Eligibility
Music Majors (all concentrations): Music Majors are eligible to take up to two MUS 356 (Private Lesson) and/or MUS 456 (Advanced Private Lessons) per semester. In order to be eligible for instruction on a second instrument (keyboard skills exempt, as it is a graduation requirement), students must maintain at least a 3.0 GPA or receive adviser approval.
Music Minors and Non-Majors: These students are eligible to apply for one MUS 356 (Private Lesson) per semester. Music Minors and non-majors must complete an application form for an audition to be considered for private lesson study. If approved, the audition committee will recommend 30-minute (.5 credit) or 1 hour (1 credit) instruction based on a student’s current level of ability and the availability of resources. Non-majors are limited to 30 minute (.5 credit) lessons.
Approval for private lessons is at the discretion of the Music Program and Audition Committee and is based on a number of factors, including the demonstration of an appropriate level of playing ability and openings in private studios. Once approved for lessons, students need not re-audition as long as they complete the requirements below and are recommended for continuation by their private lesson instructor and jury panel.
Lesson Policies and Expectations
All students enrolled in private lesson instruction must complete a minimum of 2 public performances, one of which should be a solo (with accompaniment if applicable). MUS 103 and 107 performances are excluded. Performances must be on campus and take place at Music Program sponsored events.
All Students enrolled in private lesson instruction MUST be active participants in at least one University Ensemble (MUS 103, MUS 107, or MUS 113) on their primary instrument. Students enrolled in piano as a means of preparing for the Keyboard Proficiency Exam are exempt from this policy.
Students in 30-minute (.5 credit) lessons are expected to engage with course material for a minimum of 4.5 hours outside of their lesson and ensembles. Students in 1- hour (1 credit) lessons are expected to engage with course materials for a minimum of 9 hours outside of their lesson and ensembles. This may include traditional practice time, research and writing a program note, translations or phonetic transcription, memorization work, etc.
All private lesson students are required to perform an end-of-semester jury for a panel of MUS faculty. Students are required to fill out a jury form, which may be found here. (NOTE: the jury form is a fillable PDF. You can download it and fill it out on your computer using Acrobat. If you fill it out using a browser, it is HIGHLY recommended that you use Chrome; it does not work at all with Firefox. It is possible to use Safari, but not optimal. For best results, use the Chrome browser.)
Only those students who successfully complete all the requirements above will be eligible for continuation in private lesson instruction.
