Performance Office Applied Music Requirements
Applied Music
All music students must comply with the requirements outlined below, in addition to their program-specific requirements.
Promoting Inclusive Representation in Music Performances
The Faculty of Music is committed to the inclusion of under‐represented composers in performances by faculty and students and expects to see this meaningfully reflected in the program content of juries and recitals at all levels.
Information for all students taking Applied Lessons
Individual instruction in the student’s major performance medium is an integral part of the core curriculum at the Faculty of Music. Outlined below are the requirements, obligations and expectations to be respected by both the teacher and the student to ensure learning outcomes are successfully accomplished.
Each academic year, students and teachers are required to complete 24 one‐hour lessons (18 for students in the Opera Diploma Program); lessons should be divided equally between the terms.
The student is provided with a Teacher Assignment Form in August before the start of the academic year, to initiate contact with the teacher. This form must be signed by the teacher and submitted to the Performance Office by the date indicated on the form.
Agreement on a schedule of lessons must be established with all the flexibility required on the part of both the teacher and the student to ensure the completion of twelve (nine for the Opera Diploma Program) lessons each term. Ideally, lessons should be scheduled on a weekly basis. If the sessional instructor and student cannot resolve scheduling conflicts, the Associate Dean of Performance will reassign the student to another instructor.
Students who are unable to attend a scheduled lesson and do not inform the teacher at least 24 hours in advance of the missed lesson, are required to provide appropriate documentation to the teacher to explain their absence, in order for a makeup lesson to be scheduled. Absences due to illness or injury must be verified on a University of Toronto Medical Certificate.
If a teacher is unable to reschedule a lesson within the term, then he or she must arrange for a suitable substitute in consultation with the Associate Dean of Performance. The substitute must be a current Faculty member, and the teacher will be responsible for paying the substitute at a rate not higher than the teacher’s own hourly rate of pay.
If the student arrives 15 minutes after the scheduled time, or later, and no contact has been made with the teacher, the student will forfeit the lesson. A forfeited lesson will result in a 10% penalty applied to the term mark by the Performance Office.
If the teacher arrives 15 minutes after the scheduled time, or later, and no contact has been made with the student, the student must contact the Performance Office to ensure a makeup lesson is scheduled.
Interim and final reports are sent to teachers at the end of the first term and second term respectively. Evaluations are expected to be based on the progress of study over 12 (9 for the Opera Diploma Program) lessons each term. The Performance division has created a rubric that provides a description of the University grade scale from a performance perspective. The Guidelines for Applied Term Work Evaluation, found in the Faculty of Music Academic Calendar, should be used in the evaluation process.
The Performance Office is available for clarification and discussion of issues of any kind which may arise concerning applied lessons.
Please direct your inquiries to the Performance Administrator: Eddy Aitken at edna.aitken@utoronto.ca or 416‐978‐3733.
A – to A+
90 - 100%
Excellent
Exceptional performance at a near-professional level; technical mastery, musical maturity and expressiveness. Outstanding progress in lessons. Assigned work completed and thoroughly mastered.
85 – 89%
Outstanding performance; considerable polish, depth of understanding with technical prowess, superior performance values such as tone, intonation, rhythmic integrity and voicing, as applicable. Significant progress shown in lessons. Assigned work completed at a very high standard.
80 – 84%
Very strong musically and technically, demonstrating excellent performance values. Consistent progress throughout the year, and assigned work completed very well.
B – to B+
77 – 79%
Good
Failure (DMA - below 73%)
Evidence of good preparation with technical and musical competence; some imaginative understanding of the repertoire, but lacking the consistent polish of near professional standard. Generally good progress throughout the year. Assigned work undertaken with generally good results.
73 – 76%
A good performance overall with technical and musical competence; some imaginative understanding of the repertoire, but with some technical roughness and inconsistency. Generally good progress throughout the year.
70 – 72%
Reasonable standard of performance with some evidence of a good grasp of the musical and technical challenges but with technical and musical lapses. Good progress overall in lessons, but lacking in consistent improvement. Weekly assignments addressed fairly well.
C – to C+
FZ
67 – 69%
Adequate
(Undergrad)
Failure (Graduate students)
Although this is an adequate standard of performance, there are inherent technical issues which mar the presentation and limited musical expressiveness and communication. The student does not work consistently week to week, not always achieving a good standard on assigned work. The improvement is very inconsistent.
63 – 66%
Adequate but inconsistent performance lacking technical or tonal polish and without a deeper grasp of the music. Some improvement but no steady growth in performance standard. Assigned work often not completed satisfactorily.
60 – 62%
This is a barely adequate performance, with some sign of musical expression but marred by poor technique. There is only a small amount of improvement in the performance standard. Assigned work only sometimes completed.
D – to D+
FZ
57 – 59%
Marginal
(Undergrad)
Failure (Graduate students)
A very weak performance with marginal musical expressiveness and limited technique. Marginal improvement in the standard of performance. Very little progress from lesson to lesson.
53 – 56%
Extremely weak standard of performance with only minimal musical expression and technique. Only marginal improvement shown.
50 – 52%
This is a bare pass with a marginal performance standard. There is almost no improvement in the performance standard and no indication of a serious effort.
F
FZ
0 – 49%
Inadequate
Little or no evidence of even superficial musical or technical grasp of the repertoire. No discernible effort made by the student to complete assigned tasks and no progress shown.
A – to A+
90 – 100%
Excellent
Exceptional performance at a near-professional level; technical mastery, musical maturity and expressiveness.
85 – 89%
Outstanding performance; considerable polish, depth of understanding with technical prowess, superior performance values such as tone, intonation, rhythmic integrity and voicing, as applicable.
80 – 84%
Very strong musically and technically, demonstrating excellent performance values.
B – to B+
77 – 79%
Good
Failure (DMA - below 73%)
Evidence of good preparation with technical and musical competence; some imaginative understanding of the repertoire, but lacking consistent polish.
73 – 76%
A good performance overall with technical and musical competence; some imaginative understanding of the repertoire, but with some technical roughness and inconsistency.
70 – 72%
Reasonable standard of performance with some evidence of a good grasp of the musical and technical challenges but with some technical and musical lapses.
C – to C+
FZ
67 – 69%
Adequate(Undergrad)
Failure (Graduate)
Although this is an adequate standard of performance, there are inherent technical issues which mar the presentation; limited musical expressiveness and communication.
63 – 66%
Adequate but inconsistent performance lacking technical and tonal polish and without a deeper grasp of the music.
60 – 62%
This is a barely adequate performance, with some sign of musical expression but marred by poor technique.
D – to D+
FZ
57 – 59%
Marginal
(Undergrad)
Failure (Graduate)
A very weak performance with marginal musical expressiveness and limited technique.
53 – 56%
Extremely weak standard of performance with only minimal musical expression and technique.
50 – 52%
This is a bare pass with a performance standard only marginally around the pass/fail line.
F
FZ
0 – 49%
Inadequate
Little or no evidence of even superficial musical or technical grasp of the repertoire.
Students are provided with their Applied Teacher Assignment in August, before the start of the academic year. We ask that you get in touch with your assigned teacher as soon as possible, so that you can sort out how and when your applied lessons will be delivered this year. Once you have communicated with your Applied Teacher, please complete the Applied Teacher Assignment Confirmation online form by the requested due date.
Transfers into the Performance (Classical) Degree Program from the Bachelor of Music
Transfers from the Bachelor of Music to the Bachelor of Music in Performance (Classical only) should be made at the end of first year. Transfers at the end of the second year are possible, but are not normally recommended. Transfers into the Performance program beyond the end of second year are not possible. Successful transfer candidates can be placed in either 1st or 2nd year of the Performance program based on the decision of the adjudication panel. In cases of where a student is placed a year behind, the duration of the program will be increased to 5 years.
To Apply: Submit a letter of intent to audition for the Performance program (Classical) by March 15th to the Performance Office. A letter of recommendation from the applied teacher must also be submitted to the Performance Office. There are no exceptions to the deadline. Please e-mail your letter to: performance.music@utoronto.ca
The Process: The student is required to prepare 40 minutes of repertoire at the Performance-degree level corresponding to their year of study. The student will be scheduled for a 20 minute jury/audition during the Spring exam period and be adjudicated at the Performance level corresponding to the year of study being completed. Note that students wishing to transfer into the Piano Performance program must prepare and perform a fast tempo etude.
The results are conveyed to the student in writing by the Performance Office in early May. The student must send an e-mail to the Registrar’s Office by the 30th of June, confirming their acceptance/placement in the Performance program, in order to complete the transfer.
Students who have been placed a year behind, based on their audition, are not able to challenge this decision nor request exemption from a year of study, at a later date.
Transfers into the Performance (Jazz) Degree Program from Jazz Education or Jazz Comprehensive
Transfers from the Bachelor of Music, Jazz Education/Comprehensive to the Bachelor of Music, Jazz Performance should be made at the end of first year. Transfers at the end of the second year are possible, but are not normally recommended. Transfers into the Jazz Performance program beyond the end of second year are not possible. Successful transfer candidates can be placed in either 1st or 2nd year of the Performance program based on the decision of the adjudication panel. In cases of where a student is placed a year behind, the duration of the program will be increased to 5 years.
To Apply: Submit a letter of intent to audition for Jazz Performance by March 15th to the Performance Office. A letter of recommendation from the applied teacher must also be submitted to the Performance Office. There are no exceptions to the deadline. Please e-mail your letter to: performance.music@utoronto.ca
The Process: A first year student is required to prepare 20 tunes and a second year 40 tunes. The student will be scheduled for a 20 minute jury/audition during the Spring exam period and be adjudicated at the Jazz Performance-degree level corresponding to the year of study being completed.
The results are conveyed to the student in writing by the Performance Office in early May. The student must send an e-mail to the Registrar’s Office by the 30th of June, confirming their acceptance/placement in the Jazz Performance program, in order to complete the transfer.
Students who have been placed a year behind, based on their audition, are not able to challenge this decision nor request exemption from a year of study, at a later date.
Transfers into the Jazz Degree Programs from the Classical Degree Programs Or Transfers into the Classical Degree Programs from the Jazz Degree Programs
Students wishing to transfer into the Jazz program from the Classical program or vice versa, are required to apply through the Admissions Officer of the Faculty of Music, by submitting a Music Questionnaire.
Deadline: early January (confirm with the Admissions Office)
Have a Question?
Contact the Performance Office at performance.music@utoronto.ca.
