Your CMS teacher’s goal is to meet each student at their level when they enter the program. CMS teachers are experienced, credentialed music educator-performers motivated to assist you in your development as a musician. They will inspire you through the collaborative experience of guided music study. Their pedagogical approach is designed to foster development including tone production, technique, posture as it relates to your instrument, repertoire, and performance practice. Your selected teacher will assist you with setting and meeting short and long-term goals, which is foundational to musicianship development and lesson progress. Understanding what to practice and how to structure your practice time will be woven into your lesson and/or ensemble experience. Private lesson students who have specific performance goals (ex. All State, Honor Festival, college audition preparation) or have genre-specific goals (gospel, jazz, pop) should make those goals known to their teacher in advance of enrolling. Lessons/activities occur in-person at the Moody Music Building. In very few cases, teachers will opt for a hybrid of in-person/distance, or, if the student prefers, entirely via distance method. Private lessons occur almost exclusively in School of Music practice rooms or faculty studios, which comfortably accommodate the teacher, student, and parent (required if student is a minor). All CMS teachers have completed mandatory UA training and background checks. Do not enroll until you have communicated directly with your selected teacher and have confirmed the day and time of your weekly lesson, and the length of your lesson. If you need a list of available teachers, email jweigel@ua.edu Connection issues? Check list: Use a land-connected device to enroll. Some smart phones and tablets have software that does not allow connection to the payment site. Use FireFox or Google Chrome (Safari may have issues). If this does not fix the connectivity, email jweigel@ua.edu
The University of Alabama Community Music School is a program within the College of Arts and Sciences and has been providing music outreach to students of all ages and abilities in West Alabama since 1988. The Community Music School (CMS) is an accredited member of the National Guild for Community Arts Education nationalguild.org and is reviewed by the National Association of Schools of Music nasm.arts-accredit.org as a non-degree granting arm of the School of Music. The 50+member CMS teaching staff is comprised of School of Music faculty, selected graduate and undergraduate students, and professionals from the community.