Handbook For Piano Area – Performance Majors

Ethical Guidelines

This statement is intended to address faculty and student responsibilities with reference to working relationships in major or concentration applied lessons, composition major study, and graduate thesis direction.

1. The College of Music recognizes the individual rights of all students to act independently in the pursuit of knowledge and to seek varying points of view.

2. Students have the right to change teachers for the types of study listed above, but should follow the recommended procedure, i.e., the present teacher should be notified in a timely fashion, no later than the final day of the semester before the change is to occur. A student may notify his/her teacher solely in writing, if desired. Faculty are requested to wait until this notification has taken place before promising acceptance. It is understood that students shall suffer no negative repercussions as a result of changing teachers.

3. Faculty members are expected to respect extant major-professor relationships and thus are not permitted to solicit a student directly or through any other person for the purpose of influencing a change of major professor.

4. The relationship between teacher and student should be established, maintained, and terminated in a professional manner. Faculty members should respect the personal integrity and privacy of students at all times, while recognizing their responsibility to promote principles of ethical and professional conduct throughout the College of Music community.

Departmental Recital Class, Thursdays from 4:00 to 6:00 PM
(held in the Recital Hall unless otherwise noted)

Departmental class is part of the applied piano curriculum for Piano Performance and Piano Concentration students. 

Attendance:
Attendance is mandatory for all piano students enrolled in MUAM and MUAC (except Jazz) courses. Piano Concentration students may leave (quietly and during applause) after one hour; Performance majors are required to remain for the entire departmental class. Students must swipe their ID card upon entering and exiting the hall to receive attendance credit.

Only two unexcused absences are allowed; any additional unexcused absence will result in lowering the semester MUAM/MUAC course grade by 0.5%.  

Individual excused absences may be granted for such reasons as illness (Student Health Center doctor’s note required) or travel to a competition or concert, if communicated in advance and in writing to the faculty member in charge of departmental attendance.

Students who have a regular conflict during the class may be excused from the attendance if their teacher provides a written excuse to the faculty member in charge of departmental attendance. Semester excuses may be given to a student who:

• is a TF assigned to teach group piano class at the time of the Departmental class,
• has a scholarship for participation in an ensemble (choir, band, or orchestra) which meets for rehearsals at the time of the Departmental class,
• is taking a class which is required for the degree plan and meets at no other time,
• is a third year DMA student having a job outside of school at the time of the Departmental Recital Class (NB: your employer must email the faculty member in charge of departmental attendance to certify employment and attest to what time you must start teaching), or
• is a DMA student no longer enrolled in lessons and registered for Quals. (NB: Proof of registration for Quals required).

Class Requirements and Expectations:
Each performance major student is expected to perform at least once per semester during the departmental class. To sign-up for the performance, go to https://music.unt.edu/keyboard/piano/departmental-signup-form.html and follow the online instructions.

The use of cell phones is prohibited during the Departmental Recital Class. Attendance credit will be withheld if a student in the audience is found using any electronic device during a performance.

There are three classifications for piano study at UNT: Performance (MUAM), Concentration (MUAC) and Secondary (MUAS).  Performance students must enroll in piano for at least 3 credit hours per semester.  Concentration students enroll for 2 credit hours (1 credit hour for jazz students after two semesters) and Secondary students enroll for 1 hour of credit per semester.  Students enrolling in 2 or more credits receive one hour of private instruction per week.  Students enrolling in 1 credit receive one half hour of private instruction per week.

Qualification

Before enrolling in MUAM or MUAC, a qualifying audition must first be passed. Qualifying auditions for performance majors (MUAM) are held during auditions days in January and February.  Currently enrolled students may also qualify during regular semester juries, with instructor approval.  

Attendance requirements and policies

Perfect attendance is expected from all private lesson students.  Students with more than three unexcused absences will be asked to drop piano lessons for the semester or receive a failing grade.  Absences on the part of the student need not be made up by the instructor.  Unavoidable absences may be made up at the discretion of the instructor.  As a rule, the instructor will only make up a lesson that he or she must miss.  If a student has a conflict with the scheduled lesson time, it is the student’s responsibility to switch times with another student, or find a mutually convenient alternate time.

Scholarships and Teaching Fellowships

1. Students who hold a College of Music Scholarship are required to adhere to the University and College of Music guidelines concerning maintenance of grade point average and all other qualifications for holding and maintaining a scholarship.
2. Teaching Fellows and all pianists holding a scholarship from the piano area are required to perform during the third and fourth weeks of each semester in Piano Departmental. New entering pianists are exempt from this requirement in the semester of their first arrival on campus.  Major professors will be expected to communicate this requirement to their students and to urge them to sign up by the cutoff date for those programs in order to plan these Departmental programs in a timely fashion.
3. Scholarships are awarded for 4 years for the BM, 2 years for the MM and 3 years for the DMA providing that all University and College of Music guidelines are met and providing that jury and/or DMA recital or semester grade does not fall below A- (minus) in the fall semester.
4. Piano Performance majors in the first year of their degree are eligible to audition for piano area scholarships if they do not already have an award from our area. Only students who have no piano area scholarships are eligible to audition. If you are in the first or the second (last) year of a Toulouse Graduate Scholarship you are eligible to audition. Auditions will take place during a chosen Departmental date in January, before the first College of Music Entrance Audition. Time limit will be 10 minutes per person. Scores will be collected and candidates will be evaluated along with the new applicants who audition in January and February.
5. Scholarships will not be carried over automatically from one degree to the next.  Students expecting to finish one degree and continue at UNT for the next degree will be required to re- audition at the January audition date immediately preceding their graduation in May or August. December graduates must re-audition in the January auditions immediately following their graduation. Scholarships will be determined with admission decisions based on the re-audition.
6. Teaching Fellowships are normally held for two years at the Masters level and three years at the Doctoral level. The piano area may extend these time limits if the need arises.
7. Doctoral students who have exhausted their three-year limit on Teaching Fellowships will be accorded the courtesy of a maximum of one-year scholarship provided they are in musical and academic good standing and are making discernible progress through their degree.  No renewal of scholarship will occur after this one-year period without the unanimous consent of the piano faculty.

Concerto Competition

Pianists wishing to compete in the school concerto competition must be registered for lessons during that entire academic year.

Qualifying Audition

Students are expected to qualify for a performance degree before they first arrive on campus. A student may qualify at the jury at the end of the semester.  If a scholarship student qualifies for a new degree at the December jury, this may also serve as their scholarship audition for the new degree.

See “Scholarships and Teaching Fellowships” for further information.

For the DMA audition, a candidate must prepare a 45-minute program, from which the faculty will select approximately 20 minutes of music.  For this audition, there are no specific repertoire requirements, but the repertoire should demonstrate the candidate’s artistic maturity.

Juries

DMA candidates who have qualified do not play juries, unless requested to do so by their major professor, or if they have not performed a recital within a 12-month period. All jury repertoire must be performed by memory. No etude is required for a DMA jury. 

DMA Recitals

All first-year DMA students are considered to be on probation.  In additional to fulfilling all academic obligations as outlined in the College of Music and University guidelines, first-year DMA students are expected to receive a grade of B or better on their first recital. If a lower grade is earned, the student will be asked to play a 30-minute jury of new repertoire at the end of the following long semester.  Failure to receive a grade of B or better at this time will result in disqualification from the program with the recommendation the student apply to other schools.
DMA recitals are under the jurisdiction of the Graduate Performance Degree Committee (GPDC) and are subject to the guidelines of that body. However, any individual member of the piano faculty may request a hearing for any of his or her own students’ DMA recitals if necessary. At least three committee members for DMA recitals must come from the piano faculty. 

After qualifying for performance, all DMA pianists will be expected to perform one recital of solo repertoire during one of the two long semesters.  Students who do not play a recital in one of the two long semesters will be required to play a 20-minute jury at the end of the second semester.  No DMA recitals should take place during the summer. Exceptions for compelling reasons must be requested in advance of the Division Chair, and a jury will be required at the end of the spring semester.  

Students are exempt from the recital requirement during the period allotted by the GDPC for preparing, taking and passing the Qualifying Examinations. 

Once admitted to candidacy, DMA students may perform up to two concertos (or other solo with orchestra) as part of their four required recital programs.

Lesson Credits

Degree plans filed prior to Fall 2021 require 16 credit hours of applied lessons, which can be spread out as 3 credits in year one and year two, and then 2 credits in the third year. Contact the Division Administrative Coordinator to request the credit hour reduction. Degree plans filed beginning in Fall 2021 require 18 credit hours of applied lessons. Lessons are not required once a student enrolls in their final dissertation recital course, MUGC 6954.  If applied lessons are needed beyond 18 credit hours, the minimum number allowed is three credit hours per semester. 

A DMA or MM candidate with a major other than piano performance wishing to select piano as first related field must play a piano performance qualifying audition with the following repertoire.  The entrance audition must be played from memory and will take place at the time of semester performance juries.

• Prelude and Fugue from the Well-Tempered Clavier or a complete Suite, Partita, or Toccata by
    J.S. Bach (from which the faculty will choose a few movements at the time of the audition)
• Complete sonata of Mozart, Haydn, Beethoven, or Schubert (faculty will choose one or two movements)
• Third piece of contrasting style.

The audition repertoire and performance must be at the level of MM or BM in piano performance. The DMA student will then take 12 credits selected from appropriate courses, including private lessons (3 credits of MUAC 6501 each semester) and other courses in piano literature and pedagogy. A 20-minute jury will be played each semester; repertoire will include a concert etude each semester.  MM candidates will take 9 credits of piano (MUAC 5501), play a jury each semester.  All related field juries will take place with the performance majors on stage and must be performed by memory beginning with students starting the related field in Fall 2022. 

 

Admission and Expectations

The related field in collaborative piano provides individualized coursework and repertoire to offer pianists increased skills and ease in collaborative performance. Admission to this related field is by audition only. The pianist wishing to be a candidate for the related field in collaborative piano is expected to be collaborating with singers and/or instrumentalists while pursuing the related field, for the duration of study at UNT. It is expected that a pianist will have collaborative experience that pre-dates his/her study at UNT. Students who are not piano majors must pass a qualifying audition at the level of a M.M. Concentration Proficiency. For further information, see the Collaborative Piano Handbook.

Qualifying Auditions

In order to be admitted to the MM in Piano Performance, students must successfully pass a qualifying audition for the full piano faculty. Qualifying auditions held during the spring audition days in January and February are also considered as scholarship auditions if the student has applied for a scholarship. Current students may also qualify at juries.  See “Scholarships and Teaching Fellowships” for further information. 

Audition Repertoire

Audition repertoire requirements for the Master of Music Piano Performance degree are:

• Prelude and Fugue from the Well-Tempered Clavier or a complete Suite, Partita, or Toccata by
  J.S. Bach (from which the faculty will choose a few movements at the time of the audition)
• Complete sonata of Mozart, Haydn, Beethoven or Schubert (faculty will choose one or two movements)
• Third piece of contrasting style.

All pieces must be played from memory.

Any MUAM piano student who is not enrolled in piano for 12 months must play a re-qualifying audition, unless a majority of the piano faculty agrees to waive the audition.

Regular Semester Juries

All MM performance majors are required to play a jury each semester until recital requirements are finished.  Juries are normally held during the final week of classes and are set specifically by Division Chairs. A successful recital hearing will substitute for a jury. Jury repertoire should be representative of the student’s progress during the semester. The jury repertoire will consist of 18-20 minutes selected from the student’s semester repertoire.  Masters Performance Majors are required to play a virtuoso etude at every jury. All jury repertoire must be performed by memory. 

The scale routine is included as part of the jury until all scale exams are passed.  See “Scale Routine” in Section VII below for complete information.  

Any jury grade lower than B- will result in disqualification from the Performance program.

Masters Recital

Two recitals are required for the Master’s degree.  Each Masters recital program must be at least 50 minutes in length, and the content must be approved by the piano faculty.  Students may include one concerto (or other solo with orchestra) as part of the required Masters recital.  Any proposed recital must pass a recital hearing before the piano faculty.  Hearings must be scheduled at least two weeks prior to the date of the recital.  All repertory to be performed in public must be included, and the faculty will hear approximately 30 minutes of the program.  The decision of the faculty is final.  The MM Oral exam may not be scheduled until after the second recital.

Additional Requirements

All MM Performance Majors must present an entire concerto (or other solo with orchestra) before graduation.

Lesson Credits

MM degree plans require 10 credit hours of applied lessons, which can be spread out as 3 credits for 2 semesters and then 2 credits in the semesters when registering for the two Master’s Recitals. Contact the Division Administrative Assistant to request the credit hour reduction.  If applied lessons are needed beyond 10 credit hours, the minimum number allowed is three credit hours. 

 

Qualifying Auditions

In order to be admitted to the BM in Piano Performance, students must successfully pass a qualifying audition for the full piano faculty. Students are expected to qualify for a performance degree before they arrive on campus. Audition repertoire requirements for the Bachelor of Music Piano Performance degree are:

• Prelude and Fugue from the Well-Tempered Clavier or a complete Suite, Partita, or Toccata by
  J.S. Bach (from which the faculty will choose a few movements at the time of the audition)
• Complete sonata of Mozart, Haydn, Beethoven or Schubert (faculty will choose one or two movements)
• Third piece of contrasting style.

All pieces must be played from memory.

Any MUAM piano student who is not enrolled in piano for 12 months must play a re-qualifying audition, unless a majority of the piano faculty agrees to waive the audition.

Concentration students who want to become Performance majors, need to submit a screening video. The video should be uploaded to YouTube, Dropbox or similar web service and the link sent to Dr. Harlos.  If approved, the Concentration student can then use their jury to audition on the same day as performance major semester juries.   

Regular Semester Juries

All performance majors are required to play a jury each semester.  Juries are normally held during Pre-Finals week and are set specifically by Division Chairs. Jury repertoire should be representative of the student’s work during the semester, and should consist of new repertoire. In the final semester, undergraduates will enroll in the Capstone project which will substitute for a jury.

Beginning with the upper divisional examination, performance majors must play a virtuoso etude as part of the jury repertoire.  Additionally, the scale routine is included as part of the jury until all scale exams are passed.  See “Scale Routine” below for complete information.  The jury repertoire will consist of 18-20 minutes selected from the student’s semester repertoire.  Performance majors are required to play a virtuoso etude beginning with the Upper Divisional exam and every jury thereafter.  All jury repertoire must be performed by memory. 

Any jury grade less than B- will result in disqualification from the Performance program.

Upper Divisional Examination (UDE)

Performance majors must play an Upper Divisional Examination at the end of the fourth semester of MUAM lessons.  A virtuoso etude must be performed as part of the examination.  The UDE is graded as a regular jury, with B considered as a passing grade. The UDE may be taken a maximum of two times.

Scale Routine

All performance students must play a scale routine as part of the regular jury each semester until the routine has been passed four ways.  Failure to play a scale routine will result in lowering of the jury grade by one half letter.  If the student does not pass the scale routine there is no penalty, but the scales must be repeated until passed. DMA students are excused from scale exams. Each of the following ways must be passed:

• one scale routine played at an interval of an octave
• one scale routine played at an interval other than octave
• one scale routine played in contrary motion
• one scale routine consisting of chromatic scales (performance majors only)

Scale routines, other than chromatic, consist of the following, in all keys (the actual key to be given at the time of the exam)

• Major and minor scale, 4 octaves
• Major and minor arpeggio, 4 octaves
• Dominant seventh & diminished seventh arpeggio, 4 octaves
• Major and minor broken chords, 2 octaves

The chromatic scale routine will consist of scales played at 3 different intervals (eighths, sixths and tenths), each of the scales to start with a different note.  

Jury Grading

Only full-time, tenured or tenure-track faculty shall grade juries.  Lecturers and adjunct faculty may participate in grading their own students.  Juries are graded on a 12-point scale, with 12 being the highest possible grade (A+).   All faculty decisions concerning jury grades are final.

Recitals

Undergraduate performance majors must play a Junior and a Senior recital.  The recital program must be at least 50 minutes in length, and the content must be approved by the piano faculty.  Students may include one concerto (or other solo with orchestra) in the required Senior recital. Any proposed recital must pass a recital hearing before at least three members of the piano faculty.  Hearings must be scheduled at least two weeks prior to the date of the recital.  All repertory to be performed in public must be included, and the faculty will hear approximately 30 minutes of the program.  The decision of the faculty in all hearings is final.

Senior Recital Capstone Course

In conjunction with the performance of the senior recital, The Senior Piano Recital Capstone Course (MUAG 4711) is a 3-hour course that fulfills the UNT Core Curriculum requirements. The capstone course involves these additional conditions:

1. Student must present a 20-minute lecture, at a studio class, piano literature class, or other approved forum, discussing the musical, theoretical, or technical issues that informed this performance. The lecture will involve research, selection, and assimilation of appropriate sources of pertinent and accurate information. The lecture will be assessed by a faculty member.
2. Student must submit written program notes for the recital, expressing in their own words how their artistic and intellectual understanding has been guided by their study of the historical context, life experiences, and cultural influences of the composers represented. The student should also address the issues of historical performance practice (where appropriate), offering their own personal insights into the process of interpretation of each work.
3. Student must participate in a lab session, either in person or online, dealing with ethical issues related to music performance. A written assignment explaining the material presented in the session will be assessed by a faculty member.

Additional Requirements

All BM Performance Majors must present an entire concerto (or other work with orchestra) before graduation, either in a recital or in a jury.

Keyboard Proficiency for Piano Majors (Undergraduate only)

Piano Majors must pass a Keyboard Proficiency Exam including open score reading and transposition by the time they take the Upper Divisional Exam.  The exam is administered during the long semesters in the Accompanying Lab (MULB 1811) as part of the Sight-reading Lab. Students not taking MULB 1811 must arrange to take the exam with Dr. Harlos. The materials and requirements for the exam are as follows:

• Open score – play one page of 4-part choral music from the score at sight.  Examples may be found in the anthology Five Centuries of Choral Music or similar repertoire.
• Transposition – transpose a 4-part hymn from any standard hymnal up or down at the interval of a second or third, to be determined at the time of the examination.
• Sight reading – read one page of piano music at sight.  If the student has taken MULB 1811, they should pass the sight reading exam with a grade of B- or better.

All new piano performance majors will be reviewed by the piano faculty at the end of their second semester. The purpose of this review is to identify any problems going forward which might impact their ability to graduate successfully. The piano faculty will be looking at a combination of factors, including but not restricted to fulfillment of performance requirements in the degree (DMA or MM recitals successfully completed, undergraduate or MM juries successfully completed, academic record including any complaints of cheating or plagiarism, attendance at lessons and Departmentals, level of preparation for lessons, etc).

If a student is deemed to be at risk in any of these areas, they will be counseled by their major professor and by the Chairman of the Keyboard Division. They will then be reviewed at the jury of their third semester, and if there has not been significant improvement in the areas deemed problematical, they will be asked to apply to other programs and required to leave their present UNT program at the end of their second spring semester.