I grew up in the era of progressive rock and I think that part of the appeal of this musical genre was the complex orchestrations associated with many of the “prog” rock artists of the time. Bands like Yes, King Crimson and Genesis had sophisticated music and lyrics which suggested a classical education. I...
On Saturday, December 8, 2012, at 4pm, CSMA will host an inspiring film which was produced by the former First Lady of Japan, Madame Kayoko Hosokawa and and directed by Academy Award nominee Oguri Ken’ichi. “Strains of Odyssey” captures the compassion and nurturing spirit of Japanese Maestro Kobayashi Ken-ichiro and the Koba-Ken and Friends...
It wasn’t so long ago when taking a photography class was both a theoretical and tactile experience. Students would study the history of the craft, learn techniques of composition then hit the darkroom for the hands-on bit. Digital photography has changed much of that and most photography students use a digital darkroom rather than develop and...
In addition to teaching art and music in our 25,000-square-foot building in Mountain View, we have a faculty of professional art and music educators who teach at 39 schools located between San Bruno and San Jose. These programs, Art4Schools and Music4Schools, help bridge the gap in schools where art and music instruction are increasingly disappearing...
With the advent of smartphone cameras and lower-cost Digital Single Lens Reflex Cameras (DSLRs) the ability to take decent images is available to anyone who can afford the device. Does this mean that everyone is now a good photographer? Can anyone snap a 15 megapixel image and zap it onto Facebook or photo sharing...
We recently held a series of focus groups comprised of adult music and art students and the parents of school-age students. Our goals were to determine why people choose CSMA, why they stay and what they want to see added to the curriculum. The participants of these groups were very informative. There are many...
Technology has opened a whole new realm of creating art and music. From just a glance at the classes in the CSMA Catalog, you’ll see workshops on subjects ranging from Flash animation to using music notation software. With more and more people adopting digital arts, we’re pleased to offer training in these areas. It...
How do you make a 25,000 square-foot space, which was built specifically for the arts, a comfortable environment that’s conducive to hanging out? Our Finn Center contains 17 practice rooms for 22 instruments, four art rooms, one recital room, one ensemble room, a digital lab, two art galleries and a performance hall. That’s a...
Everyone’s heard of The Blues, but I would argue that music is actually green! At least in the ecological sense that is. More and more people in this high-tech, wired Valley are seeking a balance to their electronic lifestyle. Some take exotic eco tours to unwind, some take yoga to get grounded, but others...
Is it a physical space where teaching happens, or an abstract academic entity or even a “school of thought”? I would argue that CSMA is all of these things. We teach; we teach in a beautiful building and we are a community resource that provides inspiration in the arts. But when students visit or...
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