Private Applied Studies
In this Department  Private Applied Study Courses in Performance Catalog  Main Page  General Information   College of Arts and Sciences   Conservatory of Music  Double-Degree Program  Other Links  Course Syllabi  Registrar's Office Office/Departmental Directory  Conservatory Main Page		Private study (PVST) on an instrument or in voice is described in the following paragraphs. Private study in composition is described under Composition, below. The general aim of private instruction in Performance is thorough development in all phases of performing--technique, style, musicianship, interpretation, and repertoire. Assignments to instructors are made by the Associate Dean in the Conservatory, and students usually remain with the same instructor throughout the course of study. Students may not study with teachers not contracted by Oberlin College. A student assigned to Private Study must contact the instructor before the close of the first week of the semester or forfeit his or her spot on the instructor's schedule. Conservatory students are permitted to take one Principal Private Study and one Secondary Private Study, or two Secondary Private Studies, without payment of additional tuition; Arts and Sciences students are permitted to take one Secondary Private Study without payment of additional tuition unless the Private Study increases the student's registered hours to more than 16 per semester. (See "Tuition" in the "Expenses" section at the beginning of this catalog.) College of Arts and Sciences students should refer to the Music section of the Arts and Sciences portion of this catalog for further information on Private Study. Principal Private Study. 60 minutes of private instruction each week, for 3-6 credits per semester. Students majoring in Performance must take Principal Private Study I-VIII; students majoring in Music Education must take Principal Private Study I-VII; students majoring in Music History must take Principal Private Study I-IV. Secondary Private Study. 30 minutes of private instruction each week, for two credits per semester. Secondary Private Study is required for many Conservatory majors and for the Music major in the College of Arts and Sciences. Students with a Secondary Private Study requirement may audition for full or partial waiver of this requirement before the appropriate department when the Secondary Private Study auditions are heard. Secondary Private Study Auditions. Students wishing to take a Secondary Private Study in Performance must demonstrate performance proficiency, by audition before a committee of the applied study department concerned. Auditions are held during the first week of classes each semester. Audition request forms are available from the Conservatory Applied Studies Administrative Assistant (Bibbins 113). Audition results are posted at the beginning of each semester, and prior to registration deadlines, whenever possible. Whether the Secondary Private Study is required or elected, students may continue such study for as many semesters as they choose; however, students who receive an unsatisfactory grade (C+ or below) normally forfeit their place on a teacher's schedule and are required to re-audition if they wish to be considered for subsequent placement on a teaching schedule; under extenuating circumstances a student who has received an unsatisfactory grade may be granted a one-semester probationary period by the faculty member giving or supervising the instruction, in consultation with the Associate Dean in the Conservatory. Students who, of their own volition, discontinue Secondary Private Study for one or more semesters are not guaranteed a future place on a teacher's schedule; students who discontinue Secondary Private Study in Piano for more than one semester are required to re-audition. Assignment to Teaching Schedules. Because all students approved for Secondary Private Study cannot be assigned to faculty schedules, some students may be assigned to study with advanced students under the Supervised Student Teaching program (described earlier in this catalog).
back to top		Private Applied Study Courses in Performance (These courses may be repeated for credit.) Students beginning Private Applied Study in the Conservatory are normally assigned to PVST I, and progress in subsequent semesters through PVST II, III, and so on. Transfer students are assigned to an initial Private Applied Study course based on an audition at the time of entering the Conservatory. Under certain circumstances it is possible for a student to skip a course in the Private Applied Study sequence; to do so requires a recommendation from the applied study department concerned, and the approval of the Associate Dean in the Conservatory. In certain cases a student may be required to repeat one of the Private Applied Study courses in a sequence, again upon the recommendation of the applied study department concerned, and with the approval of the Associate Dean in the Conservatory. Students who complete all the Private Applied Study courses in a sequence, and who continue their applied study at Oberlin, are assigned to the final course in the sequence in each subsequent semester. Principal Private Applied Study in performance is offered in the following instruments: piano, voice, organ, strings (violin, viola, cello, double bass, harp, guitar), woodwinds (flute, oboe, clarinet, saxophone, bassoon), brass (trumpet, horn, trombone, tuba), percussion, early instruments (harpsichord, fortepiano, Baroque violin, Baroque cello, viola da gamba, Baroque flute, recorder, Baroque oboe), jazz performance (bass, drums, guitar, piano, saxophone, trombone, trumpet). Secondary Private Applied Study is offered in all the above instruments. For a list of faculty who teach private applied study, please see the specific department in the section describing undergraduate Conservatory degree programs. Principal Private Applied Study PVST I-X 3-6 hours Freshman and sophomore voice majors and all music education majors must take principal applied study for three hours. In all other majors, students must take a minimum of four hours of principal applied study each semester. Music education majors who are also performance majors must follow the private study requirement for the performance major. Principal Private Applied Study may be elected for five or six hours with the permission of the applied instructor and with the consent of the Associate Dean. Normally, a student elects additional hours of private study during semesters in which additional student preparation time is required for events such as recitals, outside performances, competitions or auditions. The additional credit hour(s) does not imply additional private instruction time. Secondary Private Applied Study PVST I-VIII 2 hours
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