Individual Performance Studies

The foundation of a musician’s career is private study with an artist in their specialization; consequently, Individual Performance Studies (Music 1200-1223, 3200-3223) are required for seven semesters of a music major’s career at Morris.

Note that there is an additional fee for Individual Performance Studies.

Definitons

• Music 1200-1223 is private lessons for students who have not passed a jury (i.e. students in the early stages of their career at Morris). Each number in the series is designated for a particular instrument or voice.
• Music 3200-3223 is private lessons at the advanced level (i.e. students who have successfully passed a jury). The numbers in the series correspond to the numbers in the 1200 series (i.e. both 1200 and 3200 refer to piano lessons).
• Music Majors are required to take at least two semesters of 3000-level lessons in order to graduate.

Registration

These policies apply to all students enrolled in Individual Performance Studies, regardless of their standing as Music Majors, Minors, or Majors in other disciplines.

There are two sections of each Individual Performance Study Course: 001 and 095.

• Continuing students should contact their faculty instructor to receive a permission number, and then enroll in the 001 section.
• New students should enroll in the 095 section, and then contact the faculty instructor via email to obtain a permission number and then use the permission number to enroll in the 001 section.
• Remember that you are not officially enrolled in Individual Performance Studies until you are in the 001 section. It is the student’s responsibility to contact the faculty member for a permission number.
• The 095 section of Individual Performance Studies will be canceled two weeks into the semester.

Once the student is enrolled, they should set up a weekly time with the assigned faculty member.

• Remember that some faculty commute in once a week just for lessons, so be flexible when you are finding time in your schedule.
• Once your lesson time is set, make it a priority! A faculty member who drives three hours to give you a lesson will not appreciate you forgetting a lesson, or arriving unprepared!

For some courses of Individual Performance Studies, there are multiple teachers.

• Music majors will have priority to be assigned to tenured/tenure-track faculty members.
• Piano students will be assigned faculty instructors by Professor DuHamel.
• Voice students should audition for the voice faculty at the start of the academic year, or speak to a voice faculty member for placement.

Procedures

All students enrolled in Individual Performance Studies are required to perform a final exam at the end of each semester enrolled.

• Students who perform a half recital, full recital, or jury are exempt from the performance final for that semester.

The final requirements are as follows for various courses.

Voice (Music 1204/3204)

• Students will sing repertoire prepared that semester.
• All repertoire must be memorized.
• The number of songs required will be based on the number of semesters of private voice study.
  • First semester students will prepare two songs.
  • Second semester students will prepare three songs.
  • Third (or more) semester students will prepare four songs.
• Two songs will be performed during the exam, one selected by the student and one randomly selected by the voice faculty.
• If one of the songs is performed on a mixed recital, only one song selected from the remainder of the repertoire will be required for the final exam.

Instrumental (Music 1205-1223/3205-3223)

• Students will perform a work or movement of a work from the standard repertoire of at least four minutes.
• The work must be performed with accompaniment (unless it is unaccompanied).
• A substantial etude, or two shorter etudes of contrasting styles, may be substituted the first semester of study.
• Students are responsible for the following scales. Faculty may on occasion require the performance of scales during the final exam.
  • First semester students will master the chromatic scale and all major scales through three sharps and three flats.
  • Second semester students will master the chromatic scale, all twelve major scales, and one form of the minor scale through three sharps and three flats.
  • Third (or more) semester students will master the chromatic scale, all major scales, and all three forms of the minor scales in all keys.
  • Students who are not Music Majors or Music Minors, or who are taking applied lessons on a secondary instrument, are required to master scales as assigned by the instructor. However, it is suggested that the aforementioned schedule of scales be adhered to as closely as possible.
• An instrumental student who performs a solo work on a mixed recital during the semester will be exempt from the final exam.
  • Note that all students must perform at the end of their second semester of study, regardless of whether they have performed on a mixed student recital or not.

Keyboards (Music 1200-1203)

• Students will prepare two works from the standard repertoire, one of which must be memorized.
• Scales and technical exercise must be prepared according to the requirements for students who are piano majors, piano minors, fulfilling piano proficiency requirements, or fulfilling the Artistic Performance (Art P) portion of the General Education Requirements.