Bringing Out the Best in Our Students

REAL WORLD PERFORMANCE EXPERIENCES WITH RECITALS, ROCK CONCERTS, AND MORE

Our students have the opportunity to participate in several performances throughout the year here in our Holczer-Waroquet Concert Hall, starting with but not limited to our four Student Recital weekends (February, May, August, * November) as well as four Rock Concerts and Chamber Music Recitals each year.

All of our recitals, rock concerts, and additional student performances are upbeat, energetic, and encouraging. Participation is not mandatory but strongly recommended as a means to get the most out of your musical education here at ASM.

All students are invited to perform at our Student Recitals. Because of their popularity, we host 12-14 recitals during each recital weekend. All performers are accompanied by our director, Ms. Vera Holczer-Waroquet. Each performer must  be approved at his or her teacher’s recital prep class prior to performing on the recital.

Students studying rock, pop, and jazz music are eligible to participate in our Rock Concerts. Students performing on a rock concert will experience a full rock band performance when accompanied by our world-class faculty, exposing them to professional, real-life rehearsals and stage performance. Our student rock bands and jazz combos also perform at these events.

For our string quartets, woodwind quintets, and various other chamber music groups, we host Chamber Music Recitals. ASM ensembles present beautiful chamber music they have perfected together under the guidance of our chamber music coaches.

Beyond our recurring performance schedule, we support our faculty and students as they seek out and create additional performance opportunities here at ASM as well as in the community and beyond. Some recent special events have included our Vocal Pop program, our Chamber Music camp, and our summer and Christmas Flute Festivals. Frequently, our students prepare solo junior or senior recitals after their many years of lessons. Many ASM students participate in local and global competitions, placing in events such as the OhioMTA Buckeye Auditions, the Cleveland Chamber Music Society Youth Chamber Music Challenge, and the Grand Prize Virtuoso International Music Competition.

Chamber Groups and Ensembles

Ensemble classes meet weekly, and students at late beginner to early intermediate level can enjoy playing with their peers. Playing in a chamber music setting has proven to be an efficient method of maintaining student interest and enthusiasm for students, their families, and the teachers.

The most common chamber music ensemble is the String Quartet for violins, viola, and cello. Performing in a string quartet allows for an exciting musical experience as all instruments work together to bring the full piece to life. Additionally, we have a Suzuki-style Viola Class for young beginners to progress together.

Our clarinet and flute ensembles of varying performance levels allow woodwind performers to play together outside of a marching band or orchestra setting. These same-instrument ensemble are especially helpful for tuning and ear-training development.

Our advanced Woodwind Quartets & Quintets as well as our Brass Ensembles have the unique opportunity to work in small groups to master chamber works and new compositions.

Jazz Combo is a special ensemble experience where each instrument has a specific function required by the specifics of jazz style. Coaches work with the students one-on-one and together to master jazz theory and improv.

Rock Bands are formed based on common musical interests, age, and playing level. Some groups perform acoustic works while others are plugged-in. Our rock bands comprised of students of all ages gig in the Aurora community in addition to our on-site Rock Concerts.

ASM’s newest ensemble, our all-female a cappella group Double Treble, premiered in May 2017. The singers focus on perfecting pop-style arrangements written specifically for the group, featuring soloists, ensemble, and vocal percussion.