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 Office of 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. Sixty minutes of private instruction each
week. Students majoring in Performance must take Principal Private
Study for eight semesters; students majoring in Music Education must
take Principal Private Study for seven semesters; students majoring
in Music History must take Principal Private Study for four semesters;
Music Majors (Performance Emphasis) in the College of Arts and Sciences
must take Principal Private Study for four semesters.
Secondary Private Study. Thirty minutes of private instruction each
week, for two credits per semester. Secondary Private Study is required
for many Conservatory majors and for Music majors in the College
of Arts and Sciences (History-Theory Emphasis). 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 auditioning 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 and
teachers are available; 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).
Private Applied Study Courses in Performance
(These courses may be repeated for credit.)
Performance majors pursuing Private Applied Study in the Conservatory
normally register for lessons each semester in residence. Transfer
students are assigned to a Private Applied Study course sequence
based on an audition at the time of entering the Conservatory. Students
must complete all the Private Applied Study courses in a sequence
as defined by their major.
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 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.