experience is necessary. If you have access to a piano, keyboard or tablet you can learn to play vocal warm-up exercises that will improve your intonation and enhance your vocal warm-up experience. What will you learn? All the major chords and 5-note scales that are used in most vocal warm-up exercises. Take control of your warm-ups and become the best vocalist you can be!

Class Schedule
Mon, July 27: 10:00 – 10:45 AM Class meets as a group
Tues, July 28: Individual 15-minute check-in/practice technique sessions with instructor
Wed, July 29: 10:00 – 10:45 AM Class meets as a group
Thurs, July 30: Individual 15-minute check-in/practice technique sessions with instructor
Friday, July 31: 10:00 – 10:45 Class meets as a group

Equipment Needed: piano, keyboard or tablet

About the Instructor:
Letitia Stancu is a pianist, keyboardist, keytarist, accompanist and educator based in New Jersey. As a child she loved to sing along with the radio and recreate her favorite songs on the piano. Through piano lessons she learned classical music AND honed in on her ear training which allowed her to continue to learn to play popular songs by ear. By middle school she started accompanying the school choir and by high school she got her first music job accompanying a local voice teacher’s studio. After receiving her Bachelor of Music degree in Piano Performance from Oberlin Conservatory, Letitia returned to her childhood passion of playing popular music. She performed as a keyboardist and backing vocalist with various cover and original bands in many performance venues including the Hard Rock Café in Atlantic City, Webster Hall in New York City, Seacrets in Ocean City, MD and The Rainbow Room in Los Angeles, CA. She has also worked as an accompanist for the Cali School of Music, MSU, playing with vocal and instrumental students. She performed in the pit orchestras for the MSU Musical Theater productions of Side Show and The Producers. As an educator, Letitia has taught one to one piano lessons to students of all ages through the Cali Extension Division. She is an Adjunct Professor in the Cali School of Music having taught Rap and Rock as Cultural Phenomenon and currently teaches class piano to non-piano music majors.

Register!

Questions please email musicprep@montclair.edu

Extension Division, Cali School of Music, Montclair State University, Montclair, NJ. 07043