Individual instruction is offered in voice, piano, organ, strings, woodwinds, brass, percussion, drum set, bass guitar, and guitar. Music majors are required to enroll in applied music lessons each semester.
Each semester will include:
- Thirteen 60-minute lessons
- The one-hour applied lesson must be taken on the student's major instrument or voice. Splitting this requirement into two 30-minute lesson would not fulfill the NASM requirement.
- A jury (on the Monday of each final exam week)
- A minimum of 10 lessons (or roughly 75 percent of the lessons) must be attended by a student in order to receive a passing grade in applied music.
- Incomplete grades will only be given for applied lessons with instructor approval. (Further instruction fees may apply.)
Students are charged an additional instructional fee each semester per credit. Each half-credit reflects 13 30-minute lessons.
Lessons will be made up if the teacher had to be absent or a student was unable to come to a lesson due to extended illness (with the appropriate nurse's or doctor's verification). It is the responsibility of the teacher or student to notify the other in advance if a lesson cannot be attended. Make-up lessons for any other reasons generally will not be given.
Through the second full week of lessons in each semester, students may discontinue study and be charged only for the number of scheduled lessons to date. Any of the lessons missed during the two-week period because of an extended illness will be made up. Any lesson missed because the teacher had to be absent will also be made up. Any lessons missed without a valid reason, as stated above, will not be made up but will still be charged to the student's account.
Students who discontinue lessons after the end of the second week may officially withdraw during the withdraw period. However, they will forfeit the instructional fee charged for the entire semester. The applied teacher will receive the total amount. One exception to this manner of dealing with charges is when students are incapacitated or have an official doctor's order to discontinue study (legitimate examples include a drummer who breaks an arm or a vocalist who develops vocal nodules and must be silent for a significant period of time). Any refund in these special cases will be given only for the remaining weeks of study after the student has met with the applied instructor.
All students enter the applied program at the 100 level. Before being advanced to upper-division study, the student must pass a faculty jury. All applied music students are expected to perform periodically in studio or public recital, but only students who have advanced to upper-division study levels will be permitted to present a half or full recital. These recitals may be given only by permission after the student has performed the recital repertoire in a faculty hearing.
The transfer student and/or a current GFU student who change to a Music major in their sophomore or junior year will still need to complete the 8-hours of applied lesson requirement, in order to prepare for the degree recital(s) and must be enrolled in ensemble(s) immediately.