Electives

Afternoon Chamber Music & Electives

During the afternoon and evening, MMR singers and instrumentalists broaden their musical experience by participating in a wide variety of small chamber ensembles and elective classes. Registered participants will use an online Afternoon Activities Preference form to indicate their priorities. A typical program would be one Chamber Ensemble, and one Elective or Free Time. There are three sessions each afternoon for Ensembles and Electives. Ensembles and electives are scheduled in the same time slots and may conflict with each other. Experienced campers reserve some time each day for FREE TIME, practice, rest or recreation.

Personnel in Chamber Ensembles are either Camper Pre-Arranged or MMR Arranged. Coaches are assigned by the faculty coordinators.

Campers may also request chamber ensembles using a secondary instrument or voice. eg. singers may request an instrumental ensemble; instrumentalists may request a vocal group; wind or brass players may request a string group; etc.  

Electives change each year.


Electives for 2024

Free Time
An unscheduled hour for relaxation or personal practice. Select the number of Free hours on the Afternoon Preference Form when you register.

Gentle Yoga, Lydia Van Dreel
This gentle yoga class will involve slow, mindful movement, relaxing, restorative poses and deep breathing. No experience necessary. Bring a yoga mat and loose, comfortable clothing!

Drum CirclePatrick Roulet
You do not have to be a master drummer to succeed in this class. After learning the basic technique for hand drumming we will learn African and Latin drumming patterns. Through these patterns we practice our ensemble skills of listening, feeling the internal pulse and fitting our rhythm into the pattern. Past students have said that transferring what they learn in this class to their other instruments helps them in rehearsal and performance settings. 

Brass Ensemble, William Berry
Open to all brass: uses standard, modern instruments.

Jazz Big Band, Jim Sisko
An ideal group for all who enjoy performing large ensemble jazz. The group features traditional big band instrumentation: saxophones, trumpets, trombones and rhythm section players — piano, bass and drums. Repertoire is drawn from a mix of unique arrangements of jazz standards and originals. Will include one evening rehearsal on Wednesday. The band performs at Saturday night following the Festival Banquet. 

Afternoon Elective Orchestra,  Roger Nelson
An afternoon ensemble for strings and classical brass, winds. Repertoire drawn from all eras. Lots of sight reading; low key performance. Very fun! 

Saxophone Ensemble, Patrick Sheng
The saxophone ensemble rehearses and performs a variety of repertoire primarily from the classical and jazz idioms (but, as Cole Porter would say, we're not afraid to dip our toes into the "anything goes" category). Instrumentation can vary from sax trio to sax choir, depending on camper instrumentation. All saxophonists of all levels are welcome!

Flute Choir, Faculty

Clarinet Choir, Faculty

Percussion Ensemble, Faculty

Jazz Improvisation, Faculty
Open to instrumentalists and vocalists, this class will cover the basics of improvising: chord progressions, what scales to use with what chords, articulation styles, and how to develop a melody. 

Practical Score Markings for Singers - Gary Canon

We've all sat through a rehearsal when the conductor mostly reviews material from previous weeks. With an improved system of marking your scores, you'll be able to improve your self-reliance as a choral singer. Various methods will be discussed to quickly notate elements such as rhythm, pitch, language, dynamics, phrasing, and ensemble. Bring your Festival Chorus music and a sharpened pencil!

 

Not Messiah! - but Handel's Other Great Choruses! - Kathryn Weld

We’ll visit a number of great Oratorios, like Handel’s own favorites “Theodora” and “Jephtha,” love-themed “Acis and Galatea” and a rollicking plague chorus or two! So much wonderful music to sing from these lesser known works! SATB, plus strings or other interested instrumentalists. voices are welcome! Final performance at Saturday Tea.

 

Broadway Revisited: A Short History of Broadway Benchmarks - Heather MacLaughlin-Garbes

Spend time diving into Golden Oldies and new contemporary musical theater songs! Gershwin, Rogers and Hammerstein along with Lin-Manuel Miranda, Pasek and Paul, and more! This elective will highlight the history of some of Broadway's benchmark shows and prepare selected songs to perform throughout the week. All interested singers are welcome!

 

Singing for Non-Singers - Nathan Shiu

Are you an instrumentalist who is curious about singing? Do you consider yourself a non-singer, or even scared of singing, but want to change that? Come join others who feel the same in a safe space to explore your voice. We’ll practice well-known folk and pop songs, rounds, and more! Presentation at the Saturday Sampler is not required.

 

Interweavings: A Tapestry of American Popular Music - Yvette Burdick

We’ll just scratch the surface of American popular music, but you’ll leave with a broader, deeper appreciation for the musical legacies that influenced every recording you hear. Sampling genres as diverse as Sousa marches, ragtime, jazz, country, blues, rock, and hip-hop, Yvette will lay out guidelines to help you identify characteristic features within each musician’s sound that lead you back to their roots – or forward to the musicians that came after them.