Piano Concentration

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 – 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.

Semester Grades

 Concentration juries will be graded by two piano faculty members, plus the student's Teaching Fellow instructor.  The piano faculty members will each give a grade based on what they hear in the jury, as will the TF instructor. In addition, the TF will be asked to submit an additional semester grade, based on the student's attendance and effort at lessons. This grade will be submitted prior to the jury and will be averaged with the other three grades to form the student's final semester grade. 

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. 

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.

Concentration auditions must consist of the following repertoire (the first two may be performed with music):

1.  A Three-Part Invention of Bach or a Prelude and Fugue of Bach.
2.  A fast movement of a Classical-era Sonata or Sonatina by Clementi, Haydn or Mozart.
3.  A work in a contrasting style (NOT from the Baroque or Classical era) which is performed from memory.

Any concentration student who is not enrolled for MUAC piano lessons for 12 months will need to re-qualify. If this is not done during the regularly scheduled College of Music auditions, they must enroll in MUAS and prepare a qualifying audition at the jury time.  Under no circumstances will a jury-time qualifying audition be heard unless the student is currently enrolled for piano.

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.   

Secondary students (enrolled in MUAS courses) who are NOT music majors and want to audition to become a music major with a Piano Concentration, need to complete the College of Music application and submit a screening video by November 1 to be considered for Spring admission. If approved, the Secondary student can then use their jury to audition on the same day as Piano Concentration juries.   

Concentration Juries consist of the following repertoire:

First Year (Freshman) Fall Semester

1.  A Prelude and Fugue is assigned. Only the Prelude will be heard at the jury, but the Fugue must be prepared and heard in at least 3 lessons.  It WILL be heard at the spring jury.
2.  A Scarlatti sonata of medium or fast tempo, or Beethoven op. 49 #1 or #2.
3.  A short (4-6 pages) memorized piece. For Composition majors, a piece written after 1950.
4.  Scales are part of the graded jury and will take the place of an exercise or etude (see Scale Routine below).

First Year (Freshman) Spring Semester

1.  The Bach Fugue
2.  A fast movement from a Haydn or Mozart Sonata
3.  A short (4-6 pages) memorized piece. For Composition majors, a piece written after 1950.
4.  Scales

2^nd Year (Sophomore) Fall Semester

1.  Bach Prelude (again, Fugue is assigned and performed in at least 3 lessons, but will be heard in the spring).
2.  A fast movement from a Haydn or Mozart Sonata
3.  A short (4-6 pages) memorized piece. For Composition majors, a piece written after 1950.
4.  Scales

2^nd Year (Sophomore) Spring Semester

1.  The Bach Fugue
2.  A fast movement from a classical era sonata (Haydn, Mozart, Beethoven)
3.  A short (4-6 pages) memorized piece. For Composition majors, a piece written after 1950.
4.  Scales should be completed by now and replaced by a technical exercise or etude of Clementi, Bergmüller Heller or Czerny (NO Chopin, Liszt or Rachmaninov). Etudes should be performed at or near full tempo.

3^rd Year (Junior)

For MUAC students who continue into a 3^rd year, a Prelude and Fugue each semester, plus the classical sonata movement, a technical exercise and a memorized piece will be expected at the jury. Composition majors should always include a piece written after 1950.

 Scale Routine

All piano concentration students must play a scale routine as part of the regular jury each semester until the routine has been passed three ways.  Failure to play a scale routine will result in lowering of the jury grade by one half letter.  The minimum tempo is 82 for two notes. Students may choose a faster tempo, but only if played smoothly and without hesitations or mistakes. Scales are graded pass/fail but the grade is not counted as part of the jury grade. If the student does not pass the scale routine there is no penalty, but all scales must be passed before graduation.

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

Scale routines 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

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. 

 Weight assigned to each repertoire requirement

If three pieces are required, each piece will be assessed at 33 1/3 %. Level of preparation as well as performance will be assessed. Failure to learn or to adequately prepare any one of the required pieces will result in an automatic deduction of 33 1/3 % from the grade. In the event a fourth piece is required, percentages drop to 25% per piece. 

 Disqualifying

Piano Concentration (MUAC) students receiving a grade of D or F at the jury are disqualified and must enroll in MUAS for 2 credit hours until they re-qualify.

Upper Divisional Examination (UDE)

Concentration students must play an Upper Divisional Examination (UDE) at the end of the sophomore 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. It is the final jury for students in the Music BA degree program.

Concentration Proficiency

The Concentration Proficiency is the final jury for concentration students with majors in Music Education, Jazz Studies, Composition, and Music Theory. The Concentration Proficiency is graded as a regular jury at the end of the 6^th semester of applied lessons, with B considered as a passing grade. It may be taken a maximum of two times.

When students have completed the piano lessons required for their degree, they should have completed all of their classical piano requirements, and must demonstrate technical and musical proficiency at the piano.  These include:

• At least two Preludes and Fugues from the Well-Tempered Clavier
• Four classical sonata movements (Mozart, Haydn and Beethoven)
• At least one Etude showing moderate technical maturity (Czerny op. 740 or above)
• Memory requirements—4-6 pages each semester
• Scale Routine - in all keys (the actual key to be given at the time of the exam) passed three ways (octaves, tenths, sixths, contrary motion, etc.)
• For Composition majors, four pieces written after 1950.

***Students must present documentation at the Concentration Proficiency of having completed all the above requirements.

Piano Concentration students must also pass a Keyboard Proficiency Exam, including open score reading and transposition, by the time they take their Concentration Proficiency Jury. 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. Laehyung Woo.  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.

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 program in Fall 2022.

Qualifying Auditions

Bachelor of Arts students must qualify for piano concentration (MUAC) during live College of Music auditions in the spring, or, if enrolled in piano secondary study, by playing a concentration qualifying audition at the end of the semester.

Disqualifying

Piano Concentration (MUAC) students receiving a grade of D or F at the jury are disqualified and must enroll in MUAS for 2 credit hours until they re-qualify.

Degree Requirements

Bachelor of Arts students must take four semesters of MUAC and play juries each semester.  During this time, they must complete the following:

• 2 preludes and fugues from The Well-Tempered Clavier
• Four classical sonata movements (Mozart, Haydn or Beethoven)
• At least one Etude showing technical maturity (Czerny op. 740 or above)
• Memory requirements – 4-6 pages each semester
• Scale routine – passed three ways (octaves, tenths, sixths, contrary motion, etc). For more information on the Scale Routine, please refer to Section III.

BA Piano Concentrations will complete the Upper Divisional Examination after the 4th semester of study.  At this point, the students should have completed all of his/her classical piano requirements, and must demonstrate technical and musical proficiency.

Keyboard Proficiency for BA Piano Concentrations

 BA students must also complete the Keyboard Proficiency Exam by the time they take the UDE, including open score reading and transposition. 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 may arrange to take the exam independently with Dr. Laehyung Woo.  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.

Requirements for TAMS Music Track Students:

Piano auditions for the TAMS Music Track must consist of the following repertoire:

• Bach Prelude and Fugue
• First or last movement of a classical- era sonata
• Third short piece in a contrasting style

At least one of these pieces should be performed by memory.

Degree Requirements

TAMS Music Track students must take four semesters of MUAC lessons and play juries each semester.  During this time, they must complete the following:

• 2 preludes and fugues from The Well-Tempered Clavier
• Four classical sonata movements (Mozart, Haydn or Beethoven)
• At least one Etude showing moderate technical maturity (Czerny op. 740 or above)
• Memory requirements – 4-6 pages each semester
• Scales are not required.

If the student does not play a jury, he/she will receive a final grade of F. No Proficiency Exams are required.

Departmental Recital Attendance

Attendance at the Thursday weekly departmental recitals is NOT required for TAMS Music Track students.