World Music
Community Mbira Ensemble
High School & Adults; 2 units
Glenn West, DirectorMondays, 6:30-8 p.m.
The Eastman Community Mbira Ensemble is open to anyone regardless of experience. Beginning students will learn the playing techniques and be introduced to the basic repertory of the mbira dzavadzimu (literally, “mbira of the ancestral spirits”), the traditional instrument of the Shona culture of Zimbabwe. The Intermediate Ensemble is open to individuals who are comfortable playing both parts of two fundamental songs (Kariga Mombe and Nhemamusasa).
Essential aspects of the music that will be learned and applied include the interlocking of different parts, traditional singing practices, rhythmic accompaniment, and the social and cultural context of the music. Students will also be guided to understand the music from the traditional Shona point of view as well as integrating it with their own musical understanding.
Tuition: $136 per semester; $125 or less with lessons.
Gamelan Ensemble
High School & Adults; 2 units
Ellen Koskoff, DirectorSaturdays, 3-5:30 p.m. Location: ET 12
The Eastman School’s Balinese gamelan, Lila Muni (Beautiful Sound) is an ensemble consisting largely of percussion instruments, such as metalophones, gongs, and drums, as well as flutes and voices. Gamelan at Eastman, as in Bali, is a communal effort. Our members include Eastman students, faculty, and staff, as well as many members of the Rochester community. Learned through the oral/aural tradition without notation, the music requires players to work together for long periods to learn the music and how to play it. The result is a sense of group unity and pride for the audience to hear the music and witness the collective efforts of the group.
Each year, Lila Muni performs throughout the Northeastern United States and in Canada in programs of traditional and contemporary Balinese music, interactive workshops for audiences of all ages, and in creative collaborations with Western musicians and composers. New members are welcomed into the Eastman gamelan each year, regardless of musical experience.
Tuition: $136 per semester; $125 or less with lessons.
Hammered Dulcimer Class
High School & Adults; 2 units
Mitzie Collins, InstructorMondays, 5:30-7 p.m. or
Tuesdays, 9:30-11 a.m.
9/11-11/13 and/or 1/22-4/2Tuition: $136 per semester; $125 or less with lessons
Hammered Dulcimer Ensemble
High School & Adults; 2 units
Mitzie Collins, InstructorMondays, 7:30-9 p.m.
9/11-11/13 and/or 1/22-4/2
Tuition: $136 per semester; $125 or less with lessons
Hammered Dulcimer Sampler
Indian Drumming
High School & Adults; 2 units
Rohan Krishnamurthy, Director
Tentatively scheduled for Thursday EveningsInterested students please email the director for more information: rohan@rohanrhythm.com
An exciting ensemble exploring the rhythmic dimension of Carnatic music, an ancient form of classical music from South India. Participants will learn various techniques and approaches of the Carnatic percussive tradition, considered one of the world’s most complex, and will get hands-on experience playing several traditional instruments, including the pitched mridangam, the primary drum of South India, as well as other secondary hand drums including the khanjira frame drum, ghatam clay pot, and konakkol, a unique system of vocal percussion. The semester will culminate in a group performance.
This ensemble is not only an opportunity to learn about the music of India, but also an avenue to engage music as a means of understanding and appreciating various aspects of Indian culture at large. It will employ a variety of learning tools and approaches, and will not require any prior musical background.
Tuition: $136 per semester; $125 or less with lessons.
Last Updated: April 30, 2012