Regulations and Procedures
Individual Studio Study and Performance-Related Policies
Recitals
Enrollment in Individual Instruction
Undergraduate students must be enrolled in individual instruction during the semester (fall, spring, or summer term) during which they perform a junior or senior recital. Any exception requires approval of the student's teacher, the department chair, and the director of undergraduate studies before the recital may be scheduled.
Location
Recitals must take place in public spaces in Bloomington, IN and must be announced to and open to the public. Exceptionally, with the approval of a student’s doctoral advisory committee and the director of graduate studies, one doctoral recital may be performed out of town if attended in person, at the expense of the student, by the faculty member(s) who would ordinarily be present, including the committee chair.
Date
Recitals ordinarily take place during the fall or spring semesters according to deadlines specified in the scheduling policies. Recitals may take place during the summer term if a hearing can be arranged and if faculty members are available to attend the recital.
Hearing
A pre-recital hearing is required for all undergraduate, master’s, and performer diploma recitals, except for composition and conducting recitals. At the discretion of the faculty, other recitals may also be given a hearing. A hearing must be scheduled so that it can be completed and the recital performed within the published deadlines; it is the student’s responsibility to arrange a hearing and to meet the deadlines. Students may perform a hearing in the summer with the approval of the department chair if faculty members are available. A hearing is valid for 60 calendar days.
Repertory
Recital repertory is subject to approval by a student’s teacher or committee following any guidelines published by the department. Appropriate repertory for chamber music recitals is specified by departments. Recital repertory may not be repeated for degree or diploma credit.
Grading
The grade for an undergraduate, master’s, performer diploma, or doctoral minor recital is assigned by the teacher, who hears the recital in person. A composition recital grade is based on an average of the grades of the faculty members who attend the recital. A jazz recital grade is based on an average of the grades of jazz studies department faculty members who attend the recital.
Artist Diploma recitals are attended and graded in person by the three members of a student’s AD committee. If a committee member is unable to attend, he or she and the student must arrange for a substitute from inside or outside the major department, as appropriate.
Doctoral recitals are ordinarily attended and graded in person by the three members of a student’s doctoral advisory committee. The chair must hear the recital in person; exceptionally, in consultation beforehand with the committee chair and the student, a committee member may arrange for a departmental substitute, or to hear a recording of the recital. Recordings, when used, are available in the Music Library.
All recital grades are reported in writing to the director of undergraduate or graduate studies.
Recording
Doctoral and Artist Diploma recitals must be recorded by the Audio Engineering and Sound Production department for the Music Library when they take place in a Jacobs School of Music venue. A recording of equivalent quality must be provided to the Music Library by the student when a Doctoral or Artist Diploma recital is performed in a non-JSoM venue.
Assisting Performers
Recitals may include the participation of no more than 20 assisting performers total. Exceeding this limit will ordinarily be treated as academic misconduct by the recitalist, resulting in a failing grade. All performers must be available for a hearing, if required. Participation by assisting performers must not interfere with their lessons, ensemble assignments, or academic responsibilities without the permission of the affected instructors. Procurement of all assisting performers is the sole responsibility of the student performing the recital.
This rule does not apply to conducting, composition, and jazz studies recitals, for which the use of Jacobs School of Music ensembles or specially assembled groups is permitted with departmental approval. For students in degree programs other than those listed above, the Jacobs School of Music provides many outlets for solo performances with large ensembles, including annual concerto competitions, opera and oratorio solo auditions, the Ad Hoc Recital Lottery, and other opportunities.
Length
The following are the minimum and maximum number of minutes of music for the categories of recitals indicated:
| Minimum | Maximum | |
| Junior (general) | 40 | 50 |
| Brass | 30 | 40 |
| Voice | 30 | 50 |
| Senior (general) | 50 | 60 |
| Brass | 40 | 50 |
| Composition* | 30 | 60 |
| Jazz Studies | 50 | 60 |
| Voice | 40 | 50 |
| Concentration (general) | 25 | 50 |
| Piano | 35 | 50 |
| Woodwinds | 40 | 50 |
| MM (general) | 50 | 60 |
| Brass | 40 | 50 |
| Choral Conducting | 20 | 30 |
| Composition* | 30 | 60 |
| Jazz Studies | 50 | 60 |
| Voice | 40 | 50 |
| DM (general) | 40 | 60 |
| Brass | 40 | 50 |
| Choral Conducting | 40 | 75 |
| Composition* | 45 | 60 |
| Piano | 50 | 60 |
| Piano Final | 60 | 75 |
| String | 40 | 60 |
| String Concerto | 20 | 50 |
| Woodwinds | 50 | 60 |
| Graduate Minor (general) | 25 | 50 |
| Piano | 35 | 50 |
| PDSP (general) | 50 | 60 |
| Brass | 40 | 50 |
| Voice | 40 | 60 |
| PDCM | 50 | 70 |
| PDCP | 50 | 60 |
| AD (general) |
40 | 60 |
| Piano | 50 | 60 |
* For composition students: Student’s own compositions for various media written during residency, with the student participating as a performer or conductor in at least one work.
For students in computer music composition: Student’s own compositions for computer-generated audio playback alone, audio playback with instrument(s), interactive live electronics, or multimedia works with substantial computer music component.
For students in music scoring for visual media: A public presentation of the student’s own compositions for various visual media written during residency, with the student participating as a performer or conductor in live or recorded formats.