GAP: Gap Year & Apprenticeship Program

It's no secret, college is very expensive.  it's also obvious to clear thinking folks that not every high school graduate is ready to enroll in college immediately. Sometimes a year spent doing something valuable or personally meaningful is the ideal last step in college prep.  Some college graduates or undergraduates also need a year off before continuing studies or moving on to grad school or into the work force.  And frankly, many creative and talented people are better off not going to college at all.  The latter statement is a bold, maybe even radical proposition, but it's one worth considering.  

We developed our Gap and Apprenticeship Program (GAP) for young adults who love music, who want to explore musical creativity and performance deeply, who would like to be part of a musical community, and who may be interested in community service, but for whatever reason, are not enrolled in college or university degree-granting studies, musical or otherwise.  For young adult musicians, outside of expensive college programs or often under resourced and limited home studios or music stores, there aren't many exciting options.  

GAP fills that space.  The CMC Atlanta Gap Year and Apprenticeship Program immerses the student in our diverse community of practicing musicians and music educators.  Students can enroll for a term, an academic year, or even for two, three or more years.

Under the guidance of CMC Atlanta Director and co-founder Phil Sims, who was a student and then award winning teacher at the top ranked Eastman School of Music, and then subsequently a music professor at Mercer University and Emory University, GAP students are enrolled in a schedule comprised of lessons, classes, small ensemble rehearsals and more. Students meet with CMC faculty on an individually crafted schedule, usually each day of the week in the morning or early afternoon for training and coaching, and they also use Center space for practice and rehearsal between classes, appointments and also during evening and weekend off hours. CMC Atlanta GAP provides the chance for students to dig into their musical studies without the pressure of expensive per credit courses or grades .  GAP also offers a variety of opportunities to perform traditional or new music in venues around Atlanta, both large and small, in formal and informal arrangements.     

CMC Atlanta is comprised of teachers, players and writers who hail from many parts of the globe, from across the musical universe, and whose musical interests and backgrounds span modern art music to jazz standards to traditional rock and folk.  This means GAP students can cultivate their musical voices as classical, jazz, rock or folk musicians by working with faculty who have dedicated themselves to their own musical craft and also to teaching.   Because of the diversity of interests in our community, GAP also supports both traditional and modern approaches to these styles. 

For students who are interested in collegiate music studies, but not quite ready, or not quite sure what school to attend, GAP provides guidance and resources essential to preparing.  GAP helps students cultivate skills, concepts, prep audition repertoire and build a music portfolio or resume.  Our faculty have graduated from a variety of top conservatories and many different local and regional colleges and universities, which gives us some experience to help us reach our goal for the college bound musician: we want to help match the GAP student with the right program, the one that is best for the student's interests and both short and long term goals.   

In addition to training and performance, GAP offers other exciting opportunities.  We have a limited number of paid internships for GAP students.  Opportunities range from facility management and upkeep, administrative support, to camp counselor and teaching assistant.  For GAP students who are interested in music outreach and social change, we work to establish community service projects based around music.  Over the years, we've collaborated with organizations like the Center for Pan Asian Community Services, the Global Village School, Grady High School to offer under served children free instruction, and we've recruited students who are hungry to learn but lack the funds to pay for private training in a music studio or school like ours.  This added dimension of community service and engagement can be a rewarding and life changing experience for GAP musicians. 

For GAP students with sufficient training themselves, and who are interested in becoming music teachers themselves, GAP provides the opportunity to enroll in a Studio Internship.  Through this program, the student prepares for and then begins teaching small group classes and private lessons.  Over the years, we've had student teachers leave after several years of GAP training and teaching to open their own studios in other parts of the state and country.  GAP is not a degree-granting program, but there are many opportunities for musicians that do not require a degree, but instead, rest on skills and insights gained from hard work and personal, artistic integrity within a community of other serious musicians and music educators.

If you're interested, please take the time to review the Elements of GAP enrollment.  If you have questions or would like to schedule an interview and planning session for a student, please email This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.        

If you're ready to enroll, you can register online here