Community Music School Offers Opportunities for Young String
Students
Winfield, Kan., May 10, 2021 — The Community Music School (CMS) has
announced a new collaboration with Southwestern College and Amber Peterson,
associate professor of music and the Mazie Barnett Kilmer Chair for Strings
Education at Southwestern College. Beginning in the fall of 2021, the SC
Pre-College String Ensembles will be available through CMS and will offer a
wide array of ensembles and music education opportunities for young string
students.
“The Community Music School is very excited about this new partnership
with Dr. Peterson and we feel this will be a wonderful opportunity for young
orchestra musicians in our community and beyond,” said Michelle Zakharov,
director of the CMS. “After a year of social distancing and being as safe as we
can, having the opportunity to bring young musicians together to learn in
community will be a much needed change.”
eStyles and Camerata will be offered on Monday evenings at 5 and 5:45
p.m. eStyles is available to 8th-12th grade string
students.
“This ensemble will be a lot of fun for students since we will be
exploring eclectic styles of string music, including fiddle, jazz, mariachi,
and more,” said Peterson.
Students will learn the basics of improvisation and continue to develop
general playing technique. No audition is required.
Camerata is a chamber orchestra offered to 9th-12th grade
students that will help string students develop musical maturity and
independence by playing in a smaller ensemble, often without a conductor.
Intermediate and advanced technique will continue to be addressed with solo
possibilities for interested players.
Advanced members of Camerata may be invited to join the South Kansas
Symphony as SKS Apprentices. An apprenticeship with The South Kansas Symphony
requires that the student be a member of Camerata.
“The South Kansas Symphony is a full orchestral ensemble in which SC
string, wind, and percussion students of all majors can collaborate with local
community musicians, continuing a long tradition of orchestral music in South
Central Kansas,” Peterson said.
Masterworks, concerti, and lighter pieces are performed by the symphony
each season. SKS will meet on Monday evenings from 7 to 9 p.m. Auditions to
become a SKS apprentice are scheduled for September 1, from 4 to 5:30 p.m.
For more information, email CMS@sckans.edu.
