smallest hero image
    DepartmentsMusicStudent Ensembles

Student Ensembles

Student Ensembles

The Music Department welcomes students from all majors to participate in our ensemble and applied music programs. Unless otherwise indicated, students should be able to perform at the intermediate level, preferably advanced. Some courses times are set, others are TBA. Interested students may be enrolled directly into the following ensembles. Courses designated TBA will set a mutually convenient time after conferring with all enrolled students. Ensembles receive 1 academic credit.

Washington College Symphonic Band

Instructor: Keith Wharton MUS 277 Time: Tuesdays 6:30-8:30 (Fall 2018)

This course is appropriate for the following instruments: flute, oboe, clarinet, bassoon, saxophone, trumpet, horn, trombone, euphonium, baritone, tuba, and percussion. Students should have played in concert band, jazz band, or in the brass, woodwind, or percussion sections of a full orchestra in high school.

Washington College Chorus

Instructor: Ernest Green MUS 283 Time: Monday 4:00-5:30 pm (Fall 2018)

The chorus is open to all Washington College students, and focuses on a mixture of classic choral repertoire, opera and operetta choruses, Broadway, pop, and World Music. Music reading ability is not required

Washington College Chamber Singers

Instructor: MUS 479 Time:

The Vocal Consort is an auditioned ensemble, focusing on on Grade V and VI collegiate/professional repertoire including styles ranging from Renaissance to Modern.

Washington College Jazz Ensemble

Instructor: John Thomas MUS 281 Time:  Fridays 3:00-4:45 pm 

This course is appropriate for the following instruments: saxophone, trumpet, trombone, piano, guitar, bass, and drum set. Students should have played in concert band or jazz band in high school.

Washington College Jazz Combo

Instructor: Joe Holt MUS 475 Time:  Tuesdays and Thursdays 10:00-11:15 am

This course is appropriate for students interested in playing in a small, 4-6 piece jazz combo setting. The Washington College Jazz Combo allows advanced jazz students to perform various styles of jazz literature, including standards, original compositions and arrangements. Ample opportunity is given for improvisation. The Combo presents programs each semester and performs at various College functions throughout the year.

Washington College Early Music Consort

Instructor: Jon Kenzen (研禅) McCollum, Ph.D. MUS 285 Time: TBA

This course is appropriate for any student interested in learning the music/repertoire of the medieval period. Various early instruments including: wood recorders (soprano, alto, tenor, and bass), sackbuts, crumhorns, shawms, and percussion are lent to students to learn and perform. The instructor provides instruction on these instruments. Students should be able to read music notation.

Woodwind Chamber Ensembles

Instructor: John Thomas MUS 487

This course is appropriate for students wishing to perform in small ensembles. Students should play one of the following instruments: flute, oboe, clarinet, bassoon, horn, and saxophone.

Brass Chamber Ensembles

Instructor: David DeArmond MUS 487 Time: Wednesday 4:00-5:30 pm 

This course is appropriate for students wishing to perform in small ensembles. Students should play one of the following instruments: trumpet, horn, trombone, euphonium, baritone, and tuba.

Washington College Saxophone Chamber Ensemble

Instructor: John Thomas MUS 487 Time: TBA

This ensemble performs saxophone quartet literature drawn from classical, jazz and popular repertoire.

Washington College String Ensemble

Instructor: Kimberly McCollum MUS 291 Time: Tuesdays 7:00-8:30 pm 

The String Ensemble studies and performs orchestral music from various musical periods. This course is appropriate for the following instruments: violin, viola, cello, and bass.

Washington College Afro-Cuban Ensembles

Instructor: Kenneth Schweitzer MUS 289 Time: Tuesdays 4:00-5:00 pm - Afro Cuban Song            Tuesdays 5:15-6:15 pm - Afro Cuban Drum

The ensemble focuses primarily on the Cuban drum and song traditions associated with rumba and Santeria. Musical literacy is not a requirement; instead, rhythms and melodies will be transmitted via the oral traditions that are prevalent in Cuba. Membership is open to all students.

Washington College Japanese Music Ensemble

Instructor: Jon Kenzen (研禅) McCollum, Ph.D. MUS 279 Time: 

By the Edo period (1603-1868), three instruments had emerged from various directions to become popular among the Japanese people. The koto, a 13-string zither, the shamisen, a 3-string banjo-like instrument, and the shakuhachi, a Zen Buddhist bamboo flute. In this new ensemble, students will be introduced to these instruments, have the opportunity to research, write about, and learn how to perform on an instrument of the student’s choice. Students will also learn the unique notation systems of each instrument, as well as gain a deep understanding of Japanese traditional arts in relation to the social, ideological, and cultural development of Japanese traditional aesthetics.

Washington College Steel Pan Ensemble, “Steel Revolution”

Instructor: John Leupold MUS 278 Time: Wednesdays 4:00-5:30 pm

The Washington College Steel Band (Steel Revolution) offers students an opportunity to explore the Trinidadian steel band tradition, as well as classical and popular arrangements and transcriptions. Students learn to perform on steel band instruments and study the social, historical, and cultural context of the ensemble. Readings, recordings, and video viewings supplement in-class instruction. The ensemble will present public performances.