Student Handbook
For Those Taking
Music
at San Antonio
College
Music and
Humanities Department
San Antonio
College
1300 San Pedro
Ave.
San Antonio,
TX 78212
(210) 486-0255
T A B L E O F C O N T E N T S
MUSIC DEPARTMENT FACULTY AND STAFF
3
ACADEMIC POLICIES AND PROCEDURES
ADVISING AND REGISTRATION .4
Non-Majors
Majors
AUDITIONS .5
Beginners and Beginning Music Readers
Private Lessons
ATTENDANCE 7
Concert/Recital Attendance
Performance Workshops
Performance Labs
Rhythm Clinics
ENSEMBLES 8
JURIES . .. 9
ACADEMIC HONESTY ...9
GRIEVANCE PROCEDURES ..9
ADDITIONAL DEPARTMENT OFFERINGS AND SERVICES
SCHOLARSHIPS .. ....10
ACCOMPANISTS .. 10
TUTORING .. . 10
MUSIC
COMPUTER LAB
..
10
FACILITIES AND SCHEDULING
PRACTICE ROOMS, COMPUTER ROOM, STUDENT LOUNGE ..11
INSTRUMENT
LOCKERS
..11
MUSIC DEPARTMENT FACULTY AND STAFF
Office Staff
Mary Lou Russell , Chair
Rosie Carreon, Senior Secretary
Music Faculty
Mark Alexander, piano,
functional keyboard
Peter Carey, guitar, music
appreciation
Madeline Elizondo, voice
Andrew Gignac, trumpet, Jazz
Ensemble, music theory,
Beth Girko, violin,
Instrumental Chamber Ensemble
Steve Girko, clarinet
Stephen Gollihar, music
theory, music appreciation,
Al Gomez, music theory, music
appreciation
Alice Gomez, percussion,
Estudiantina, Latin Jazz Combo,
David Herbert, oboe
Peter Kline, trombone, euphonium,
tuba, brass
ensemble, music theory, music appreciation
Terry Muska, class guitar, private guitar, guitar
ensemble
Mark Rogers, bassoon
Peter Rubins, horn
Mary Lou Russell, piano, functional keyboard, music appreciation, interim department chair
Becky Walker, voice
Steven Zeserman, double bass
ACADEMIC POLICIES AND PROCEDURES
ADVISING AND
REGISTRATION
NON-MAJORS
Students who are not music majors may enroll in lessons, ensembles, and other
music courses. They may also
qualify for scholarship consideration.
Students interested in taking lessons should make an advising
appointment with Dr. Howard.
Students interested only in ensemble enrollment should consult with the
appropriate ensemble director unless they are enrolling for Concert Choir, Concert
Band, or Estudiantina. For all
inquiries, non-majors are advised to call the department office at 733-2731.
MAJORS
Proper advising is extremely important for music
majors. Students interested in
pursuing the AA in Music degree or preparing to transfer to a 4-year
institution in music should apply to San Antonio College first, then, before registering for classes, schedule an appointment
with Dr. Howard in the department office, preferably well before the
semester begins. Advising
appointments are easily arranged by calling the department office at 733-2731
or emailing at jhoward@accd.edu. Music students are encouraged to work
closely with Dr. Howard throughout their progress in music at SAC, as she will act
as their program advisor.
|
The AA in Music degree plan, which follows the state-mandated Music Field of Study program, consists of: |
|
| 2 years of Music Theory [1] ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------→ | Must be |
| 2 years of Aural Skills --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------→ | taken |
| 2 years of Functional Keyboard --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------→ | concurrently. |
| 2 years of Lessons (major-level) (see p. 5) | |
| 2 years of Ensemble | |
| 2 semesters of Music Literature | |
| ENGL 1301, 1302, and one sophomore-level literature course | |
| MATH 1314 or 1332 | |
| HIST 1301, 1302 | |
| GOVT 2301, 2302 | |
| 3-4 hours of natural science (see catalog for choices) |
Please note: There is no physical education (kinesiology/dance), communications, or computer competency component in the music degree plan.
Other requirements for
the major include performance workshops and labs, rhythm clinics, and recital
attendance. See below under
Attendance for more information.
AUDITIONS
All new students who intend to major in music or who want to take lessons will need to schedule an audition with their upcoming private lesson teacher. This audition is easily arranged during the initial advising session with Dr. Howard, but it may also be planned separately by calling Ms. Carreon in the department office at 733-2731. Following that audition, students are to return to the department office to complete their registration.
Beginners and Beginner Music Readers
Pending availability, the department will accommodate all students who are interested in learning an instrument. Those who are at beginner level or who do not read Western musical notation (guitar tablature does not suffice) should meet with Dr. Howard prior to arranging an audition in order to determine whether an audition is necessary. Beginners or beginner readers on guitar, piano, voice, percussion and recorder will be advised to enroll at a certain level in Class Guitar, Class Piano, Class Voice, Class Percussion and Class Recorder rather than private lesson.
Private Lessons
Only the department office is able to enroll students in private lessons.
The department offers three categories of private lesson:
Beginner/Recreational Lessons MUAP 11__
Non-Major Lessons MUAP 12__
Major-Level Lessons MUAP 12__, 12__, 22__, 22__
Confusingly, the terms Non-major lessons and Major-level lessons do NOT indicate whether a student is a music major, but rather whether a student is performing at college level. Those enrolled in non-major lessons are not yet performing at a level equal to their peers at four-year institutions; those enrolled in major-level lessons have been determined to perform at college level.
In order for a student to progress from beginner to non-major lessons, from non-major lessons to major-level lessons, and from one sequential course to the next within the category of major-level lessons, the instructor teaching the course must give his or her approval. Achieving a passing grade in a certain lesson course does not guarantee progress from one level to the next. Moving from level to level and course to course within the private lesson sequence depends entirely upon the instructors consent based upon his/her impression of a students performance and progress to date. A student does not need to be a music major to take and advance in private lessons. However, in order to graduate with an AA degree in Music, four (4) semesters of major-level lessons are required, in sequence.
PLEASE NOTE
The Following Out-Of-Class Requirements Exist for Students Taking Lessons
Class Piano, Class Guitar, Class Voice, Class Percussion,
and Class Recorder
Attend 3 concerts / recitals from the departments series.
Beginner-Level Lesson (private)
No out-of-class requirements.
Preparatory Lesson (private)
College-Level Lesson (private)
All students taking private lessons must perform a jury at the end of the semester in front of a jury panel of music instructors. See Juries and Accompanists below for more information.
ATTENDANCE
Students are expected to attend all sessions of courses, private lessons and ensembles which they are registered. The same applies to performance workshops and labs, rhythm clinics, and a prescribed number of concerts, all of which contribute to the music degree plan. Attendance policies for all music courses are defined in the individual syllabi distributed at the beginning of the semester, and it is the responsibility of the student to become familiar and comply with the policies of each class for which they are registered. San Antonio College policy allows instructors to drop students who have missed the equivalent of 2 weeks worth of classes.
Please note: a student who makes below a C in an ensemble course is not eligible to take private lessons the following semester, and poor attendance in lessons and ensembles generally disqualifies a student from the renewal of any music scholarship.
Concert/Recital Attendance is required of all students who are enrolled in a non-beginner private lesson course. Recital Attendance (MUSI 0001) is itself a non-credit Pass/Fail course. Students who attend at least FOUR (4) concerts or recitals from the departments semester schedule will receive a P for pass; those who attend three or fewer will receive an F for fail. Please note: arriving even slightly late to a performance in McAllister Auditorium may result in a student not receiving attendance credit. Students are strongly advised to be very prompt for all recitals and concerts for which they intend to receive attendance credit.
Current concert/recital schedules are available in the
department office. Performances
take place at different times during the day and evening throughout the
semester, and all but one (the Fall Faculty Follies event) is free of charge
and open to the public. Please
note: Performing in ensembles does not count toward attendance
credit. If a student is
enrolled in more than two ensembles, they are advised to consult with Dr.
Howard at the beginning of the semester to obtain additional consideration.
Performance Workshops
occur on seven (7) Fridays during the semester at 12:00noon in McAllister
Auditorium. All students who are
enrolled in non-beginner private lesson courses are required to attend. Attending these workshops
comprises 10% of a students private lesson grade. Students are advised not to schedule
any courses that will conflict with this Friday 12:00noon requirement. If problems in scheduling occur in
accommodating the workshops, students are to contact Dr. Howard at the time of
registration, before the start of the semester. Each semesters performance workshop schedule is posted
outside the department office.
Performance Labs take place on the remaining Fridays during the semester at 12:00noon.
Rhythm Clinics contribute to the Music Theory I course, and a students performance in these clinics constitutes 10% of the Theory I grade. In the fall semester, rhythm clinics take place on Mondays from 9:00-9:50am or on Tuesdays from 8:25-9:15am in McAllister Building room 121 (the band hall). One of these session times will conflict with students Aural Skills I classes; the session which does not conflict is the one that the student is required to attend. Students are advised not to schedule any courses that will conflict with this required clinic.
ENSEMBLES
Students need not be music majors to enroll in ensembles and receive scholarship consideration for performing in them. Students who are enrolled in non-beginner private lessons are required to perform in at least one college ensemble. Students following the AA in Music degree plan need four (4) semesters of ensemble to graduate. In a given semester, students may select any ensemble to fulfill these requirements; however, ensembles that utilize ones primary instrument constitute the most suitable choices. Furthermore, certain ensembles require an audition or a conference with the ensemble director prior to registration (marked below with a *). If a student is an absolute beginner on their instrument or does not read Western notation, he/she should enroll in Concert Choir or, possibly, Estudiantina. Keyboard majors typically enroll in Concert Choir.
SAC Ensembles
Concert Band (MUEN 1121). Meets MWF 1-1:50pm
Concert Choir (MUEN 1141). Meets MWF 1-1:50pm
*Guitar Ensemble (MUEN 1133). Meets MWF 1-1:50pm
*Jazz Ensemble (MUEN 1122). Meets TR 1:40-2:55pm
*Latin Jazz Ensemble (MUEN 1123). Meets TR 12:15-1:30pm
*Instrumental Chamber Ensemble (MUEN 1132). Meets T 6:00-9:00pm
Estudiantina (MUEN 1135). Meets TR 1:40-2:55pm
*Early Music Ensemble (MUEN 1131). Meets TR 12:15-1:30pm
*Brass Ensemble (MUEN 1134). Meets MWF 2-2:50pm
*Chamber Singers (MUEN 1151). Meets TR 12:15-1:30pm
JURIES
All private lesson students must perform a final jury, complete with piano accompaniment
(if appropriate) (see Accompanists below). Final juries take place during SAC Finals
Week. Sign-up sheets for juries are
posted across from the department office at least a week prior to finals
week. It is the students
responsibility to sign up for an appropriate slot and inform the department
immediately if there is any conflict.
No-shows at juries result in a final grade of F for the lesson course.
Juries are performed before a jury panel of no fewer than three (3) faculty members, including the students primary teacher. Sight-reading, scales, and repertoire constitute the material to be performed. Syllabi for lessons courses provide students with more detail concerning specific expectations for final juries.
For non-beginner lessons, juries compose 45% of the final course grade.
For beginner lessons, juries compose 50% of the final course grade.
For some instruments, juries are also performed during mid-term. These take place in addition to final juries.
ACADEMIC HONESTY
All students within the college and the Department of Music are expected and encouraged to contribute to an atmosphere of high ethical standards, observing all accepted principles of academic honesty. Academic dishonesty is a violation of the colleges Student Code of Conduct, and includes, but is not limited to, cheating on exams, tests, quizzes, plagiarism, and collusion.
Specific information concerning procedures and penalties for scholastic dishonesty may be found in the Student Code of Conduct, located in the SAC Student Handbook or the current SAC Bulletin.
GRIEVANCE PROCEDURES
Students who have an academic or a non-academic grievance against the college (its administration, staff, or faculty) are advised that San Antonio College has established formal grievance procedures, which are outlined clearly in the SAC Student Handbook or the current SAC Bulletin.
In general, the department advises that students attempt to resolve the issue promptly with the faculty instructor. If the grievance cannot be resolved in this manner or if the student is uncomfortable approaching the instructor, he/she is advised to immediately request a conference with the Chair of the Department (Dr. Jessica Howard). This conference may be informal or may result in the initiation of a formal grievance, assuming that the appropriate conditions are met (see SAC Student Handbook or the current SAC Bulletin). If the student is not satisfied with the outcome of an academic grievance at the department level, they may pursue their complaint through the Dean of Arts and Sciences.
ADDITIONAL DEPARTMENT OFFERINGS AND SERVICES
SCHOLARSHIPS
The department offers scholarships to students determined largely on the basis of service and merit. At a minimum, scholarships are awarded to students enrolled in major-level lessons and to those who have demonstrated a significant and ongoing commitment to ensemble work. Satisfactory progress in lessons and ensemble is required for consideration of scholarship renewal in future semesters. Questions regarding scholarships may be directed to Dr. Howard.
ACCOMPANISTS
The music department provides or subsidizes piano accompanists for choral ensembles, certain competitions, the Student Honors Recital, juries, and performance workshops and labs and their preparation.
Students taking major-level private lessons are required to perform at least once in the departments performance workshops. They will be able to rehearse with an accompanist prior to the workshop and perform with an accompanist during the event. The accompanists or the department office will coordinate sign-ups for rehearsals.
The department provides piano accompaniment for juries, if it is needed. Students will be able to rehearse with their jury accompanist at least once prior to the jury. The department office or the accompanist will coordinate sign-ups for rehearsals.
TUTORING
Tutoring is provided free of charge for students who are enrolled in Introduction to Music Theory, Music Theory I, and Functional Keyboard I. Times and places of tutoring sessions are posted at the beginning of each semester outside the department office.
MUSIC COMPUTER LAB
In practice room 102A in McAllister, the department provides two PCs with music software for student use, complete with printers. Software on the computers consists of:
There is no internet connectivity on these computers. Students are to use the PCs exclusively
for academic work.
FACILITIES AND SCHEDULING
The department of music at SAC utilizes two buildings: McAllister Fine Arts Building (which
contains the auditorium) and Bennett Music Hall, a white, 2-storied house just
east of McAllister, also on W. Courtland street. McFA in the course schedule refers to McAllister, and MH
refers to the Bennett Music Hall.
PRACTICE ROOMS,
COMPUTER ROOM, STUDENT LOUNGE
The practice rooms, the computer room, and the student lounge are all located across the hallway from the department office behind the door labeled 102 (McAllister Fine Arts Building). Food, beverages, and smoking are prohibited in all these areas. Hours of use for the practice rooms and student lounge are 7:30am – 6:00pm during the work week. The computer room is available during department office hours (typically 7:30am-4:30pm during the work week).
INSTRUMENT LOCKERS
A limited number of student lockers exist across the hallway from the department office. Lockers are assigned by the office on a first come, first-served basis. Students must provide their own locks and are advised to leave belongings in the lockers at their own risk.
Students are advised to maintain insurance on their instruments in these lockers, as thefts do occur and the college does not reimburse for loss.
MISSION STATEMENT
Music and Humanities Department
San Antonio College
The department shall provide instruction in Music and Humanities survey courses for students in our community who are interested in furthering their interests, talents, or job skills, or who are preparing to earn an academic degree. Courses are designed to develop life-long learning skills and the disciplines are taught utilizing historical, cultural, analytical, physiological, artistic and experiential approaches. The department contributes and teaches public service through a regular series of recitals and concerts provided to the community free of charge and involving students.
In keeping with the Mission Statement of San Antonio College (http://www.accd.edu/sac/sacmain/html/mission.htm)
and the Vision Statement of the Alamo Community College District (http://www.accd.edu/sac/instplan/FISCAL00.PLN/Accdmiss.pdf),
the GOALS of
this department are to provide the following:
1. Transfer level courses for students who are pursuing an Associate of Arts Degree, or who otherwise are planning to transfer to a four-year college or university, such as an articulated transfer plan;
2. Courses in support of other departments and programs at San Antonio College;
3. Multi-cultural learning opportunities such as courses with an "Internationalized Curriculum";
4. Curricula, including selection of textbooks, that promote global awareness;
5. Service-learning opportunities in applicable courses which encourage civic and community responsibility;
6. Innovative approaches to teaching that strengthen critical thinking skills, promote active and collaborative learning, and aid in communication and interpretation of material;
7. Alternative class offerings via the Internet for students with non-traditional schedules;
8. The utilization of new and emerging technologies such as multi-media instructional aids that address the diverse learning styles of the colleges multicultural student population;
9. Student support through a learning lab with music software and specialized academic planning for students pursuing careers in music; and
10. An
environment that fosters the professional and personal development of faculty
and staff.
[1] Students are required to pass an entrance exam in order to enroll in Music Theory I; those who do not pass are enrolled in MUSI 1301: Introduction to Music Theory and their progress in Music Theory, Aural Skills, and Functional Keyboard is delayed by one semester as a result. Students are advised that Introduction to Music Theory is offered in both Summer I and Summer II sessions at SAC prior to each fall semester.