Content Loading
Skip to main content
The Bulldog - For the SWOSU Family

Recitals and Concerts

Learning to be an attentive and critical listener is important for those aspiring to be professional musicians. Your attendance at large number of musical performances and listening to many recordings is the only way this skill can be developed. Southwestern’s music department offers a variety of concert and recital experiences, which the faculty expects students to attend.

All full-time music majors must enroll in either RECITAL ATTENDANCE 4900 or RECITAL ATTENDANCE 4901 except for the semester during which education majors are enrolled in student teaching and music therapy majors are enrolled in internship. Majors are required to attend all recitals presented by the faculty of the music department, all group concerts given by department organizations, and all recitals designated by the department as required recitals. Required recitals will usually be those featuring off-campus guest artists. The number of recitals will vary each semester.

Persons choosing music as a minor area of study will have the same requirements for attendance, as do majors during those semesters in which they are enrolled in Recital Attendance.

Departmental Recitals are those sponsored by the music department in which students perform on Wednesday afternoons at 4:00 PM. Signs will be posted in the Music and Fine Arts Buildings before all scheduled concerts and recitals.

A list of required recitals and concerts will be given to each student at the first Department Recital, which will be held on the first Wednesday of the new semester.

ATTENDANCE AND GRADING POLICIES

Your Recital Attendance grade is based primarily upon your attendance as recorded according to the guidelines below. You may not receive the grade of I for Recital Attendance.

  • Persons earning 90% or above of the total number of possible points will receive the grade of A.
  • Persons earning 80% to 89% of the total possible points will receive the grade of B.
  • Persons earning 70% to 79% of the total possible points will receive the grade of C.
  • Persons earning 60% to 69% of the total possible points will receive the grade of D.
  • Persons earning 59% and below of the total number of possible points will receive the grade of F.

Each individual student must negotiate any exceptions to the policy above in writing with the Chair before the end of the first week of class.

Special events, junior and senior recitals may be designated for bonus recital credit. It is the students' responsibility to read notices for these events.

For those students enrolled in 4900 Recital Attendance the grade earned becomes a permanent and visible part of your transcript, but is not computed in establishing your grade point average. Those students enrolled in 4901 Recital Attendance will receive a full hour of credit and a grade, which affects grade point average in the normal manner.

REGISTERING ATTENDANCE AT RECITALS/CONCERTS

Your attendance is recorded only after you have completed the following procedure:

  1. Arrive at least five minutes before the recital begins and check in with the music office worker at the door. If you fail to check in before the recital or concert starts, you will NOT receive credit for attendance.
  2. You must attend or participate in the whole recital or concert. The ushers and music office worker will monitor who leaves during recitals or concerts.
  3. Excused absences may be granted if a “Request to be Excused from Required Concert” form is filed with the Chair 24 hours prior to the recital or concert. Absences at Wednesday Departmental Recitals will not be excused.
  4. You will receive points according to the following:
    • Wednesday afternoon recitals: The first recital: 15 points. (Other Wednesday afternoon recitals: 10 points each.
    • Faculty recitals: 25-30 points each.
    • Concerts: 15 points.
    • Other required recitals and concerts: 15-25 points.
    • Senior recitals and special concerts: 5-15 bonus points.

      These points will be added to your recital attendance points. Off-campus recitals and concerts may be considered for bonus credit if a copy of the program, signed by the student, is presented to the Chair.

CONCERT BEHAVIOR REQUIRED OF ALL STUDENTS

Students who violate these guidelines may not receive credit for that concert or recital. Music majors or minors who bring friends are responsible for seeing that they conform to these policies.

  1. You are to arrive and be seated before the advertised time. If the performance has started you must wait until the first break in the performance before entering the performance area and finding a seat. Do not leave your seat or the hall during the musical performance, unless you are too sick to return to the concert.
  2. You must dress appropriately for all recitals. Attire at concerts and recitals is expected to reflect good taste and professional standards.
  3. Please do not bring infants or very young children to recitals and concerts. If you bring older children you must monitor their behavior so that they do not disturb others. Noisy or crying children must be immediately removed from the hall.
  4. You should give your full attention to the performance. Do not talk, study, text, play games, or read while the performance is in progress.
  5. You may not bring any food, including chewing gum, or liquid (except water) into Music and Fine Arts Buildings or any other performance facility.
  6. Applause is appropriate to express appreciation for the performance. According to established custom applause is welcome only at particular points in a concert or recital.

Recitals

Students in applied music, with the consent of the instructor, may appear on Departmental Recitals and on evening concerts. If you wish to perform on a Wednesday recital you must obtain permission from your instructor, complete the standard recital form and return this form to the music office. Performance space on the Wednesday recital is allotted as these requests are received. Each student should check with the music office on Monday or Tuesday to see if he has been scheduled for Wednesday. Do not assume you will be on the recital you request.

A Senior level recital in one’s major applied area is required of all music majors, except Music Therapy majors, who may, with faculty permission, elect a special project in lieu of the recital requirement. Permission for this recital is given following a “hearing” before at least three members of the appropriate faculty division. A student must be enrolled in the appropriate applied lessons during the semester he performs his Senior Recital.

The faculty may choose the option of requiring a “closed” recital, to which the public may not be invited and which may not be publicized. In this circumstance only members of the family and close friends may attend. This option is not available for performance majors.

In extraordinary circumstances the faculty may recommend to the Chair of the department that the recital requirement be satisfied through other academic or musical avenues.

Senior Recital may be scheduled prior to the “hearing” with consent of the applied teacher. If a recital date is canceled it cannot be scheduled for another time during the same semester.

A student may not schedule any recital without the approval of his private teacher. It is also a common professional courtesy that students not perform publicly as a soloist without the consent of his teacher.
Only degree recitals may be scheduled after the final jury dates. All other recitals must be scheduled before juries in any given semester.

Dates for all campus student and faculty recitals and concerts are reserved and coordinated by the music office. Facilities will be scheduled in departmental buildings on a first-come-first-served basis and in non-departmental, as they are available.

RECITAL PROGRAMS

Programs may be reproduced by the music office if the copy is presented or emailed to the office no later than three days before the recital. If the teacher or student requires that the program be available for proofreading, the copy must be in the office at least one week before the recital.

The music office through the university office of Public Information will disseminate publicity. This office requires a two-week lead for distributing recital and concert information. Persons submitting material on a shorter lead time risk receiving no publicity in area papers.

Faculty and students may arrange for printed programs in campus or area print shops if they wish, at the student’s expense. These programs must use the standard headings and form style established by the faculty.

NOTES IN THE PRINTED PROGRAM

All notes must be submitted in MS Word format, in edited form, using complete sentences. All materials and translations must be researched and accurate. Check the spelling of composers’ names. Do not include thanks or tributes to others.

RECITAL PROGRAM FORM

We want your recital program to be a record of the event, which will not embarrass you in the future. Keep notes brief, accurate, and formal. Use these forms:

This program is presented in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the (Use catalog name of degree) __________________ degree.

Ushers: (List by name or organization)

Your instructor may be listed on the first page in either of the following forms:

  1. Studio of teacher’s name
  2. Teacher’s name, instructor

There is no standard form for listing an instrumentalist. For our department programs instrumentalists should be listed by the name of the instrument without attempt to attach “ist.” A piano accompanist is not an assistant. Pianists are equal partners in the musical event. Do not list them as “accompanist” or “assisted by.”

EXAMPLES:
John Brown, Piano
Cecilia Saint, Soprano
Horst Hare, Violin

All programs must be approved by the teacher and by the Chair before printing.

ROOM SETUP AND USHERS

You are responsible for the room and its appearance. Do not use large flower arrangements. Formal flower arrangements must leave the performance area free and must be placed upon an attractive table—not a music stand. Check your choices with your teacher.

Small flower gifts, if used at all, must be placed at the entrance—do not put small vases or small arrangements at the front of the room. No flowers or other objects of decoration may be placed on any musical instrument, including other pianos in the room or the organ and its bench.

Ushers are responsible for setting up the room for the performance, handing out programs, controlling access to the recital venue when the performer is on stage, turning on and off lights, and setting stage needs during the performance between pieces. It is the ushers responsibility to return the room to the regular “class setting” for the next day if there will not be another performance later the same day.

DRESS AND STAGE PROCEDURES

Formal evening dress is standard for evening recitals. Men may wear white or black tie, but should coordinate. Performers should dress neatly for afternoon recitals. Consult your instructors for their requirements or suggestions.

Recitalists should practice standard procedures for entrance, bowing, acknowledgment of applause, acknowledgment of fellow performers, and timing of exit so that they look confident and pleased.
It is the responsibility of the recitalist to obtain ushers and to arrange chairs in the recital halls. Various music fraternities will sometimes help with this, but their help should not be assumed without previous arrangement.

RECORDING OF RECITALS

The department maintains student workers who will record each recital, subject to the following conditions:

  1. The fee for audio recording only is $15.00. The fee for video recording only is $15.00, DVD NOT included. The fee for both media at the same time is $25.00, recording media NOT included. The recitalist must pay at the time of application and make application at least three days before the recital date. Students giving shorter notice will not be guaranteed a recording. The student in charge of recording is instructed not to set up or record unless the fee has been paid in advance of the recital date.