Procedures

Practice Cards

Practice cards may be required at the discretion of the studio teacher.  Cards are found in the music office.

Practice Rooms

Sign-up is a necessity and is done in the music office at the beginning of each semester, usually during the second week of class. Priorities:

1. Graduate Students
2. Seniors
3. Juniors
4. Sophomores
5. First-years
6. Liberal Arts Students

Transfer students should sign-up according to their classification.

In first-round sign-up, you may sign up only for the total number of hours you are expected to practice:

• 1 hour credit – 5 hours practice
• 2 hours credit – 6 hours practice
• 3 hours credit – 9 hours practice
• 4 hours credit – 12 hours practice
• 5 hours credit – 15 hours practice
• Instrument Class – 2 hours practice
• Voice & Piano Class – 4 hours practice

You are expected to use rooms for which you sign up.  Until ten minutes past the start of the hour, you may have sole right to that room; after ten minutes, the room, if empty, may be occupied by anyone.  Hours are 50 minutes long.  Do not reserve rooms for prolonged times.

Don't move pianos in the practice rooms. 

Certain rooms may only be assigned to students with piano levels of PN30 or higher. However, the ten-minute rule still applies and anyone may occupy these rooms after ten minutes after the hour.

Accompanying Guidelines

All Piano and Organ Majors (Applied and Music Education) are required to accompany two upper-class music majors (Applied or Music Education) per semester. BA Piano Majors are required to accompany one music major. A major ensemble assignment is considered an accompaniment assignment. If you wish to accompany more than your required number of assignments, the accompanying coordinator will require the written approval of your piano professor, or your organ professor if you are an organ major, before authorizing payment.

Please think carefully and take time to pray before you request an extra accompaniment assignment. When you agree to be a student’s accompanist, you are making a serious commitment: you become a partner in that person’s work for the entire semester or until the recital and the ensuing jury are finished. You may not decide midway through the semester that your workload is too heavy, or you have found a person who is more compatible, or any other reason for cancellation of your commitment except a real emergency. If there are any problems or needs for adjustment, come to me and we will work on a solution.

A total of 2.5 hours weekly is the maximum time allowed to work with each music major that you accompany, including lesson time, rehearsal time, and your individual practice of the accompaniments. If you are rehearsing for a required recital, the time is increased to 3.5 hours weekly. Up to one hour of those 3.5 hours will be allowed for your own practice of the accompaniments. If you have received permission to accompany more than the required number of music majors, the same time restrictions apply. After you have arranged for the extra accompanying commitment with the professor in charge of accompaniments, you must contact Student Payroll to be authorized for payment and then fill out weekly time cards, which you can obtain in the Music Office. The accompanying coordinator will sign the time cards, and you will be paid at current student work-study pay scale. The same time limitations apply for accompanists who are not piano or organ majors.

PLEASE NOTE: It is ideal that your accompaniments be given to you no less than three weeks in advance of any lesson, departmental recital, jury, or any other public performance or rehearsal. Once you have received the music, practice it. If you cannot play your part in the lesson then your soloist cannot function, either. If you need extra time to learn the music before your first rehearsal, make that clear to the student you are accompanying. If you do not receive the music at least three weeks in advance, you will not be required to accompany for that performance.

You are encouraged to ask your piano professor to help you with your accompaniments. Unfortunately, the only time your playing will be heard by some of the faculty is in your accompaniments, whether in performance or in lessons. and they are the people who will be deciding issues concerning future scholarships, etc. Also, some accompaniments may appear easy to play, but ensemble and accompaniment styles are very different from solo playing. (Hint: use pedal sparingly!!)

The faculty coordinator of accompanying will make accompanying assignments for each semester.  If you have a preference, notify the appropriate faculty member IN WRITING!

Pay is available to accompanists who qualify for the work-study program.  See the director for details if interested.

Please contact the accompanying coordinator if you have any questions.

Tutoring

Tutoring is available for Theory, Music History, and certain other courses.  To obtain tutoring, see your professor.

Pre-Registration ("Course Selection") Procedures

Pre-registration occurs twice each year, normally in October and in March.  Prepare for your pre- registration appointment with your advisor by a) obtaining a current copy of your balance sheet from the Academic Records Office (second floor of Luckey Building) and b) completing a rough copy of the pre-registration form. Go to your pre-registration appointment (or meeting, depending on how your advisor works) with that form filled out.  This will save your time and your advisor's time.  Do a little homework ahead of time so that you know exactly how you stand (if possible) and know what courses you want to take and (preferably) with whom you wish to take them.

Instrument Class Sequence (strongly preferred, not required):

Instrumental Music Ed Majors – Brass    

Instrumental Music Ed Majors – Woodwinds

Instrumental Music Ed Majors – Strings

Instrumental Music Ed Majors – Keyboard

Instrumental Performance Majors

Vocal Ed Majors       

Composition Majors                        

Assignment of Instructors

Assignment of applied music teacher is made by the director of the Greatbatch School of Music in consultation with studio faculty, due consideration being given to the student's preference.  These assignments are made on a yearly basis, although study of a single semester is permitted.