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Music Performance

BRASS & WOODWIND

McNally Smith's Brass & Woodwinds department includes curriculum for saxophone, clarinet, flute, trumpet and trombone. Training encompasses a broad spectrum of music that includes jazz, rock, funk, blues, and classical music. Department Head Pete Whitman has assembled a faculty of extraordinary players who provide great instruction. Their experience includes performing with a long list of notables from Jack McDuff and Anita O'Day to Prince and the Minnesota Orchestra. Through one-on-one training with department faculty and public performances, students build confidence in their skills and gain the experience needed to launch a career in music.
KEY CLASSES

Applied Music
Students receive a weekly, one-on-one, personalized instruction session from an experienced specialist on any given instrument.

Applied Music Theory and Music Interpretation
Through the study of improvisation, students apply the basic elements of jazz and pop harmony to their instrument. Chord/scale construction, application, standard repertoire and stylistic vocabulary are intensively scrutinized in a performance lab environment.

Technique
Students develop a technical foundation through comprehensive study of chord/scale shapes and patterns through the full range of their instrument and a wide variety of harmonic and rhythmic applications.

Contemporary Literature
This performance lab includes the study and performance of a wide range of commercial music commonly heard today in concert, dance and recording settings. It is designed to build student confidence through weekly performances and a professional perspective on the role they play in any given ensemble.

Ensembles
There is a wide range of ensembles for brass and woodwind players to perform with. These include Jazz, Fusion, Latin, R & B, M-Theory and "A Cappella" Winds to name just a few.

 

Commonly Searched Phrases: Music Degree | Brass & Woodwind College | Music Performance College
CAREERS

  • Clinician
  • Freelance Performer
  • Pit Orchestra/Show Musician
  • Private Instructor
  • Touring/Recording Artist
    Dave Jensen
  • Dave Jensen
    • James Marentic
  • James Marentic
    • Bill Olson
  • Bill Olson
    • Janis Weller
    Chair, Liberal Arts
    Janis has been active in the arts community of Minneapolis/St. Paul for many years as a flutist, teacher, residency artist, author, consultant, and arts administrator.
  • Janis Weller
    • Pete Whitman
    Department Head, Brass & Woodwinds
    Pete has spent over 20 years teaching and playing professionally as a saxophonist, flutist, and clarinetist.
  • Pete Whitman
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