Adult Studies
Come be a part of the adult studies community at the Pasadena Conservatory of Music.
In addition to individual instruction on all instruments, PCM has a vibrant and growing slate of group classes, ensembles, and music history and appreciation offerings for adults.
- Individual Instruction
- Group Lessons & Ensembles
- Music History & Appreciation
Click on individual departments below or call the PCM office at 626.683.3355 for more information.
PCM offers a number of opportunities to perform with other musicians, including Adult Guitar Orchestra, Piano Ensemble, Jazz Ensemble, and Chamber Music. Please call 626.683.3355 for more information.
Instructor: Lindsay Dodoras
Mondays | 10:30 am – 12:00 pm
or Tuesdays | 6:30 – 8:00 pm
Students will continue their exploration of the American Songbook for ukulele. With classics from Broadway to our favorite jazz standards, they will learn the mechanics behind each of these timeless tunes and how to perform them live. Ukulele players will experiment with song arranging and learn the musical terminology needed to communicate with fellow musicians. From composers such as George and Ira Gershwin to Cole Porter to Rodgers and Hart, we will journey together through the decades of musical genius!
Choose either morning or evening sessions.
Instructor: Rachael Doudrick
Tuesdays | 10:30 – 11:30 am
This course is for beginners, or those who want to refresh their knowledge. You will learn to read musical notation for rhythm and melody, bass and treble clef, musical symbols, and key signatures in a light-hearted, conversational class with lots of participation and engaging activities. Improve your knowledge of both the “how” and “why” of music!
Instructor: Lindsay Dodoras
Wednesdays | 10:00 – 11:30 am
The Glee Club is the perfect opportunity for you to share your voice with others! Whether you are an experienced choir member or looking to begin singing for the first time, this is your chance to explore vocal technique and music theory through quality choral repertoire. Glee Club members will learn about proper vocal health, choir etiquette, and how to read music through the study of solfeggio and ear training. The club will venture through various genres of choral repertoire including classical, contemporary, jazz, and musical theater! Come one and all to experience the happiness one gets from singing in a choir!
Instructor: Rachael Doudrick
Thursdays | 10:30 – 11:30 am
Delve into the Smithsonian World Folkways archive of recordings and videos with certified instructor, Rachael Doudrick. This 10-week tour around the globe will sample musical cultures from every inhabited continent and feature active music-making in a variety of musical styles.
Instructor: Lindsay Dodoras
Thursdays | 6:30 – 9:00 pm
Join your peers in experiencing the world of musical theater through movement, singing, and acting. All levels of experience are welcome to join! Throughout the process, participants will prepare an original play with music to perform. Those participating can be as involved as they wish or they can choose to not participate in the performance. Either way, they will be utilized throughout the rehearsal process and be learning skills and applying them during rehearsal time. They will learn how to interpret music and lyrics and how to emote their findings through voice and physicality and will gain confidence in themselves as individuals and as an ensemble.
Instructor: Sherry Luchette
Thursdays | 7:15 – 8:15 pm
In the Adult Jazz Combo you will learn to play jazz and blues standards in an ensemble setting. This includes listening to tunes and learning about melody, arrangements, chords, scales, and jazz improvisation. Participants are encouraged to bring ideas and questions to the group to create a collaborative environment.
Students are asked to bring their instruments and supplies (reeds, cords, strings, etc. with the exception of piano, drums, and amplifiers, which will be provided).
Register for the Beginner Jazz Combo here.
Instructor: Sherry Luchette
Thursdays | 12:00 – 1:00 pm
In the Adult Jazz Combo you will learn to play jazz and blues standards in an ensemble setting. This includes listening to tunes and learning about melody, arrangements, chords, scales, and jazz improvisation. Participants are encouraged to bring ideas and questions to the group to create a collaborative environment.
Students are asked to bring their instruments and supplies (reeds, cords, strings, etc. with the exception of piano, drums, and amplifiers, which will be provided).
Register for the Intermediate/Advanced Jazz Combo here.
Instructor: Adam Pettit
Wednesdays | 7:00 – 8:30 pm
This is a performance oriented ensemble for adult amateurs. The ensemble studies and performs original and arranged works for guitar orchestra, with two to four instruments per part, and is led by a conductor. Admittance is by audition.
Register here.
Instructor: Nic Gerpe
Schedule: 9 weeks (Jun 18 – August 13)
Fridays: 9:30 am – 11:30 am
Tuition: $270
Zoom link: https://bit.ly/NicGerpe
In this upcoming class, we will begin our discussion with the music of today and reflect on how we got here. We will explore the works of living composers since 1960, such as John Corigliano, George Crumb, and Kaija Saariaho, to gain an appreciation for today’s most modern music. We will also examine the lineage of today’s composers, and the earlier 20th century musical styles and aesthetics that influenced and shaped their compositions, with an emphasis on living American and local composers. We will examine the younger generation of composers like Jennifer Higdon, Nico Muhly, and Timo Andres, and see how their work has been influenced by everything from John Cage and Steve Reich to Jazz and Pop idioms. We will look at the music of composers including Arvo Pärt and Morten Lauridsen, and trace influences from Shostakovich and Schoenberg to Renaissance Polyphony and Gregorian Chant.
Register here.
About Zoom and PCM Tech Support
Zoom is an easy-to-use video conferencing platform that allows “face-to-face” meetings and classes from the comfort of your home. At PCM, we have dedicated staff members that can help you get set up for the class via phone or email. If you’d like tech support please reach out directly to Eugene Kim or Stephanie Purschell.
Instructor: Dimitris Dodoras
Schedule: 10 weeks (June 26 – August 28)
Fridays: 9:30 – 11:00 am
Tuition: $225
Zoom link: https://bit.ly/DimitrisDodoras
A class exploring well-known film composers from the late 20th century to the present, and the stylistic elements that distinguish them from one another. The course will cover composers such as Thomas Newman, Alan Silvestri, Rachel Portman, James Newton Howard, James Horner, and, this years Academy Award winner, Hildur Guðnadóttir.
Register here.
About Zoom and PCM Tech Support
Zoom is an easy-to-use video conferencing platform that allows “face-to-face” meetings and classes from the comfort of your home. At PCM, we have dedicated staff members that can help you get set up for the class via phone or email. If you’d like tech support please reach out directly to Eugene Kim or Stephanie Purschell.
Instructor: Dr. Ray Briggs
Schedule: 10 weeks (June 25 – August 27)
Thursdays: 1:00 – 3:00 p.m.
Tuition: $300
Zoom link: https://bit.ly/RayBriggs
Celebrated as a microcosm of the world, California is a place of astounding cultural diversity, nonpareil to any other region in the United States. Nowhere is this more evident than in the vast output of musical traditions. From the longstanding music of indigenous peoples, Latinx artforms, African American sacred and secular styles, to psychedelic rock and the counterculture in the sixties and hip hop in the latter twentieth century, the richness of music cultures speaks to and for the diverse population.
As the first of a two-part series, this segment will highlight the state’s noteworthy contributions in rhythm and blues, gospel, and country music.
Register here.
About Zoom and PCM Tech Support
Zoom is an easy-to-use video conferencing platform that allows “face-to-face” meetings and classes from the comfort of your home. At PCM, we have dedicated staff members that can help you get set up for the class via phone or email. If you’d like tech support please reach out directly to Eugene Kim or Stephanie Purschell.
Register here.
Instructor: Sarkis Baltaian
Schedule: 10 weeks
Tuesdays: 9:00-11:15 am
Tuition: $300
Check back soon for registration information!
This course will take a closer look at the 32 piano sonatas of Ludwig van Beethoven through analysis of the music and survey of their historical significance. The primary purpose of the course is to help understand the philosophical, spiritual, and sociological factors that motivated Beethoven in writing the sonatas. Lectures will include performance demonstrations and listening examples to some of the most noteworthy recordings of the sonatas.
Instructor: Nic Gerpe
Schedule: 10 weeks
Thursdays: 9:30 am – 11:30 am
Tuition: $300
Check back soon for registration information!
In the fall session of Dr. Nic Gerpe’s series covering the history of new music, we focus on composers from Central, Northern, and Eastern Europe. Specifically: Poland (Szymanowski, Bacewicz, and Lutoslawski); Hungary (Bartok, Kodaly, and Ligeti); Czechoslovakia (Janacek); and Finland (Sibelius, Rautavaara, and Saariaho).
Instructor: Dimitris Dodoras
Fridays: 9:30 – 11:00 am
Check back soon for registration information!
A class exploring well-known film composers from the late 20th century to the present, and the stylistic elements that distinguish them from one another. The course will cover composers such as Howard Shore, John Barry, Bruce Broughton and David Newman.
Instructor: Dr. Ray Briggs
Schedule: 10 weeks
Fridays: 1:00 – 3:00 p.m.
Tuition: $300
Check back soon for registration information!
Celebrated as a microcosm of the world, California is a place of astounding cultural diversity, nonpareil to any other region in the United States. Nowhere is this more evident than in the vast output of musical traditions. From the longstanding music of indigenous peoples, Latinx artforms, African American sacred and secular styles, to psychedelic rock and the counterculture in the sixties and hip hop in the latter twentieth century, the richness of music cultures speaks to and for the diverse population.
Register here.
About Zoom and PCM Tech Support
Zoom is an easy-to-use video conferencing platform that allows “face-to-face” meetings and classes from the comfort of your home. At PCM, we have dedicated staff members that can help you get set up for the class via phone or email. If you’d like tech support please reach out directly to Eugene Kim or Stephanie Purschell.
About Zoom and PCM Tech Support
Zoom is an easy-to-use video conferencing platform that allows “face-to-face” meetings and classes from the comfort of your home. At PCM, we have dedicated staff members that can help you get set up for the class via phone or email. If you’d like tech support please reach out directly to Eugene Kim or Stephanie Purschell.
Student Voices
Julia Langer
When I retired, I moved to Pasadena and my son said, “Mom, if you would learn to play the cello, we could have a string quartet!” My three granddaughters were taking violin and viola lessons at PCM, so I was already impressed with the quality of PCM’s programming and instructors. In December 2012, I began cello lessons. While studying music has its own intrinsic rewards, my cello studies have opened up a whole new arena of student experiences to share with my granddaughters. I strive to be a good “music student” model for them; and they, in turn, become my teachers from time to time. I have also discovered that one is never too old to begin a completely new challenge.
Ralph Miles
I think PCM is an organization that Pasadena needs. It makes a difference. I love my weekly piano lessons and want to help make sure the Conservatory can serve our community well into the future.
Eric Chadwick
Cello has been the next chapter of music for me, having focused mostly on vocal studies in my high school and college years. While I decided to learn cello for my own development and enjoyment, the highlight has been sharing in my son’s journey in learning the cello at the same time. He has studied from a young age, but now we often practice and learn together. We have both advanced to the point where we can enjoy cello duets and trios with our instructor, in addition to our solo repertoire.