Friday Recitals
Student recitals will be held on occasional Friday afternoons throughout the year. At the beginning of each semester, the dates for these recitals will be posted in the display case outside of MH 25. These recitals consist of students performing one (or a few) short works, or movements from longer works. The performances are open to the public, but are a little less formal than a full-length recital.
Requirements
All students taking private lessons––majors or not––will play Friday recitals, unless explicitly excused from doing so by the private lesson instructor.
First-year students and sophomores will appear once per school year.
Juniors and seniors will appear once each semester. Seniors need not perform in the semester they play a graduation recital.
Deadlines for signing up are three weeks prior to each recital if you need an assigned accompanist, and one week if you do not need an assigned accompanist – but – space on recitals, particularly at the end of semesters, is limited, and if the recital is full, you might not be permitted to be added to it.
Failure to comply with any of the above will result in you being dropped from the recital. Failure to perform the proper number of recitals will cause your private lesson grade to be lowered.
How to Sign Up
It is your responsibility to sign up for an appropriate number of recital performances, and you sign up with the help of the staff in the music office.
When you sign up, you must provide complete information:
- Name
- Phone number
- Instrument
- Work you will be performing––including movement or song titles, and the full name of the composer.
Forms for signing up (which include a request for an accompanist) are available from the Music Office, or on the bulletin board across from the Music Office.
Appropriate Attire
At the recital itself, keep in mind that dress, deportment, and stage presence are an important part of the experience. Be sure you have spoken with your teacher about these matters before the date of the performance.
See the Music Office staff for information about getting a copy of a recording.
Graduation Recitals
Any music major wishing to do a graduation recital (whether part of a St. Mary’s Project or not) must receive permission of the private instructor and the department chair. You must be prepared to present a large part of your program at the jury in the semester before the recital.
Music major graduation recitals have program notes. These notes are to be written as part of the preparation for the recital and under the supervision of the St. Mary’s Project mentor. An outline of these notes must be submitted at the time of the graduation recital jury (at the end of the semester preceding the recital––see “third assessment” in the St. Mary’s Project Procedural Guidelines section of this handbook. The completed notes must be given final approval by the St. Mary’s Project Seminar instructor one month before the recital date.
Ms. Babcock will normally accompany graduation recitals, although a student may use someone else. Splitting recitals among different accompanists is a possibility, but you must have the agreement of all the participating accompanists to do this. Ms. Babcock will provide rehearsal time according to a pre-determined schedule. Rehearsals beyond this schedule are to be paid for by you.
St. Mary’s Project Information
Non-Graduation and Non-Major Recitals
In some cases, with permission and consent of the private instructor and the department chair, pre-senior music majors or music minors may be permitted to perform a recital. In most cases, these will be less than full-length recitals without program notes.
After permission to do a recital has been granted, you arrange a date for the recital with the staff in the Music Office. These may not be scheduled before the first week of the semester in which they occur––and must be scheduled no less than six weeks prior to the date requested. Keep in mind that the last month of each semester is a particularly busy time for concerts, and the priority for these dates are given to guest performers, student ensembles, faculty performers, and then, graduating senior music majors. A date on which the hall is vacant may not be granted if the week is deemed to be already too busy.
Questions about this should be directed to the department chair.
Expenses
Expenses for these recitals (accompanists, programs, etc.) will be the students’ responsibility. Consult with your private instructor and the department chair for further details.
St. Mary’s Hall
Students performing in St. Mary’s Hall may schedule rehearsal times. Time is limited according to what you will be doing. Rehearsing in St. Mary’s Hall, particularly when you use the pianos there, is NOT to be treated as practice time. It is limited to time necessary to acquaint yourself with the hall (and, for pianists, the instrument). See the Music
Office staff for details.
Programs for all recitals must be turned in (complete in all details) to the Music Office no later than two weeks before the date of the performance.
Appropriate Attire
Dress for recitals will be formal. See the Music Office staff about how to get a copy of a recording.
Major requirements
Music majors are required to attend at least 8 concerts per semester. Non-majors are required to attend at least 4 concerts per semester.
Concerts that count towards attendance requirements will have a sign-up sheet at the entry door of the hall. The lists will be maintained in the music office.
Please consult with the people in the music office for details.