Minneapolis Public Schools

Learn to play the banjo in a fun and supportive class designed for adults. Old time Clawhammer Banjo is played by hitting down on the strings with the back of the fingernail usually followed by a strum of all the strings and a pluck on the fifth with the thumb. This class will introduce the basic bum-ditty stroke, hammer ons, pull offs and slides. No experience necessary. Bring your banjo and let’s make music!

Join Colin Monette, guitarist/performer/singer/songwriter/instructor, for Guitar 1. Where he will walk you through the basics of a 12 Bar Blues, a Blues Bass Line, I-IV-V chord progression and use of the Pentatonic/Blues Scale. You'll learn a few chord shapes, and simple scale patterns that will hopefully motivate and inspire your musical journey.

Learn a variety of basics: chords, strumming skills, finger-picking, and some simple tunes. You’ll also learn how to read the notation systems and diagrams to get you playing independently. Nylon and steel string guitars are provided, or you may bring your own acoustic guitar.

Play with more finesse, learning alternate-thumb picking, further strumming techniques, scales and basic blues. Bring an acoustic guitar. Prerequisite: Guitar 1 or Guitar experience.

Please join Colin Monette and we’ll continue learning the basic building blocks of music theory as applied to the guitar. We’ll learn triads, chord theory, and common chord progressions, so you can learn many songs and even make up your own.

Learn more challenging tunes, advanced finger-picking technique, a broader chord vocabulary, and the notation systems and diagrams required to learn them. Nylon and steel string guitars are provided, or you may bring your own acoustic guitar. Prerequisite: Guitar 1, or recent guitar experience. Note reading experience helps.

The Recording Workshop at Minnehaha Recording Company is a welcoming and inclusive class designed for attendees of all backgrounds and experience levels. It focuses on a software and gear-agnostic approach, making it suitable for anyone interested in record and mixing. The workshop's personalized approach involves gathering information from participants to tailor the class to their specific needs, covering topics like microphone placement, recording space optimization, decision-making in the recording process, and assistance with equipment and software recommendations. Attendees also have the opportunity to bring their own music tracks for discussion and troubleshooting, creating an intimate, interactive, and collaborative learning environment. No discounts. This class meets at Minnehaha Recording Company:4501 Minnehaha Ave, Minneapolis MN 55406 Additional Information: Attendees do not have to have any specific background or experience. We may be demonstrating things in Pro Tools, but this is meant to be software (and gear) agnostic. We are not teaching a specific software at this time. We intend for this to be as beneficial to attendees as possible. Because of this, we’ll gather some info about you once you’ve signed up. Once we have this info from all participants, we can decide what might be best to focus on as class- specific styles of music, instruments, microphone placement, preamps/compression/EQ, mixing, working with artists, etc. Attendees will have the option to bring in a track of their own music or something they might have recorded to talk through the process and any challenges they may be having with it. Our goal is to keep this intimate, interactive, and collaborative. Instead of memorizing a list of high-end equipment or large format console signal flow like most audio schools teach, we want to discuss and refine things like: Basic microphone placement Making the most of your recording space Context in recording and mixing Mindful decision making and tone-seeking How do I get that sound? Is this tonal or arrangement decision actually helping the song? Assistance with any general equipment/software recommendations.

Geared towards intermediate level improvisors [all levels are still welcome!], this class will focus particularly on team and individual growth. We will intentionally implement a culture of Improv's "Yes, And" philosophy to build confidence both in improv/theatrical performance and everyday life. A further point of emphasis in this class will be stage time and getting improv reps on stage. Through consistent instructor feedback to the team and individuals, the class will draw upon foundational improv concepts and exercises from seminal texts, ranging from Keith Johnstone to the UCB to add to the student's skill sets. Students are expected to bring a mindset of learning, continuous improvement, and a "yes, and" attitude. To see maximum progress within the 8 week semester, students are allowed and encouraged to take both classes, Improv 1 & 2 and Improv 3 & 4. Together, we will work as a team getting in a ton of improv repetitions on stage, building trust, and growing as improvisors, performers, and teammates.

Learn from music producer, audio engineer, artist, and educator Medium Zach how to make your own music for fun, to learn, and to share. Through demonstration, lecture, Q&A, and group activity, this hour and a half class will cover recording, editing, arranging, mixing, & ultimately producing your own music over the course of meeting once a week for 5 weeks. This class is for learners who have some experience with making their own music, so therefore, this group will move at a slightly more advanced pace than the section for beginners.

Sing, dance, act and connect with fellow artists. Strengthen your personal voice and choreography to new-age and classic shows. All levels welcome.

Piano 2 is primarily for students who have taken Piano 1 at Washburn HS but is open to anyone with introductory experience. Students will be able to choose from a variety of pieces to build on their ability, and will learn more about chords and how to apply them to pop songs.

Bring your uke, banjo, guitar, harmonica or voice and gather to share songs and tunes. Practice your skills, share music and get helpful tips in a casual atmosphere.