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Creative Musical Arts Program

Ensembles

MUM is offering ensembles with a number of musicians in our area:

• These ensembles are not on the block system. They are structured as a semester-long course, held in addition to the regular blocks, after class.
• Ensembles may earn 1 or 1/2 credit or no credit per semester, depending on the nature of the course.
• Ensemble credits count toward the minor but are not required.
• A fee is generally associated with ensembles, to cover instrument use, sheet music, and the instructor. Fees vary according to the class. However, students are not charged additional tuition for the extra music credit they earn.
• Please note that some ensembles meet off-campus. Car-pooling can be arranged.
• Ensemble credits count toward the minor, but are not required.

Click on any of the course titles below to see the course's description:

• MUS 103 Drumming from Within

Drumming from Within : Enlivening the primal rhythms of the individual in harmony with evolution.

In the words of Maharishi Mahesh Yogi, "The ever-expanding mechanics of creation and evolution are all very rhythmical." Nowhere in the world is rhythm used more than Africa. This class will focus on ensemble playing of polyrhythms from Africa and the African Diaspora on traditional drums of the Malinke, Bambara and Yoruba peoples. Students will learn fundamentals of constructing polyrhythms, jamming, soloing, regional folk songs, performance etiquette, and how traditional societies used drumming to create different effects for celebrations, ceremonies and healing. This class meets weekly and includes one or more student performances with possible additional rehearsals. 1/2 – 1 credit. May be repeated. No prerequisites. Instrument fee $25 ($20 for students who bring their own djembe).

• MUS 202 Chamber Singers of Southeast Iowa

Chamber Singers of Southeast Iowa: Creating Harmony of Individuality Within a Larger Wholeness

For students with choral experience or singing experience who can read music. This group performs two concerts annually and affords an opportunity to further develop musicianship skills, listening skills, vocal technique, and professionalism in an advanced choral ensemble. Students will have exposure to a varied repertoire and a cappella literature. Opportunities for solo and small ensemble work are available. Students will develop confidence and a deeper connection to the self as they appreciate their role in the context of a larger musical wholeness. This ensemble meets off-campus; car-pooling can be arragned. Rehearsals are weekly with occasional extra rehearsals during the semester and preceding concerts. Prerequisite: Audition. (variable credits; may be repeated)

• MUS 204 Jazz Combos

This semester-long class can be taken on its own, although it is designed to work in conjunction with the block course MUS 203 Jazz Ensemble. The groups cover musical terrain that reflects the highly eclectic nature of the jazz idiom. Drawing from influences ranging from Blues, Ragtime, New Orleans Jazz, and Chicago Jazz to Harlem Renaissance, Modal, Avant Garde, and Global Fusion, the group will exemplify the interplay between grounding in tradition and exploration of new horizons that has been the driving force in this genre since its inception. The class will afford students opportunities for original composition and diverse approaches to improvisation. Open to instrumentalists and vocalists alike. Performance opportunities are available. Prerequisite: Audition. (variable credits, may be repeated)

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