Many young musicians find the close collaboration and artistic give-and-take of chamber music to be uniquely rewarding. Possible chamber music configurations include but are not limited to string quartets, piano trios, woodwind and brass quintets, and other ensembles with piano. Both self-formed and instructor-suggested groups are feasible, and enrollees are permitted to select repertoire from an array of choices recommended by the instructor.
The Amherst Symphony Orchestra is open by audition to all students regardless of major. It rehearses twice a week from 7-930pm on Tuesday and Thursday evenings and performs three concerts per semester. Membership ranges in size from fifty to eighty. Repertoire includes overtures, concertos, symphonies and tone poems by canonic composers from the Baroque, Classical, Romantic and Modern periods in addition to works by a diversity of historically underrepresented artists.
Participation in a jazz combo involves 2 coached sessions per week and a minimum of 3 performances each semester. Players are placed in groups according to their ease with the skill of improvisation. Repertoire is taken from traditional, standard jazz resources as well as more popular music and original compositions. Though prior experience is helpful, we can find a place for virtually all who wish to be a part of this vibrant program. Establised in 2021-2022, Jazz@Friedmann Room provides a club-like atmosphere for our students to share their musical progress.
The Amherst College Jazz Ensemble meets a minimum of 2X per week in rehearsals and gives a minimum of three performances each semester. Membership is possible for those who perform on traditional jazz instrumentation (saxophones, brass, piano, guitar, bass, drums, vibes) as well as vocalists. An exciting opportunity each year is the chance to give a world premiere of a piece composed especially for the membership of the jazz ensemble. This always current piece goes along with other repertoire that is chosen from the last 100 years of jazz.
Through composition, analysis, listening practice, and performance, we will build a solid working understanding of many principles of music common in Western musical traditions. The course aims to develop comfort and dexterity in engaging with music via listening, analysis, and creative work. Assignments include harmonizing melodies, writing short melodies and accompaniments, creative representation and listening projects, and annotated analysis. On several occasions we will use our instruments and voices to bring musical examples to life in the classroom.
The Amherst College Glee Club, founded in 1865, is the fifth oldest collegiate choral ensemble in the United States. In this course, the ensemble will meet twice a week to develop the skill and knowledge to perform a wide range of musical styles and genres. Participation in this course will help singers develop their vocal ability in a positive environment, interact with living composers on newly composed repertory, as well as engage in the study of repertory from the Western and non-western choral canon.
Can a song change the world? We know that lyrics can convey a message, but what about distribution strategy or performance venue? How are subcultures and styles used by artists and record companies to exercise or resist power? From the gramophone to TikTok, popular music has played a unique role in political and social discourse. In this class we try to understand what makes popular music different from other forms of political speech.
This hands-on course offers students an introduction to key concepts of realizing music in the studio. Topics include: analog and digital workflows, microphone types, acoustics, digital editing, mixing, mastering, MIDI orchestration, sampling, and studio monitoring and routing. Digital audio workstations (colloquially abbreviated as “DAWs”) such as Garageband, Logic Pro, ProTools, and Ableton, are arguably the most ubiquitous tools used for creating music.
