<p>Can anyone tell me how music lessons work at Smith? I want to take voice lessons while at Smith but I can't find any information about how and when you sign up for music lessons or even what kinds of instruments you can take lessons on. Any information would be greatly appreciated.</p>
<p>Smith has two EXCELLENT voice professors - full faculty (one currently chair of the department) - as well as adjuncts, and you can get lessons on virtually anything within the Five Colleges. They are free for declared music majors, cost for non-majors, cost can be waived by petition, or they are subject to financial assistance.</p>
<p>I don't know if this is true for voice lessons, but it's important for regular instrument lessons to keep in mind that they don't take beginners in the lessons you take for credit. Check the Music department listings under the SMith course catalog.</p>
<p>Admission to performance courses is determined by audition. To the extent that places in performance courses are available, students are accepted on the basis of musicianship, competence, and potential ability. There are fees for all courses involving individual instruction. When no instructor for a particular instrument is available at Smith College, or when no place is available on the roster of a Smith College performance instructor, every effort will be made to provide qualified students with qualified instructors from the Five College community. Such arrangements may require Smith students to travel to other valley colleges. Courses in performance normally require one hour of individual instruction per week. Students taking four-credit courses for the year in performance are expected to practice a minimum of one hour a day; those taking eight-credit courses for the year in performance, two hours a day. Two performance courses may not be taken concurrently without permission of the department. This restriction does not apply to chamber music or conducting. First- and second-year courses in performance must be taken above a regular program - that is, eight four-credit courses per year - and are counted as four-credit courses for the year. Exception: a sophomore who plans a music major may, with the permission of the Department, elect the second-year course in performance within a 32-credit program for eight credits for the year. Third- and fourth-year courses in performance may be taken within a regular program as an eight-credit course for the year, with the permission of the instructor, or above a regular program as either an eight-credit or a four-credit course for the year. While all performance students are urged concomitantly to study music in the classroom, those who wish to continue individual instruction beyond the first- and second-year courses must take either Fundamentals of Music (Music 100), or 110 and either Music 200 or 201 during their years at Smith College. It is recommended that these courses be taken prior to the junior year. A minimum grade of B or permission of the instructor is required for admission to courses in performance beyond the first year of study. No more than 24 credits earned in courses in performance may be counted toward graduation. Auditions must be scheduled with the secretary of the department upon arrival on campus. Singers, pianists, and other instrumentalists will be expected to perform one or more works of their own choice. Courses in organ are not normally open to first-year students, but those who demonstrate proficiency in piano may receive permission to register for organ in the first year. Registration for performance courses takes place at the department office (as well as with the Registrar), and is tentative until audition results are posted. Undergraduate performance courses carry the following numbering sequence, credits, and section letters: Undergraduate performance courses carry the following numbering sequence, credits, and section letters: 914y {A} 4 credits, first year of performance study 924y {A} 4 credits, second year of performance study 928y {A} 8 credits, music majors in second year of performance study who, with their teacher</p>
<p>...with their teacher’s permission, wish to study for full credit. Prerequisite: MUS 914d. 930y {A} Advanced level for variable credit (4 or 8 credits). Can be repeated once. Prerequisite: MUS 924d or 928d. 950y {A} Graduate level for variable credit (4 or 8 credits). Can be repeated once. No prerequisite. A Piano B Organ C Harpsichord D Voice E Violin F Viola G Violoncello H Double Bass I Viola da Gamba J Flute K Recorder L Oboe M Clarinet N Bassoon O French Horn P Trumpet Q Trombone R Tuba S Percussion T Guitar U Lute V Harp W Other Instruments X Jazz Piano Y Jazz Voice Z Other Jazz Instruments Piano. Judith Gordon, Monica Jakuc. Organ. Prerequisite: piano 914d (A) or the equivalent. Grant Moss. Harpsichord. Prerequisite: piano 914d (A) or permission of the instructor. Grant Moss. Voice. Karen Smith Emerson, Jane Bryden. Violin. Joel Pitchon. Viola. Ron Gorevic. Violoncello. Akiva Cahn-Lippman. Double bass. (Umass). Viola da Gamba. Alice Robbins. Wind Instruments. Ellen Redman, flute; Lynn Sussman, clarinet; Emily Samuels, recorder. Trumpet. Donna Gouger. French Horn. Fred Aldrich. Trombone, Tuba. (Umass). Percussion. (Umass). Guitar. Phillip de Fremery (Mount Holyoke). Lute. Robert Castellano. Other Instruments. Jazz Piano. Michele Feldheim. Jazz Voice. Justina Golden. Saxophone: Bruce Diehl</p>
<p>Smith imported a French horn instructor for D and another horn player. She was very pleased with him; his background was Boston Conservatory.</p>
<p>Thanks for the information. How did your D sign up for lessons?</p>
<p>It was arranged through the Music Dept. office after first-semester registration. Wheels did their grinding and ultimately D & an instructor were united. It wasn't an immediate flash-bang kind of thing but it worked.</p>
<p>N.B., she had to pay extra for the private lessons but she got partial compensation in the form of a grant from the Music Department. One of my minor annoyances with FinAid is that they don't take this expense into account but it's relatively minor, something like $600/semester before the partial grant.</p>
<p>There's some technicality that she won't be able to officially take the instrument for credit during her senior year because she will not have taken nor be concurrently taking a Music Theory class, which you have to do if you want credit for more than four semesters. However, she's sure she can continue the lessons not for credit and plans to participate in the orchestra, wind ensemble, etc.</p>
<p>Yes, at least for instrumental instruction, it's between $600-700 per semester, and you commit to taking lessons for both semesters. I believe you get two credits when you're done (or is it four, two for each semester?) Private lessons cannot substitute for taking a regular course load, even though you do get credits. If I remember correctly, students are required to practice a minimum of one hour a day.</p>
<p>My d auditioned and got the lessons, but she declined them this year for a few reasons. One, of course, was the cost, and the other was her fear that she would not have time to practice on top of her studies. The last fear was unfounded, except during extreme times during the semester, because she ended up practicing about an hour each day on her own anyway.</p>
<p>For instruments, the auditions were held on the same days as orchestra auditions, the weekend before classes began in the fall (I think). I'd bet that vocal lesson auditions were held during the same time period.</p>
<p>Two credits/semester.</p>
<p>For D, practice time was variable with respect to mid-terms, projects, finals. However, neither her instructor nor the orchestra director had a problem with the results...they understand about competing crunches and her playing had continued to improve. A year off from lessons may dent that.</p>
<p>MWFN, is is just me or do you think the cost of lessons, since it's for credit, should be included in calculating the EFC & resulting financial aid? While it's not huge, it's one of the few things annoying about Smith.</p>
<p>(Another annoying thing, affecting a handful of students, is that administratively it is <em>not</em> seemless if you split a year between D.C. and abroad. The International Study office seems to assume that you've attended meetings you weren't on campus to attend, received info packets far earlier than you did, etc. Somewhere along the line some wires even got crossed and the college seemed to assume that the D.C. semester being over, D would be back on campus and when she wasn't they momentarily withdrew her from the college. Everything got sorted out over the space of a few days but it was annoying. Except that the FinAid wound up taking longer to sort out and we overpaid in January and are now waiting for a refund...I'm glad we had the cash to overpay at the time.)</p>
<p>Yes, I think lessons should be included, but I also understand why they are not.</p>
<p>BTW, we don't get any financial aid from Smith because a. we saved and b. we get a small grant from the university where my husband and I teach. Unfortunately, this grant is not substantial, so we are pinched. Six hundred dollars is a lot for us to pay in additional to full tuition, room, and board. </p>
<p>Many schools we looked at offered music lessons at no extra charge, from beginner levels to more advanced. Since all these schools did not charge by the credit and instead had flat rate tuition (like Smith), music lessons were akin to taking on a slightly heavier course load. I had hoped Smith would have the same take on them. We didn't know about the extra fee until my d called to say she was offered lessons.</p>
<p>TD, obviously our daughter must know each other, at least by sight, since they are both in the orchestra.</p>
<p>I don't think they do, assuming your D is a first-year, iirc, because mine has been off-campus all year on "away" programs; however, they will undoubtedly meet next yar.. I do know that there have been more than one set of "my parent [M/D] talks to your parent [M/D] on College Confidential" exchanges accompanied by synchronized eye-rolling. :)</p>
<p>OT: Sorry about your lack of FinAid; the system does penalize savers. We're in the middle, getting some but not nearly enough. Both TheMom and I were children of the Sixties, not terribly interested in money until we got into our 40's, which was far too late to make a dent in college expenditures. One aspect where I'm happy to say that D has learned from our examples and is much savvier than we ever were at 20 or even 30. Of course, she as the benefit of hearing about our mistakes and takes profit from it. However, in lieu of savings, we're taking out non-trivial loans ourselves and I think we regard the debt as one of the best investments we could make, that and our house.</p>
<p>Well, then, they'll meet someday!</p>