Music

Music is an integral part of The Cambridge School of Weston’s arts curriculum. We strive to create good musical citizens versed in many styles, able to place their art within a historical context, and dedicated to “live” performance. Fundamental skills are stressed, and students are encouraged to form good practice habits through regular private lessons and active participation in our many resident ensembles. Theoretical studies, composition, orchestration and arranging, computer notation programs, film scoring, digital recording and editing, and MIDI technology are some of the offerings available to help form the “contemporary” musician.

  • Advanced Music Theory & Ear Training

    (Prerequisite: Completion of Music Theory 1 (or higher), or completion of Ear Training 1 (or higher) or permission from the department.) Advanced Music Theory & Ear Training covers topics that include harmony/counterpoint, chromatic harmony, contemporary techniques and composition.  Texts encountered in the course include Kostka/Payne “Tonal Harmony,” Starer “Rhythmic Training,” Edlund “Modus Novus,” Dannhauser Books 1-3 and Morris Ferguson “Preparatory Exercises in Score Reading.” This course is designed for the serious music student who wants to broaden their knowledge of music theory and musicianship. A principal task of the course is to help the student prepare a portfolio of analytical work and music compositions for their college/conservatory applications. 

  • Beat Making

    Beat Making is a class designed for students who want to explore the process of beat making in music production. Students will explore the elements of rhythm through the lens of contemporary music styles like Hip-hop, Dub, House, Techno/trance, EDM, IDM, Jungle, Dubstep, Drum & bass, among other genres. Software and hardware will be used to develop a basic understanding of how to create beats and loops in songwriting. Projects will be assigned throughout the mod on a daily basis and shared with the class for review and appreciation. Students will have their own Soundcloud accounts. Over the ear headphones and laptops with an installed DAW (Garageband, Logic Pro, Ableton, etc) will be required. (No previous music experience or prerequisites are required for this class).

    * This course awards credit towards the Social Justice graduation requirement

  • Chorus (T,F)

    The chorus works intensively in preparation for end of mod performances. In addition to rehearsing the featured repertoire, we also focus on developing good choral skills, including sight singing and rhythm skills, breathing and tone production, diction, and solo repertoire. Examples of a typical repertoire from recent years include Britten’s Hymn to St. Cecilia, the Brahms and Mozart Requiems, Handel’s Dettingen Te Deum, Mercury’s “Bohemian Rhapsody,” and Thompson’s Alleluia.

  • Critiquing Music

    This course will equip the student with the skills to listen to, understand, and critique music. Through comparison we will explore specific compositions and discuss abstract and concrete musical themes as they relate to music. This course is open to all students.

    This course awards credit toward the social justice graduation requirement.

  • Ear Training 1

    For a developing musician, ear training is one of the most essential skills. Students will learn how to recognize melodies, harmonies, and rhythms in both notated and aural exercises. Students will be given the tools to transcribe and perform their favorite music on an instrument, or voice regardless of style.
     
    Level 1 skills include:
    - Four basic triad types and Sus 2 and 4
    - ii‑V‑I, I‑V‑vi‑IV, and other diatonic chord progressions
    - All intervals (diatonic and chromatic)
    - Conducting basic patterns of 2/4, 3/4, and 4/4
    - Transcription of 4-bar diatonic dictated melodies

  • Film Scoring

    (Prerequisite: Music Theory I or permission of department)

    This course will cover the important techniques of film scoring. Students will have to compose music for specific scenes using our digital software program Finale. Collaboration with students in other disciplines will be greatly encouraged. Guest artists working in the film industry will be invited to campus to share their expertise.

  • Guitar Skills

    Absolutely no prior musical experience needed if you want to take this course! If you are interested in playing the guitar and you’re not very familiar with guitar techniques and/or music theory applied to the guitar, this course is for you. We will go over shortcuts for memorizing all notes on the fingerboard, as well as learning TABs, basic guitar notation reading, and writing.  Additional topics covered include: fundamental techniques of guitar playing (strumming, picking styles, ‘legato’ playing, bending tricks), improvisation, and structured jamming sessions. Guitars are available for use in the classroom.

  • Improvisation Techniques in Music

    (Prerequisite: 2 years of instrumental experience or permission from the department) This performance-oriented class introduces basic skills essential to effective improvisation. Techniques covered include memorization procedure for song melody and harmony, listening skills, exercise design, pacing, chord-tone soloing, tempo accuracy, swing rhythmic feel, melodic and rhythmic embellishment of song melody, and soloing with play-along CDs. The student will be helped in the development of effective practice skills. Books, audio recordings, and videos will be used for demonstration, practice, and performance activities.

  • Instrumental Ensemble

    (Prerequisite: 2 years of private lessons or permission of department)

    This group is designed to work on pieces in preparation for concerts, collectively and with other performing arts disciplines (choral concerts, dance concerts, multimedia performances). In addition to a general performance, smaller ensembles of players will be arranged and coached by music faculty members. We will be working toward performing both in student recitals and more formal concert settings.

  • Jazz Ensemble

    (Prerequisite: 2 years of private lessons or permission of department) 
    Students learn to perform jazz standards in a group setting. Emphasis is on establishing a repertoire, building skills in improvisation, and performance. Students are expected to sign up for two consecutive mods of this course.

    *This course awards credit toward the social justice graduation requirement.
     

  • Keyboard Skills

    Are you interested in the piano? Feel like coming back after a little time off? Do you want to take it to the next level in terms of technique or repertoire? Using the abundant keyboard resources of the CSW Music Department (two grand pianos, seven uprights, one harpsichord, one organ, and a keytar!) we will work on the many scales/modes and interval patterns that make up the building blocks of our various music. Additional topics covered include: the historical evolution of keyboard instruments, how to become a better sight-reader, negotiating notation practices in piano writing, keyboard repertoire, improvisation, and memorization. The course will end with an informal, low-pressure “recital” using our Mugar Arts Center Steinway Model M.

  • MIDI

    (Prerequisite: Music Theory 1 or permission of department) In this course, we explore the dimensions of sound and texture in music through the use of synthesizer and various MIDI applications. Classwork involves weekly projects in the Electronic Music Studio. Although this may be viewed as an entry-level composition class, good musicianship skills are a must. This is not a computer course; it is a course in music composition.

  • Music Theory 1

    After a review of note-reading skills this course will explore the basic elements of music including: scales, intervals, chords, and key relationships. Also included will be musicianship skills such as intervallic and melodic dictation, rhythm drills/conducting patterns, sight-singing and introductions to the piano keyboard & the guitar. Students will be encouraged to label the fundamental music terms that encompass all historical periods and musical styles.
     

  • Musical Mathematics

    Part history, part analytical theory, and part composition, this course will consider mankind’s quest to organize sound from Pythagoras to Stockhausen. Open to all students.

  • Recording and Production

    This course is an entry point into the art of recording and production at CSW. Students begin with their own computers and DAWs (GarageBand, Logic Pro, Ableton) to learn core recording and editing skills, then progress to hands-on work in the school’s state-of-the-art recording studio. Basic to intermediate techniques such as microphone placement, signal flow, multi-track recording, and mixing are explored. Collaboration is encouraged as students develop and produce original music projects using industry-standard equipment.
     

  • Rock/Pop Ensemble (Audition-Based)

    (Prerequisite: 2 years of private lessons or permission of department)

    This class is an opportunity for those interested in working with rock/pop original songs and instrumental music. Students will be asked to write music in various rock/pop styles and also to perform covers from the repertoire drawn from the 70s, 80s, 90s, and beyond.
     
    Sudents must go through an audition process to join this section of Rock/Pop Ensemble. Interested students should have an alternate D-Block plan in the event that they cannot take this class.

    * This course awards credit towards the Social Justice graduation requirement

  • Rock/Pop LITE: Legends in Training Ensemble


    This class is an opportunity for those interested in working with rock/pop original songs and instrumental music. Students will be asked to write music in various rock/pop styles and also to perform covers from the repertoire drawn from the 70s, 80s, 90s, and beyond.
     
    No audition is required for participation in Rock/Pop LITE: Legends in Training. However, students must be able to read basic music notation (melodies and chords) and play their instrument/sing in order to participate. If you are not sure whether you have the necessary qualifications, please check in with the Music Department.

    This is an excellent option for students curious about trying a musical ensemble or developing skills needed for the audition-based Rock/Pop ensemble in mod 3.

    * This course awards credit towards the Social Justice graduation requirement

  • Songwriting

    (Prerequisite: you need to be able to play a chordal instrument such as piano and/or guitar and be able to sing your own melodies) 

    Songwriting is a performance-oriented course in which the students will be taught melodic writing, how to set a lyric, standard song forms, and how to add harmonies and bass lines. Students will be encouraged to improvise/compose and then transcribe their ideas into standard notation. We will then create lead sheets using the Finale notation program. Students will write and record their work in an MP3 format and there will be an informal lunchtime, coffee house-style performance at the end of the module. A willingness to learn some standard notation and perform with your peers is most helpful in this course.

  • Sounds of the World Ensemble

    (Prerequisite: Music Theory 1, Improvisation Techniques, Contemporary Improvisation, or permission from the instructor)

    In this performing/writing course, we will explore, connect, and engage cultures from different corners of the world through music composition and improvisation. Students will have access to the many traditional instruments owned by the CSW Music Department. All participants will share equally in the creative process and an end-of-the-mod performance will highlight the experience.

    * This course awards credit towards the Social Justice graduation requirement

  • Topics in Music History

    This survey course covers selected developments of Western music from the ancient world to contemporary times. Standards for exploration will include examination of the elements of music and their evolution. Music examples will include live performances as well as recorded examples. We will explore the current trends of each period. Recent topics have considered the music and lives of Beethoven, Stravinsky, Mozart, local Boston area composers, and 20th-century music. This course is open to all students.

  • Vocal Skills

    This course concerns aspects of music related to singing.  Topics covered include: breathing & sound production, warm-ups, sight-reading, moveable/fixed do solfege systems and ear-training.  Historical and contemporary vocal repertoire will be introduced. We will also use the MuseScore notation software to create arrangements for our own in house a capella group. Open to any level vocalist.

  • Writing Musical Theatre Scenes

    Students will combine lyrics and music to create a 5-10 minute scene scored for solo voices accompanied by a trio of single line acoustic instruments.  We will study short scenes by composers like Stephen Sondheim, Leonard Bernstein and Lin-Manuel Miranda.  The students will transcribe their melodies using the notation program MuseScore and provide score and parts for the individual instruments.  Ideally the students would sing/act in their own (and their colleagues) scenes while professional players will be hired for the instrumental parts. The scenes would be video recorded in the final week of the course.

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Department Faculty

  • Photo of Gustavo Brasil
    Gustavo Brasil
    Music Department Chair
    781-398-8337
    Bio
  • Photo of Michael Weinstein
    Michael Weinstein
    Music Faculty
    781-642-8623
    Bio
45 Georgian Road, Weston, MA 02493
Phone: (781) 642-8600
CSW—a gender-inclusive day and boarding school for grades 9-12—is a national leader in progressive education. We live out our values of inquiry-based learning, student agency, and embracing diverse perspectives in every aspect of our student experience. Young people come to CSW to learn how to learn and then put what they learn into action—essential skills they carry into their futures as doers, makers, innovators, leaders, and exceptional humans who do meaningful work in the world.