Jazz Piano Concentration Handbook

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 Attendance

Jazz majors with a piano concentration are expected to attend the jazz piano departmentals but are not required to attend classical piano departmentals. At the beginning of each long semester, each teacher is responsible for conveying this requirement to each of his or her students.

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 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

Qualifying auditions for concentration level (MUAC) are held only during audition 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.

Entrance Auditions:

The classical repertoire does not have a substantial impact on the admission decision for the Division of Jazz Studies. Its primary purpose is to inform instructors in making repertoire recommendations should the student be admitted to the College of Music. Applicants are assessed on their effort and potential for success, not necessarily on their current ability. Therefore, students with limited or no experience playing classical music should still apply. Furthermore, the choice of repertoire should reflect music the student feels best represents current ability. There is no required level of repertoire difficulty at this stage in the process.

• To the best of your ability, several major and minor scales (natural minor only), hands together at the interval of an octave, at a tempo around quarter note = 72 bpm, in 16th notes, ascending/descending 2-3 octaves, arpeggios optional. Memorization is required.
• To the best of your ability, one piece reflecting your current level of experience with classical music. Remember that there is no expected level of difficulty at this stage. For those with limited or no prior experience, we recommend one of the studies by Czerny, Cramer, Duvernoy, or the equivalent (downloadable for free at the links below). Those with prior classical study are encouraged to select a two- or three-part work of Bach, however any piece is acceptable.  Memorization is not required.
• • • Duvernoy op. 17
    • Czerny op. 299
    • Cramer 60 Selected Studies

Scales / Arpeggios

During the semesters, students will study and memorize all scales and arpeggios in all major and minor keys. However, due to time constraints, only the following will be asked in the jury:

Fall Semesters

Scales:

• 1 major key (selected at random) at the unison, then in either 3rds or 10ths (student choice)

• 1 minor key (both key and variation selected at random) at the unison, then in either 3rds or 10ths (student choice)

Arpeggios:

• 1 key (selected at random): major, minor, dominant 7th, and diminished arpeggios at the unison

Spring Semesters

Scales:

• 1 major key (selected at random) in contrary motion, then in 6ths (parallel motion)

• 1 minor key (both key and variation selected at random) in contrary motion, then in 6ths (parallel motion)

Arpeggios:

• 1 key (selected at random): major, minor, dominant 7th, and diminished arpeggios in either 3rds, 6ths, or 10ths (student choice)

Repertoire

• One work by Bach of an appropriate difficulty level (Prelude and Fugue preferred, but any 3-voice polyphonic work acceptable, 2-voice only with approval from Jazz Division major professor, for students with no prior experience with polyphonic repertoire)

• One additional work chosen by the Keyboard Division instructor in consultation with the Jazz Division major professor, with preference for concert etudes (i.e. etudes that would be performed in concert, such as Burgmüller, Moszkowski, Chopin, or the equivalent) or other technique-focused works at an appropriate difficulty level for the student

In each semester, the student should also study one or more short technical exercises (i.e. focused studies that would not normally be performed in concert) per semester, depending on student ability and needs, and focused on contrasting technical skills, to be selected by the Keyboard Division instructor.  Examples may include Czerny, Moscheles, Moszkowski, Dohnanyi, Brahms, Liszt, etc. The jury panel may request to hear very brief excerpts of these exercises only to ensure completion, but no grade will be assigned.

Instructor Responsibilities

The Keyboard Division instructor is ultimately responsible for selecting jury repertoire within the broad guidelines above, and they report to the supervising professor in the Keyboard Division.

However, given shared interests, the instructor must consult with the Jazz Division major professor on repertoire selections, attendance issues, performance injuries, or any other matters which would impact the student’s long-term success in their Jazz Studies degree. 

The supervising professor in the Keyboard Division should be copied on all communication.

Jury Grading

Juries will be adjudicated by at least two faculty members (tenured or tenure-track, lecturers and/or adjunct), plus the student’s applied lesson teacher. Juries are graded on a 12-point scale, with 12 being the highest possible grade (A+). The semester grade is an average of two grades: the jury grade, and the applied lesson instructor’s studio grade based on lesson attendance and progress. All faculty decisions concerning jury grades are final. 

Disqualifying

Students receiving a grade of D or F at the jury are disqualified and must enroll in MUAS (secondary piano lessons) for 2 credit hours until they re-qualify.

All 1st year jazz concentration students are enrolled in MUAC 1501 (applied piano lessons offered through the Keyboard Studies Division) for 2 credits/semester. Jazz piano instruction in the 1st year is accomplished through a separate course sequence in the Jazz Division (MUJS 1131 and 1132 Jazz Piano Performance Fundamentals).

Based on the student’s jury results and overall performance in Keyboard Division lessons, 2nd year lesson enrollment will follow one of the following paths:

• MUAC 1532 for 2 credits/semester (Jazz Division lessons exclusively)
• MUAC 1501 for 1 credit/semester and MUAC 1532 for 1 credit/semester (split Keyboard Division and Jazz Division lessons)
• MUAC 1501 for 2 credits/semester (Keyboard Division lessons exclusively)

In any enrollment scenario, the Upper Divisional Examination (UDE) will be completed at the end of the 2nd year. 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.