Through the innovation of the “dropover”, the JBCS creates a place where people can informally drop over with as little as a few hours’ notice to listen to, play, and compose music in the classical tradition.

The Dropovers are designed to create an indepth, lasting memory of the program.  In order to facilitate this, the performance is broken down into segments, typically six or seven; each Dropover covers one segment of the full performance.  Dropovers last between 10 and 60 minutes depending on the length of the performance segment. 

Participants are encouraged to attend enough dropovers to cover each segment multiple times: review of the segment as first presented as well as new information will be incorporated each time the Dropover segment is repeated. The first round of dropovers typically serves to introduce the music to the participants and to gather their first thoughts and impressions. Subsequent rounds of Dropovers cover the names, composers, and eras associated with the musical selections; from there, the Dropovers progress based on the participants' interests, and include topics such as the relevant rhythmic, theoretical, expressive, and historical aspects of the music.  Together, the information gleaned in the Dropovers will be used to create the participants' personalized Program Notes.

Due to the intimate nature of the Dropovers, a maximum of two participants are permitted at a Dropover.

Click here for a sample from a JBCS Dropover.

The performance is much like a traditional performance at a concert hall, with musical selections which cover a variety of styles and eras ranging from the baroque to the 21st century.  The salon setting is an intimate one: a maximum of twenty persons are permitted at one performance.

The JBCS philosophy regarding learning to understand and recognize classical music is that very little information should be given to the participants at first. The philosophy is similar to the immersion technique for learning a foreign language. For example, the participant learns what music will be performed by attending the dropovers. No program or program notes are given to Dropover participants, and each musical selection is initially designated by a code number. Removing any preconceived structure in this fashion leaves the participants free to discover the similarities and differences that define different musical structures, composers, and eras without bias.

Dropovers are limited to no more than two people at a time and are tailored to each individual's interests and background. Individuals at all levels are welcome; no prior musical knowledge is required. Prior to the first dropover, participants are asked to fill out a questionnaire describing their musical background and any special topics they would like to explore in the course of their JBCS experience.

Participants who play an instrument are invited to prepare and perform a musical selection along with the JBCS during a dropover. Regardless of their musical ability, ticket holders are encouraged to participate, for instance learning to sing a few bars of the music or reproduce the rhythms on a table top.

The performance date is chosen only after the Program Notes are complete. Note that only Dropover participants are permitted at the performance.

The JBCS is designed to be experienced as a whole, with a minimum of one or two sets of dropovers followed by a performance. A JBCS salon experience, consisting of the performance and as many dropovers as needed at a discounted price of $10/person/dropover, can be purchased for $200/person; discounts apply as the number of participants increases. Or, dropovers can be purchased singly at a rate of $50/person for the first dropover and $60/person for each subsequent dropover. Dropovers are by appointment, Sunday thru Friday from 6:00 am until 4:30 pm. Weeklong out of town engagements, in the form of intensive “mini salons”, are also available; contact the JBCS directly for more details.