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The Pre-College Academy offers a suite of elective classes ranging in a variety of musical topics. Elective classes are reserved for students enrolled in the Pre-College Academy, however, a select number of elective classes are available for students not enrolled in the Pre-College Academy. The following list contains elective classes that are available for non-Pre-College Academy students. Please review the elective class information below and register using the unique registration links on each course.

Registration must be completed by Thursday, September 5, 2024 in order to be enrolled for the 2024-25 Academic Year!

All elective classes are year long and take place on Saturdays for 30 weeks. Exact class times can be found below. Classes start on Saturday, September 7, 2024 and end Saturday, May 3, 2025. 

Registration for elective classes includes an annual registration fee of $50. Please note the age ranges, prerequisites, and age ranges for each class prior to completing registration. If you have any questions regarding these elective classes, please contact Associate Director of Pre-College, Laura Reynolds at lreynolds@sfcm.edu.

Alexander Technique (1hr)
Danielle Thomas, Instructor
Ages 12 and up
Class Time: 2:00-3:00 PM on Saturdays from September 7, 2024 through May 3, 2025
Tuition: $2,000
Link to register: 

Alexander Technique teaches performers to move mindfully and freely, while helping to alleviate unnecessary tension and achieve peak performance. The Alexander Technique helps increase one’s body awareness. This can help one not only with improving posture and reducing anxiety while playing, but also helps one understand their body’s limits to prevent overuse injuries. The Alexander Technique also helps one breathe more efficiently. This is especially helpful for singers and wind players, but open and free breathing also helps one stay coordinated while playing any instrument. Each week, students will engage in movement activities and then apply them to playing their instrument. No prior experience necessary.

AP Music Theory Test Preparation (1.5hrs)
Mauricio Rodriguez, Instructor
Ages 15 and up; must have approval by instructor to participate
Required text: Barron's AP Music Theory, 3rd Edition
Class Time: 5:15-6:45 PM on Saturdays from September 7, 2024 through May 3, 2025
Tuition: $2,000
Link to register: 

This is a full preparation course for the Advanced Placement Exam in Music Theory. Topics include advanced theory and harmony subjects, 4-part writing, ear training, sight singing, and music analysis. To maximize your AP score and apply the answering strategies you will learn, this course includes working on complete practice tests to understand how the actual exam is organized and graded. Prerequisites: Ability to read and write music; understanding and aural recognition of major and minor scales, intervals (diatonic/chromatic), and chords (triads/sevenths); minimum of two years experience with a musical instrument.  

Black American Popular Music, From Ragtime to Rap (1 hr)
Terrence Brewer, Instructor
Ages 13 and up
Class Time: 8:45-9:45 AM on Saturdays from September 7, 2024 through May 3, 2025
Tuition: $2,000
Link to register: 

Learn about the lineage and evolution of “Black American Music” (BAM); exploring Ragtime, the Blues, Gospel, Jazz, Bebop, Boogie-Woogie, Funk, Soul, Motown, Rock, Rap/HipHop and on. Central to the course, and making up a bulk of the content, is listening to a deep catalog of music, watching videos/film excerpts, and reading source material which detail the journey, the evolution, and the fundamental relevance of Black American  popular music to the foundation of American music as a whole.  Black American Popular Music, From Ragtime to Rap will investigate the path and evolution of the rhythms, harmonies, aesthetics, as well as the practitioners of the art forms which encompass the African Musical Diaspora in the United States. Black American Popular Music, From Ragtime to Rap will analyze the formal elements and contextual characteristics that define Black American Music and its multitude of genres.

Introduction to Guitar (1hr)
Mark Simons, Instructor
Ages 9 and up; Requirements: acoustic instrument, tuner, music manuscript notebook. Open to students with 0-2 years of guitar experience.
Required Text: Guitar Method by Jerry Snyder (specific volume dependent on class level)
Class Time: 3:45-4:45 PM on Saturdays from September 7, 2024 through May 3, 2025
Tuition: $2,000
Link to register: 

Assuming no prior experience with the guitar, this course will take students on a journey through a wide variety of guitar styles. Using fingerstyle based technique (classical), we will learn strumming and fingerpicking patterns, learn to read rhythms, tablature, chord diagrams and notes as well as build a basic chord and single note vocabulary. We will apply these techniques and others to learning easy songs and enjoyable short pieces.

Music Technology: Ableton Live (1.5hrs)
Jess Konye, Instructor
Ages 13 and up
Class Time: 3:30-5:00 PM on Saturdays from September 7, 2024 through May 3, 2025
Tuition: $3,000
Link to register: 

Learn the fundamentals of performance & production software Ableton Live, an intuitive and flexible audio workstation for creating all kinds of music. Students will create, mix, and edit music in Ableton Live, explore the performative aspects of the software, and learn creative techniques sure to inspire any young producer or sound designer. No prior experience necessary.*Students will be required to have access to Ableton Live.

Music Technology: Sound Design (1.5hr)
Costantinos Dafnis, Instructor
Ages 13 and up
Class Time: 10:00-11:30 AM on Saturdays from September 7, 2024 through May 3, 2025
Tuition: $3,000
Link to register: 

Sound Design: Learn the art of capturing and manipulating sounds using popular audio production applications such as Logic Pro X. Using the Conservatory’s state-of-the-art technology suites, this course will teach beginning production skills and expose students to effects and mixing. Students will set sounds to video game and film media through collaborative projects. No prior experience necessary.

The Science of Practice! (1hr)
Dr. Lynn Hileman, instructor
Ages 9-13; All instruments
Class Time: 12:30-1:30 PM on Saturdays from September 7, 2024 through May 3, 2025
Tuition: $2,000
Link to register: 

Do you ever feel like your practicing is stuck in a rut? Or like it’s sometimes tedious and boring?  Maybe you feel like you just don't have enough time to practice with all the other things you have to do.  If this sounds like you, it’s time to put on your lab coat and come learn the science behind practicing! Every week, we’ll conduct hands-on practice experiments, and discover how by practicing in a thoughtful way, you can learn more in less time, and have fun while you do it.

Violin Seminar (1hr)
Amy Beth Horman, Instructor
Ages 12 and under; with teacher approval
Class Time: 8:30-9:30 AM on Saturdays from September 7, 2024 through May 3, 2025
Tuition: $2,000
Link to register: 

For violinists between the ages of 8-12 years old, Violin Seminar with Amy Beth Horman will help students increase balance, awareness, rhythm, aural elasticity, and pitch while strengthening fluency in scales, arpeggios, and double stops. Students will participate in “Violin Think Tank” activities and exercises using scales and arpeggios with templated rhythms and bowings as a platform to develop greater technical facility, better pitch, and a mastery of the upper range of their fingerboard. A portion of every class will be dedicated to balance, breathing, and exercises to aid in the separation of the hands.

Vocalise Chorus (1hr)
Amanda Hahn, Instructor
Ages 9-13
Class Time: 2:00-3:00 PM on Saturdays from September 7, 2024 through May 3, 2025
Tuition: $1,000
Link to register: 

Vocalise Chorus is a SSA (treble voices only) chorus for students between the ages of 9-13. The chorus will rehearse weekly at the ���߲ݴ�ý Francisco Conservatory of Music with performances at the end of each semester. 

*Students in the Pre-College Academy are eligible for a discounted rate on any additional electives outside a student’s core curriculum. Please contact the Pre-College office for more information.