"Immersion: instruction based on extensive exposure to surroundings or conditions that are native or pertinent to the object or study; especially, foreign language instruction in which only the language being taught is used." Merriam-Webster.com
It takes more than a series 30- or 45-minute weekly lessons to become a musician. Immersion provides the best chance for a student or emerging artist to connect with music and the wider community in a meaningful and sustained way. This is the founding and guiding principle of the CMC Atlanta GAP and ART programs.
The Comprehensive Musicianship Program (or CMP) Courses and Workshops provide essential support for CMC Atlanta students. Time spent one-on-one or in small group classes taught by music theory, harmony, composition and improvisation specialists works in tandem with private lessons to foster musical understanding, skills, and ultimately, the framework for performance and creation.
For each of our AMHS and GAP students, we develop a unique curriculum that meets the students needs and interests.
We cultivate genuine musicianship through CMP courses that first isolate individual musical parameters, and then put each new skill and concept back into a larger musical context. Currently, we offer courses for students in each Division and Department in four distinct but overlapping areas of musicianship, each of which is critical to being a creative, skilled, and literate musician. The four areas of focus are:
Regardless of stylistic interests, we teach students to read music. While there are valuable oral/aural musical traditions in which reading music does not play as critical a role, we believe reading music is a gateway for experiencing and expressing music across wider historical periods and more cultural practices than otherwise possible. We also encourage all students to sing, not necessarily like an operatic or rock star, but we think carrying a tune is a valuable and meaningful basic life skill. Plus, any accoplished instrumentalist will tell you that making an instrument sing is an essential aspect of virtuosity in many musical styles. Moving in control, and with direction and ease is another important skill in music and in life. We also support all students in cultivating their understanding of rhythmic notation and developing the skill to move well in drumming courses. At the CMC Atlanta, students learn the nuts and bolts of tonal relationships first in Notation class, then through Scale, Chord & Key, and finally through courses in Harmony, Improvisation, and Composition.
Most CMP Courses meet weekly for 12-14 week sessions during the Fall and Winter/Spring Terms. Elementary Division Courses usually meet weekly for 30-minutes; courses in other Divisions vary from 30 to 60 minutes in length. During the summer months, we synchronize courses for elementary students with our Day Camps for Kids, and courses meet more frequently for a shorter period of time (30 to 45 minute classes, daily for one or two weeks, for example).
While courses meet weekly, CMP Workshops are typically designed to be one to three days in duration, and they typically provide a targeted group of students and/or parents an opportunity to focus on a particular set of skills and/or concepts. Center faculty and guest instructors often share the teaching responsibilities in CMP Workshops. Workshops are scheduled on a rolling basis by individual faculty. Invitations and announcements are forwarded to Center students and the general public as events are planned.
Music Performance, Composition, Theory, Apprenticeship, Community Service, Music Outreach & More
CMC Atlanta GAP draws local, regional, national and international students. Local Atlanta students often live at home with parents or other family members, but any student who enrolls is welcome to consider living in one of our apartments or to consult with us for support arranging suitable housing.
CMC Atlanta has a limited number of efficiency apartments available at the Little 5 Points location. Rent for these furnished, dormroom-like units includes all utilities, internet, and more, and varies, depending whether the student lives alone or with a roommate. CMC Atlanta also has a limited number of unfurnished and potentially furnished one and two bedroom apartments a block from the Little 5 Points Center in highly desirable Inman Park. These apartments are more expensive, reflecting the rental market in gentrified neighborhoods of the northeast/Atlanta Beltline corridor. For students who wish to find more independent housing, CMC Atlanta Directors and GAP Faculty are also able to provide guidance by helping connect students with property management offsite and consulting with those unfamiliar with Atlanta neighborhoods and commuting options and patterns.