Welcome to the CIM Ensemble Program!
Irish music is social music, music to be shared among friends!
We offer a number of mixed instrument ensembles for youth and adult students. Our ensembles have proven to be some of our most popular classes in recent years!
Once you have reached a basic level of proficiency on your instrument, an ensemble can be a great way to take your music to the next level. If you can play 10 tunes or more at a reasonable speed with precision and great rhythm, you are ready to try ensemble playing! Contact us today to see what might be a good fit for your child.
Benefits of Ensemble
- More time on your instrument! You will play more every week, increasing your practice time and facility on your instrument.
- More tunes! You'll learn more repertoire, and possibly a more varied repertoire than you might develop with private lessons alone.
- More fun! You'll meet like-minded musicians who share a passion for Irish music.
- More challenges! Playing in an ensemble context brings with it musical challenges such as playing together with others with good rhythm (groove), intonation, and drive.
- Performances! Our ensembles perform in public throughout the year once they have a core repertoire of 30 minutes of music.
Private Lesson Requirement for Ensemble Members
To participate in an ensemble, musicians are required to take weekly private lessons from a CIM instructor on their principal ensemble instrument.
Reduced Private Lesson Rate for Ensemble Members
Ensemble members receive the ensemble-member rate on private lessons, which is equivalent to a 10% discount on lesson tuition.
Financial Aid
Financial aid is available to all CIM students and we encourage you to apply if paying for private lessons and ensembles is a significant stretch for your family’s finances. Financial aid students have attendance requirements and are not available to those who attend partial terms.