June 21-25, 2021
These programs will be offered virtually; UT Austin is not permitting in-person camps for the summer of 2021.
Each seminar is taught by a Butler School of Music faculty member on a topic particular to their expertise. Seminars are scheduled so that students may participate in as many as they would like! Purchasing access to a course includes the ability to access a recording of the course content for up to one month following the course’s conclusion.
- Purchase a single class: $30
- Purchase a three-pack of classes: $75
- Purchase a five-pack of classes: $100 (additional classes beyond five are available at $20/session)
Additional seminars are currently under development and will be added to this page soon. Check back over the next few weeks to see what’s new!
Three-Course Seminars
Will meet one hour per day for three days. Requires purchase of a minimum of a three-course package, or can be selected as part of a larger five-course package.
Musicianship
“If your brain learns like this, why do you practice like that?”
Instructor: Dr. Bob Duke, Professor and Head of Music and Human Learning
Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday 11:15 AM – 12:10 PM. Most of music learning takes place during individual practice. Unfortunately, very few young musicians have had the opportunity to see what experts do when they practice on their own. Even fewer know about how the brain forms and stores memories during individual practice. In these sessions, students will observe faculty artists’ practice and develop intelligent practice skills of their own that will increase the efficiency of practice and also make practice a more enjoyable and rewarding experience.
Musicianship
Conversations with the Masters
Enrollment Limited to Instrumental All-State Musicians (TMEA, ATSSB, or Other States)
Instructor: Prof. Jerry Junkin, Director of Bands
Wednesday, Thursday, Friday 1:45 – 2:40 PM. This special series is provided for instrumental musicians selected for Texas All-State ensembles in 2020 or 2021, or equivalent honor ensembles in other states. Professor Jerry Junkin leads and moderates conversations with some of the greatest musicians of our time in a discussion/Q&A setting. Special guests to be announced!
Two-Course Seminars
Will meet one hour per day for two days. Requires purchase of two courses, or can be selected as a part of a larger three- or five-course package.
Jazz
Now Hear This: Listening to Jazz Like a Professional
Instructor: Prof. Jeff Hellmer, Director of Jazz Studies
Monday, Tuesday 12:30 – 1:25 PM. Enhance your enjoyment and appreciation of jazz through listening to and learning about great jazz recordings. Prof. Hellmer walks you through how to listen and understand the unique qualities of this American artistic genre and discusses the recorded work of some of the most impactful and influential jazz artists.
Jazz
Now Play This: The Art of Jazz Improvisation
Instructor: Dr. Mike Sailors, Lecturer in Jazz Trumpet
Wednesday, Thursday 12:30 – 1:25 PM. Develop your improvisation skills by learning about strategies used by jazz artists. Bring your instrument to class to play along with Dr. Sailors (students will not be required to play individually over Zoom), and learn to implement some of the processes used by professional jazz artists.
Composition
The Complete Composer/Arranger: The Basics of Composing and Scoring
Instructor: Dr. Donald Grantham, Professor of Composition
Monday, Tuesday 1:45 – 2:40 PM. Award-winning composer and professor Dr. Donald Grantham leads a two-part masterclass on how to get started and grow your skills as an arranger or composer. Prof. Grantham will walk you through an introductory process of creating, developing and scoring, using his own catalog of works and they works of others to provide examples and context.
Individual Seminars
Will meet one hour, one time only. Courses can be purchased individually, or can be selected as a part of a larger three- or five-course package.
Mindfulness
Mindfully Musical: Looking IN While Performing OUT
Instructor: Nathan Langfitt, Director of Career Services, UT College of Fine Arts
Monday 4:05 – 5:00 PM.In this workshop, students will learn how to care for themselves in the practice room and while preparing to perform. Students will discuss self-care, mindfulness, and building healthy practice habits that care for our minds as much as our musical goals. Nathan Langfitt is a licensed professional counselor and the director of career services for the College of Fine Arts at the University of Texas at Austin. He is also a working musician and a former middle school band director.
Music Theory
Video Game Music Theory
Instructor: Dr. Julianne Grasso, Visiting Assistant Professor of Music Theory
Wednesday 2:55 – 3:50 PM. From Mario to Minecraft, Final Fantasy to Fez, Castlevania to Crypt of the Necrodancer, video games of all genres have long been a source of well-loved soundtracks. What is it about this music that is so effective in these playful, interactive worlds? In this session, we’ll explore how musicians and scholars have tried to answer this question using music theory, analysis, and psychology.
Conducting – Instrumental
Keeping Score: How to Read Like a Conductor
Instructor: Dr. Cliff Croomes, Associate Director of Bands
Thursday 11:15 – 12:10 PM. Being a conductor starts with an in-depth understanding of the musical score, and a thoughtful interpretation of the composer’s intentions. Dr. Hanna walks you through how to begin reading and extracting musical information from a score in the very first step towards preparing to become a conductor.
Technology
Mastering the Art of Recording
Instructor: Prof. Joshua Gall, Director of Longhorn Pep Band, Associate Director of Longhorn Band
Tuesday 4:05 – 5:00 PM. Audio and video recording from home (or somewhere other than school) has never been as important as it is now. In this session, students will learn key components to successfully capturing and producing high-quality audio and video recordings on their own with minimal equipment and software.
Music Theory
Sampling the Masters: Exploring Expressivity in Music
Instructor: Dr. Robert Hatten, Professor of Music Theory
Tuesday 2:55 – 3:00 PM. Composers have many resources to enhance the expressivity that naturally emerges from melody, harmony, dynamics, orchestration, and the like. Another means that composers have explored is importing types of music that are already familiar (like “sampling” in our time). A composer can very quickly orient a listener to a general “ballpark” of expressive meaning (e.g., comic vs. tragic) while also inheriting a greater depth of meaning that would take much longer to “earn” through the development from more basic musical elements. We will look at examples of this in works by Mozart and Beethoven, and then apply the concept to a more modern piece as well.
Conducting – Instrumental
Introduction to Instrumental Conducting
Instructor: Dr. Cliff Croomes, Associate Director of Bands
Friday 11:15 AM – 12:10 PM. Conductors have a responsibility to provide clear, elegant, and efficient communication with their ensemble to effectively guide a musical performance. Dr. Hanna helps you explore the basics of movement and conducting through basic exercises designed to begin connect individual musicianship with gesture.
Jazz
Jazz Drumset Fundamentals
Instructor: Wayne Salzmann II, Specialist in Jazz Drum Set
Friday 12:30 – 1:25 PM. A crash course on coordination, timekeeping, comping, and improvisation from behind the drums. This seminar will discuss drumset styles and techniques, understanding the role of the drummer, and evolution of the instrument throughout the history of jazz.
Music Theory
Playing with Popular Music in Brazil: Heitor Villa-Lobos and the Music of Choro
Instructor: Dr. Chelsea Burns, Assistant Professor of Music Theory
Monday 2:55 – 3:50 PM. What did Rio de Janeiro sound like in the 1920s, and how did popular music find its way into the scores of composer Heitor Villa-Lobos? We’ll get to know the sound of choro from Brazil—a music that has some similarities to early jazz and samba—and we’ll look at how it connects to Villa-Lobos’s choro works.
FREE Included Seminars
No additional cost to purchase access to these sessions! Included with any other purchase of one or more seminars.
College & Career
Navigating the Admission and Audition Process: Majoring in Music at UT Austin
Instructor: Sarah Borshard, Assistant Director for Admissions
Wednesday 4:05 – 5:00 PM. Ms. Borshard leads a session detailing the process for applying and audition to the Butler School of Music at UT Austin. Opportunity for Q&A will be made available, and parents are encouraged to join their students for this session!
College & Career
March LHB: How to Become a Member of the Showband of the Southwest
Instructors: Dr. Scott Hanna, Prof. Joshua Gall, Dr. Tiffany Galus, Longhorn Band Directors
Thursday 4:05 – 5:00 PM. The directors of the Longhorn Band walk you through the audition process to become a member of one of the world’s greatest college marching bands. Find out what it takes to become a member of the Showband of the Southwest, and learn more about what it’s like to be a part of the largest student spirit organization on the UT campus.