World Music Ensembles and Small Ensemble
Small ensembles at CSUN allow students to work in an intensive atmosphere with faculty. All small ensembles culminate with a performance during the semester. Consultation with the coordinator of the ensemble, your applied instructor and your faculty advisor is necessary before joining an ensemble.
The CSUN African Music Ensemble is designed for both music majors and non-music majors with no previous experience. In the ensemble, we play music from the Shona people of Zimbabwe and the Ewe people of Ghana. Most of this music is centuries-old and has been passed down by oral tradition from generation to generation.
The instruments used in this ensemble consist of Shona-style marimbas from Zimbabwe and traditional Ewe drums from Ghana. The marimbas play music that is based on the Shona mbira dzavadzimu, a hand-held instrument with 22-28 metal keys. Mbira music is used for calling ancestral spirits and dance. The Ewe people use drums for celebrations, important functions, and dance.
The CSUN Taiko Ensemble is designed for both music majors and non-music majors with no previous experience. In the ensemble, students learn about KumiDaiko style of ensemble percussion on Japanese Drums. Students who take the class for the first explore about the roots of the music dating from it's ancient history in Japan to it's more recent history here in the United States, as well as learning basic playing techniques and beginning songs by prominent artists. Returning students learn a wider variety of playing styles and and songs, including motions and dance as well as the full range of drums and other percussion instruments used in the ensemble. Both beginning and advanced classes train weekly to perform at a final concert on Campus.
Chamber Music | Piano
The Chamber Music class provides an opportunity for piano majors to learn, rehearse and perform the literature written for piano and strings, such as sonatas, trios, and quartets, aswell as for pianos and winds or mixed groups. The class meets two hours per week, is open to all piano majors, and fulfills an ensemble requirement.
Chamber Music | Strings
The Chamber Music class provides an opportunity for string majors to learn, rehearse and perform the literature written for piano and strings, such as sonatas, trios, and quartets, as well as for pianos, strings, winds or mixed groups. The class meets two hours per week, is open to all string majors, and fulfills an ensemble requirement.
Chamber Music | Winds
The Winds Chamber Music course is offered each semester and consists of various small wind groups forming, rehearsing literature and performing in a concert at the end of the semester. Brass quintets, woodwind quintets, flute duets, flute-clarinet duets, oboe duets, flute-marimba duets, trumpet trios, flute choir, clarinet trios, flute trios, saxophone duets, tuba quartets, flute-oboe-piano trios and French horn-flute duets are examples of the great variety of participating groups.
Each section of the ensemble knows as Discovery Players specializes in different repertoire. One section is large conducted ensemble of classical guitar and addition instruments specializing in repertoire in various styles. Another section is dedicated to the performance of commercial music. Additional sections are added on occasion to accommodate the needs of the ever evolving music curriculum.
The Percussion Ensemble is a course designed for percussion majors but is open to non-majors as well. The group performs a wide variety of works written expressly for the medium as well as arrangements/transcripts originally written for other types of performing ensembles. Works for mallet instruments, idiophones and selections which mix the two are engaged with equal enthusiasm by this eclectic group which perhaps possesses a wider array of musical sounds than is available in any other musical medium.
Piano Ensemble is a class for advanced pianists in which they are placed in pairs for the duration of the semester. These partners then study and perform works from the vast array of music written originally for two pianists at either one piano (duet) or two pians (dou). It is during the regular coaching sessions of each duet and duo that the following areas are explored: rehearsal techniques, stylistic awareness, and performance participation. Each semester culminates in a public recital.
The California State University Northridge Steel Drum Ensemble, under the direction of "Gee" Rabe, is currently a 13-piece group, consisting of entirely steel drums and drumset. The group performs many styles of music, including calypso, reggae, Latin, and classical. During the first class meeting, the students lean about the history and facts about the steel drum. After the introduction, the students learn their instruments rapidly by practicing scales and sightreading. They will learn easier songs at first and then progress to more difficult ones. They also have opportunities to learn improvisation and arrange music for steel band. The group performs in concert at least once a semester and is open to all majors and anyone in the community who would like to take the course. French horn-flute duets are examples of the great variety of participating groups.
Mariachi Ensemble is a group of musicians that typically play ranchera, the regional music of Mexico dating back to at least the 18th century, evolving over time in the countryside of various regions of western Mexico. The CSUN Mariachi Ensemble is one of the newest of the world music ensembles at CSUN.