Pop Music Ensemble, a new class in the Bower School of Music, aims to encourage students to explore, rehearse and perform popular music through group practice.
Dr. Thomas Cimarusti has been a faculty member at FGCU for 10 years, teaching Music Appreciation and Music History. His curriculum spans multiple time periods, from antiquity to the 20th century, with a specialization in 19th-century Italian music. He also lectures around the Naples community.
Before coming to Florida, he previously taught at Texas Tech University and started a world music program. Later in his time at Texas Tech, he started running pop music ensembles. The program was popular and brought in students from all talent levels.
“We had a lot of student interest there, and I don’t know if it was so much that the class was successful. This is something that students wanted to do,” said Cimarusti. “It’s like we’re doing a pop music ensemble. Let’s perform the music that you want to play, and we’re going to put you in the in the recital hall, and we’re going to get you a sound engineer, and we’re going to put mics on you, and it’s going to be all live, and we’re going to recreate your favorite song, right?”
After coming to FGCU, he wanted to implement the class at the Bower School of Music & the Arts because he noticed that the university did not have an existing program. However, without a way to reach out, it was difficult for Cimarusti to inform people about the class.
“When I got here about 10 years ago, it really was hard to get off the ground, and I was new, so I didn’t spend a lot of effort trying to put it together, but now I’m trying to make it happen,” Cimarusti said. “It’s still very difficult because I don’t have a good venue for reaching out to the students. Like reaching the entire student body and saying, ‘Hey, this is a class for anybody who wants to come and perform and play pop music.’”
Although the class is currently new and small, students taking it enjoy the concept.
“Dr. C has been very open to suggestions, which is great. You know, he’s given us a lot of flexibility to give opinions to what we might be able to play or not play in this ensemble,” said Maritza Cedeño, a junior majoring in music therapy. “I think the idea of creating music that is outside the classical music spectrum, which is our requirement here, as music majors, was very appealing,” she said.
Another student, freshman Sierra Cabrera, wanted to take this class to improve both her leadership skills and her proficiency on drums.
“I started learning in high school because I just had so much energy I needed to funnel it somewhere. So I was like, ‘What could I do?’ And drumming came to mind, because you’re just banging on every single piece,” Cabrera said.
The class plans to have a concert showcasing the work that they’ve done either at the end of the fall semester, or at the beginning of spring.
Students interested in the class can register for the spring semester when registration opens later this fall by emailing Cimarusti at [email protected], looking up MUN3463 in Gulfline or by using the course registration number 87356.
