Music Ensemble
The Paragon of the
Playing Experience
Chamber music is the perfect place to improve your confidence, advance your sense of rhythm and refine your ear and listening skills!
Play along side fellow students in a music group unlike any other!
What Makes Our Ensemble Special!
Choose
the
Difficulty Level
You get to decide how hard you want your part to be! Whether you're looking for a challenge or trying to take it slow to build confidence, we'll custom tailor your part to your needs!
We audition participants to gain
in-depth understanding of their level,
fit the parts to that level, and upon request make on-going adjustments to best fit your desired difficulty level!​​​​
Choose
the
Music Repertoire
You get to choose repertoire that the group will play together with you!
​
Getting to play music you want in an ensemble is an incredible experience that we want every member to have!
Choose
the
Commitment Level
You determine the intensity of your involvement and how the ensemble fits into your learning journey!
If you want the chamber experience without the extra load on practicing,
we provide separate sight-readable parts tailored to your sight-read level to make that possible!​​
​
Enrollment is month to month (no full season commitment) and if you miss a rehearsal, we offer partial refund in the form of studio credit that can be spent on other music resources like music books and private lessons!
Enroll Today!
Tuition: $40 per rehearsal
When: Sundays 4pm to 6pm (separated into 3 segments*)
Where: 602 N Orchard St, Tacoma 98406
​
How to Join:
1. Sign up for an audition slot: a 30min 1-on-1 session in which you'll play for me selections from your current repertoire and sight-read some excerpts. This will allow us to to identify your level as well as see how you respond to teaching instruction.
2. If you pass the audition, you may enroll in the ensemble by signing and returning this form:
[ link coming soon! ]
​​​​​
We are looking for students that are engaged and respond well to teaching instruction. Experience level, playing proficiency, and regularity of practice do not effect the outcome of your audition at all. These factors are instead carefully considered when putting together music parts for participants.
The syllabus goes over how rehearsals are run (the 3 segments) and what we expect and don't expect from students:
​​
​​
*Each of the 3 segments (chapters) of the rehearsal have different goals and are run at different paces and intensity. The syllabus goes over the specifics, but to explain in short, different students respond to challenges differently, and how much time they need to adapt and how much attention they need from me to succeed varies student to student. Early chapters make sure students that need more hands on help, get the help they need to thrive. Later chapters make sure students that want a challenging environment, get the opportunity to learn in that environment.
​
This means rehearsal duration and start/end times are up to you!
If you're a parent of a younger kid that can only handle an hour or they don't do well under pressure, chapters 1 and 2 are likely the parts of the rehearsal they'll enjoy and benefit the most from, so they can actively play with the group during that segment. Some more advanced students may prefer to skip the early chapters of the rehearsal and join for just the more intensive chapter 3 segment.
If a student is playing in only specific parts of the rehearsal, when they don't play, there are a few options. You may leave mid-way the rehearsal or join mid-way if you like, however there are a few alternative ways to participate:
Active Listening - sit in the front row of the audience, observing and listening to the rehearsal. I will occasionally ask questions to the current ensemble players, but may direct the same or different questions to the active listeners as well. Observing rehearsals this way improves your ears and audio awareness while rehearsing next time you play in the ensemble.
Passive Listening - sitting in the back rows of the audience, listening to the rehearsal without the pressure of answering questions or actively participating. Listening to rehearsals in general improves exposure to music and rehearsal etiquette, normalizing the experience and often lower anxiety the next time you play in the ensemble.
​
The audition and first rehearsal is normally enough to determine what arrangement will work best for you. If you're unsure if you're ready to join and want to observe a rehearsal first, you're welcome to come watch before committing!