Community Music Program
A cooperative effort between West Chester University and West Chester Area School District providing music lessons to students 10 or over. Interested parties may contact Dr. Henry Grabb, Program Coordinator via email (HGrabb@wcupa.edu). If you are unable to communicate via email, please call Dr. Grabb's office at (610) 436-2224. If there is no answer, you may leave a message for him through the main music office number (610) 430-4177.
SUMMER CAMPS
We are pleased to announce our 2025 WCU Summer Music Camps. All 2025 summer camp registrations will take place online – please visit each camp’s webpage (via the drop-down tabs below) for more specific registration details. We expect our online registration to open after the new year.
Please check out our summer camp options below!
WCU Elementary School and Middle School Summer Music Camps
Monday, June 23, 2025 – Friday, June 27, 2025; 9am to 12pm daily
Tentative Finale Concert: Friday, June 27, 2025; 12:30pm
For elementary students currently in grades 3, 4, and 5 and middle school students currently in grades 6, 7, and 8 (2024 - 2025 School Year)
Click Posters to View, Download, and Share!
The Elementary School Summer Music Camp and The Middle School Summer Music Camp offer large ensemble and small ensemble performance opportunities for band and orchestra students. Students will receive instruction from some of the region's finest educators and performers. Daily faculty recitals allow students to see professional musicians perform in an informative and engaging setting.
WCU High School Summer Music Institute
Monday, July 7, 2025 – Saturday, July 12, 2025
Tentative Finale Concert: Saturday, July 12, 2025; 5:15pm
For students currently in grades 9 through 12 (2024 - 2025 School Year)
High School Summer Music Institute and Summer Jazz Camp Flyer
The High School Summer Music Institute is for students currently (2024-2025) in grades 9 through 12. Every student receives two 30-minute private lessons on their primary instrument or voice. Students will perform in a variety of ensembles, including wind ensemble, string orchestra, vocal ensemble, and various chamber ensembles. Students will also participate in music theory classes and sectional rehearsals/masterclasses. The Institute’s faculty consists primarily of WCU Wells School of Music professors, all of whom are active performing artists in the Philadelphia region.
Summer Jazz Camp
Sunday, July 13, 2025 – Friday, July 18, 2025
Tentative Finale Concert: Friday, July 18, 2025; 1:00pm or 3:30pm
For advanced middle school students and all high school students (2024 - 2025 School Year)
The Summer Jazz Camp is designed for advanced middle school and all high school students. Participants will explore jazz improvisation, arranging, orchestration, jazz history, and performance techniques. Visiting artists as well as the WCU faculty will perform and conduct masterclasses on various subjects. All participants will need to have a knowledge of scales, be able to read music, transpose, and be proficient on an instrument.
Summer Leadership and Marching Band Camp
July 20 – July 21, 2024 (Vivace Marching Band Leadership Training) / July 22 – July 25, 2024 (INCOMPARABLE Marching Band Workshop)
- Vivace Marching Band Leadership Training Weekend (July 20-21)
- Dr. Tim Lautzenheiser (Attitude Concepts), Bobby Lambert (Wando HS, Dynamic Marching), Dr. Adam Gumble (West Chester University, Vivace Director of Education), Len Lavelle (North Hills HS, SLAM!), and Dr. John Villella (Vivace Productions President) lead this two-day workshop designed to unlock students' full potential as performers AND people!
- INCOMPARABLE Marching Band Workshop (July 22-25)
- Why settle for the ordinary when you can strive to be INCOMPARABLE? Educational tracks for Drum Majors, Winds, Battery Percussion, Front Ensemble, and Color Guard are led by our team of world-class educators in this immersive four-day workshop that invites high school marching band participants at all experience levels to "level-up" their leadership!
Director and Staff Sessions:
- Vivace Marching Arts Education Summit (July 22-25)
- We are excited to welcome back marching arts educators to our professional development sessions, July 22-25, 2024, at West Chester University (in conjunction with the INCOMPARABLE Marching Arts Workshop). Educators from all backgrounds and levels of experience are invited to join us to work with a host of nationally renowned clinicians (Jay Bocook, Alfred Watkins, Rosie Queen, Bobby Lambert, the INCOMPARABLE Golden Rams Marching Band Education Team, and many more!) to take their programs to the next level!
For further information, visit VivaceProductions.com.
COMMUNITY KEYBOARD PERFORMING COMPETITIONS
The West Chester University Wells School of Music offers two keyboard performing competitions to encourage and celebrate excellence in piano and organ performance.
Pre-Collegiate Piano Competition
The West Chester University Annual Pre-Collegiate National Piano Competition, now it its 35th year, strives to provide students ages 9-18 with performing opportunities and raise the standard of excellence of young pianists. This is a national competition with no geographic restrictions. There are three age groups with up to five cash prizes awarded in each group. Information regarding repertoire requirements, competition guidelines, awards, and how to apply is found below.
This year, our competition will take place over one weekend; the competition will take place on Saturday, May 17, 2025 and the award ceremony with the winners' recital on Sunday, May 18, 2025 in Swope Music Building on our beautiful West Chester University Campus.
A Recital & Awards Presentation will be held on Sunday, May 18, 2025 from 3:00 pm - 4:30 pm in the Ware Family Recital Hall. The recital will include performances by the first, second, and third place winner in each group and must be attended by all Honorable Mention winners. Absences in either category will result in cancellation of the award.
Preceding the Recital will be a Masterclass in Ware Family Recital Hall from 12:30 pm - 2:30 pm. The Masterclass will be conducted by our esteemed Wells School of Music Assistant Professor of Piano, Dr. Igor Resnianski. Both Masterclass and Winners' Recital are open to the public on Sunday, May 18th.
Repertoire Requirements
- Two pieces from the standard solo literature (Baroque, Classical, Romantic, 20th or 21st Century)
- The two pieces must be from different periods and contrasting in style. A single movement from a sonata or a suite is acceptable.
- Beginner level pieces, arrangements of pop songs and piano duets, and simplified arrangements of classical compositions will NOT be acceptable
- Transcriptions composed by known classical composers from the four periods listed above are acceptable.
- Pieces requiring anything to be put inside the piano or on the strings are not acceptable.
- In the 16 -18 age group, a third piece may be added to meet the minimum 20 minute playing time. A third piece must follow the guidelines in 1 - 5 above.
| Age | 16-18 | 13-15 | 9-12 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Time Requirement | Minimum 20 Minutes Maximum 30 Minutes |
Maximum 17 minutes | Maximum 12 minutes |
Students are advised that the judges may stop anyone who exceeds the maximum playing time, and may stop any student whose skill level is sufficiently demonstrated before the conclusion of a piece.
Competition time assignments will be sent to all applicants the week of April 7, 2025.
Competition Guidelines
- A $100 non-refundable entry fee is required
- Music must be performed from memory
- 1st Prize Winners from the previous years may compete only in the next older age group.
- Previous entrants may reapply, but not with the same pieces
- No audition recordings required
- Applicants must supply one publisher’s copy of each of their pieces for the judges
- No photocopies allowed for the judges
- Applicants must be within the given age ranges as of May 17, 2025, and may not be in college
Awards
16-18 Years Old
- 1st Place - $2,000
- 2nd Place - $700
- 3rd Place - $300
- Honorable Mention - $100
13-15 Years Old
- 1st Place - $1,000
- 2nd Place - $350
- 3rd Place - $200
- Honorable Mention - $75
9-12 Years Old
- 1st Place - $500
- 2nd Place - $250
- 3rd Place - $150
- Honorable Mention - $50
*Up to two Honorable Mention Awards in each age group will be given at the discretion of the judges
2024 Pre-Collegiate Piano Competition Award Winners
16-18 Years Old
- 1st Place: Yinghan Wang
- 2nd Place: Ben Sessions
- 3rd Place: Byron Dissinger
- Honorable Mention 1: Ryan Zhang
- Honorable Mention 2: Victor Peng
13-15 Years Old
- 1st Place: Roy Hur
- 2nd Place: Conan Yang
- 3rd Place: Alexander Yu
- Honorable Mention 1: Jaden Liu
- Honorable Mention 2: Vincent Gao
9-12 Years Old
- 1st Place: Aavi Sircar
- 2nd Place: Grace Hwang
- 3rd Place: Gabriel Darragjati
- Honorable Mention 1: George Zhang
- Honorable Mention 2: Terrance Lin
How to Apply
Register online and pay with a credit card (Registration closes on March 24, 2025 at midnight).
For additional information regarding registration or competition guidelines, please contact Joan Stalford, Competition Operations Manager, at pianocompetition@wcupa.edu | 610-436-2921
For further information about competition repertoire, please email the Director of
the Competition, Dr. Igor Resnianski, Assistant Professor of Piano.
WCU HIGH SCHOOL HONORS PERCUSSION ENSEMBLE
The WCU High School Honors Percussion Ensemble (HSHPE) is a select ensemble comprised of some of the Greater Philadelphia region’s finest high school percussionists. Auditions will be held Sunday, January 12, 2025, and rehearsals take place on Sundays (2pm-3:30pm) from January 19 – April 13, 2025. The HSHPE performs on the WCU Percussion Ensemble’s spring concert on April 15, 2025 and additional performance opportunities (e.g., the Percussive Arts Society Pennsylvania Day of Percussion) will be considered. Dr. Ralph Sorrentino serves as the HSHPE’s artistic director, and Professor Brent Behrenshausen conducts the ensemble.
Application (must be received by January 8, 2025)
For further information, email Ralph Sorrentino.
ALUMNI NEWS
If you graduated from one of the programs in the School of Music at WCU, we would love to hear what you are doing! Use our online form to update your alumni information.
ALUMNI BANDS
For our alumni the camaraderie and standing ovations live on in the Alumni Criterions Jazz Ensemble and the Alumni Marching Band. We are proud to be associated with their strong tradition of outstanding musicianship. We appreciate their ties and support - and look forward to their next performance!
To join, connect with, or attend a performance of the Alumni Marching Band, please visit the WCU Alumni Bands website.
To join, connect with, or learn more about the Alumni Criterions Jazz Ensemble, please visit the WCU Criterions Reunion Facebook group.