Community Music
Music studies serve our students and community by offering college students, area high school musicians, and area community members the resources to broaden their music education.
Our Community Music program presents survey courses and performance ensembles offered in the context of a broad, liberal arts education. These classes and ensembles, such as Music Appreciation, Piano I, Guitar I, Concert Choir and Wind Symphony available to students and community members who are looking to keep music a part of their lives without seeking a music career or a four-year music school experience.
WSCC also offers performance ensembles and courses for the exceptionally driven student aspiring to continue his or her music education. Advanced level music classes, such as Music Theory II, Guitar and Piano II, the Jazz Ensemble and the Chamber Winds were developed to provide our students a bridge to the next level of advanced music studies.
High-level musicianship is a by-product of many core values taught at the college including critical thinking, leadership, accountability, integrity and professionalism. Our music faculty prides itself on meeting the needs of our students through professional mentorship and relational teaching.
Typically, music at WSCC has over 250 students enrolled in a music class or performing ensemble every semester. Our well-equipped, modern facilities are built to the highest standards in acoustics and technology. Our facilities include the 300-seat, fully equipped Center Stage Theater, including three dressing rooms, instrumental studio, vocal studio, 14-seat Digital Mac Music Lab, four Wenger practice facilities and a recording studio which houses our LAVA online radio station.
To become involved with our music program, contact Ted Malt, Professor of Music Studies at 231-843-5776 or email at tdmalt@westshore.edu.
Scholarship Information
In addition to scholarship and aid packages based upon need, Music Honors Scholarships and other talent-based scholarships ranging up to $1000 per year are awarded annually.
For more information on how to obtain a scholarship form, contact the Office of Student Services at 231-843-5510.
Ensembles
Community Choir
The WSCC Community Choir has continued to please vocal music lovers all across our area. The choir is comprised of area community members, college students and area high school students.
The college is very fortunate to have such talented directors leading this ensemble. Rebecca Sopha and Lew Wilson bring years of experience and musical talent, which results in high-level performances year after year.
If you are interested in joining the Community Choir, contact Becky Sopha at rosopha@westshore.edu. There are no auditions for this group and anyone with previous vocal experience is welcome.
The choir rehearses the fall and winter semesters on Tuesday nights at 7 p.m. in the vocal studio in the Arts and Sciences Center.
Jazz Ensemble
The WSCC Jazz Ensemble is a group of dedicated musicians who continuously uphold the highest musical standards, which enable us to speak the language of jazz. It is our goal to outline the traditional process, which makes up jazz performance, through the study of influential artists and composers.
The group consists of advanced, high school and college musicians collaborating with area professional musicians.
The Jazz Ensemble meets two hours, once per week during the fall and winter semesters. The group performs two concerts per year in conjunction with the Percussion Ensemble and will play special functions in our area promoting the arts at WSCC.
Percussion Ensemble
The WSCC Percussion Ensemble is a group musicians dedicated to pushing the limits of percussive arts involving elements of lighting, theater and dance. Students from various musical backgrounds join this class to get an experience with percussion based literature and percussion instruments.
Any student interested in this ensemble must play a brief audition. The ensemble can be broken down into smaller parts to cover more advanced and rudimental percussion literature if advanced percussion personnel are enrolled.
This ensemble meets once per week for two hours during the fall and winter semesters and performs two concerts per year in conjunction with the Jazz Ensemble.
Wind Ensemble
The West Shore Community College Wind Symphony and Chamber Winds are two ensembles of dedicated musicians. With the diverse make-up of both ensembles, musicians become ambassadors of fine arts and cultural awareness throughout western Michigan.
The Wind Symphony and Chamber Winds are made up of talented community musicians of all ages, hard-working student musicians, and excited high school musicians aspiring to bring their musicianship to the next level. The Chamber Winds is a smaller performing group made up of auditioned or appointed musicians from the Wind Symphony.
All musicians in these ensembles strive to represent a high level of integrity and musicianship synonymous to the high standards of excellence, which the College is proud to uphold. The Wind Symphony is comprised of over 90 active musicians and the Chamber Winds is a group of 35-40 musicians, who both perform one concert per semester.