Skokie School of Music offers instrumental lessons at the beginning, intermediate, and advanced levels. Below is a general outline of what students can expect to learn at each level. Students at every level are encouraged to perform at an annual student recital.
Beginning: Students focus on basic musicianship skills--fundamental instrumental technique, notation, rhythm, sightreading, and eartraining. Basic scales and chords are introduced, and students learn to perform basic repertoire, with an emphasis on using proven graded method books. Basic improvisation will be introduced.
Intermediate: Students continue to build on basic musicianship skills, and encounter progressively challenging repertoire from graded method books and music literature, while further developing technical, sightreading, and eartraining skills. Improvisation, scales and chords are further explored, and popular music and jazz can be incorporated into lesson plans.
Advanced: Students learn to perform literature from the Baroque, Classical, and Romantic eras, as well as repertoire from the Impressionist era and the Twentieth Century. Students may also focus on areas of personal interest, including popular music and jazz. Recital and audition preparation can also be incorporated into lessons.
INSTRUMENTAL LESSONS We currently offer instruction for the following instruments: piano, violin, viola, guitar, ukulele, flute, clarinet, saxophone, French horn, trombone, contrabass, electric bass, percussion and drum set, and voice.
(For brass instruments, students usually start at age ten or eleven.) (For woodwinds, students often begin on clarinet before moving on to saxophone.)
MUSIC THEORY AND ENSEMBLES We offer private lessons in music theory, sight-singing, ear-training, vocal style, composition, songwriting, and arranging. We offer ensemble workshops by arrangement.
CURRICULUM