PACO Academy Course Catalog & Season Info
Fall Term: Sept 14 – Nov 22, 2020
Welcome to our brand new PACO Academy!
We have created eight exciting classes to deepen your understanding, appreciation, and enjoyment of classical music. Each class is designed to be as interactive as possible, with lots of student collaboration and break-out projects to keep everyone engaged.
ACADEMY TERMS:Sept 14 – Nov 22
Dec 1 – Feb 21 (no classes Dec 21 – Jan 4)
(if necessary) Mar 9 – May 23 (no classes Apr 3 – Apr 9)
The PACO Academy will run for two or three 10-week terms (depending on when in-person rehearsals begin again) with a chance to change classes every term. All classes, except for Michael Gilbertson’s Composing for Strings class, will last for one 10-week term.
For the purposes of our Academy courses, we have divided PACO into two: Upper Level is for students in our Debut, Sinfonia, and Senior PACO orchestras. Lower Level is for students in our SuperStrings and Preparatory orchestras. Some courses are designed for everyone!
Each PACO student will be required to sign up for one Academy class. Depending on class size and interest, you may be able to join a second class as either an active participant or as an auditor.
After you have read our course offerings, please choose three classes that match your schedule and interests.
We will review everyone’s responses and do our very best to put you into a class of your choice. In any case, you will have an opportunity to choose a new class (many of these may be repeated, depending on demand) for the second term (except those in Michael Gilbertson’s composition class, who will be expected to stay for both terms ).
As with all new enterprises, there may be some bumps in the road between now and full implementation of our PACO Academy. We appreciate your patience and support as we endeavor to create the best possible experiences for all our PACO students.
Additional information about our upcoming season
The PACO Academy is one of three activities available to PACO students this season. The second is a regular weekly online session for each orchestra at their regularly scheduled time:
SuperStrings: Tuesdays from 4 – 5 (starting Sept 8)
Preparatory Orch: Thursdays from 4 – 5 (starting Sept 10)
Debut Orch: Wednesdays from 4:30 – 5:30 (starting Sept 9)
Sinfonia Orch: Wednesdays from 7 – 8 (starting Sept 9)
Senior PACO: Sundays from 5 – 6 (starting Sept 13)
These online sessions will be social as well as musical, as we get to know each other better and are able to share our interests and talents in myriad ways. Breakout rooms, group projects, listening/analysis projects and much more will keep everyone engaged and connected to our PACO community.
Our third activity will be the creation of chamber music “pods” that will rehearse in person, with either a live or remote coach – similar to our recent and very successful chamber music “camps” this summer. Sibling groups are encouraged, and we are prepared to be very flexible in assigning students from different orchestras to work together in a chamber music ensemble. The Academy class survey includes a place to indicate your interest in participating in a live chamber music group, and for your parents a chance to volunteer to host a group in their home or (weather permitting) their backyard.
Please be aware that Santa Clara County health regulations restrict students to one “live” after-school activity. If you choose to play chamber music in PACO, and we hope you do, that will be your one allowed activity.