During your time here we hope that you will continue with your musical studies and activities, and to help you do just that we offer many ways in which you can participate in music at Stanford. What follows is information about a variety of things in which you might be interested:
Major Requirements and Core Courses
Auditions for Lessons and Ensembles
How to Get Lockers and Practice Room Access
Here are some of our current music students, both majors and non-majors, with whom you can connect to get a sense of life in the department from a student perspective:
Alejandra Martinez, Class of 10, Music and History, vocalist
Lydia Zodda, Class of 11, Music, vocalist
Siqi Mou, Class of 11, Music, Economics, pianist
Nick Hersh, Class of 10, Music, cellist and conductor
Rebecca Sacks, Class of 10, Music and Psychology, vocalist
Ellen Huet, Class of 11, English, flutist
Stephen Henderson, Class of 11, Music, Science, and Technology, guitarist
Phil Mayer, Class of 10, Music, trombone and composition
Anne Levitsky, Class of 11, Medieval Studies and Music, vocalist
If you are interested in possibly majoring in music, consider starting the Music Theory core (Music 21, 22, and 23) in either Fall or Winter quarters of your freshman year. There is a diagnostic test for entrance into Music 21 on the first day of the term that will help you determine if you should begin with Music 21 or Music 19. Check Axess for details on when and where Music 21 meets, and attend the first class to take the diagnostic.
Prospective majors should also know that the Piano Proficiency Test is required of all students who take the theory core. (You will need a SUNet ID and password to access this document.) If you're an experienced pianist, you shouldn't have any trouble passing; if not, plan to take some level of group piano (Music 12A, B, or C) to get those chops ready for the exam.
We have several Freshman IntroSems on offer this year. Taking an IntroSem is a great way to get into a topic in a deep way, without committing to a major yet. Take a look at Music IntroSems for the year and see if anything sounds intriguing.
Come and talk with Nette Worthey in the main office if you want to know more about majoring or minoring. Freshman year is not too early to start thinking about and exploring possible majors!
Our departmental ensembles are open to all students by audition. Check out:
You also might be interested in the chamber music program, jazz combos, brass ensemble, Stanford Improvisation Collective [sic], and other performing opportunities; check the Music offerings in Explore Courses for more info.
At the start of each school year, we hold auditions for all ensembles, chamber groups and combos, and private lessons. This fall, signups for auditions will take place on Thursday–Friday, 17–18 September, and Monday–Tuesday, 20–21 September, in the courtyard of the west wing of Braun Music Center (between Campbell Recital Hall and Braun Rehearsal Hall). Auditions will take place starting on Thursday, 17 September, and will continue during the first week of classes. For specific information on times and places of auditions, or if you have general questions, come by the main office in Braun Music Center (room 101); we’re open Monday through Friday, 8 AM-12 noon and 1-4 PM. You should also check the ensemble websites to see if any of them post audition materials and times.
If you're not sure at what level we expect you to be to take private lessons, look at the Minimum Proficiency Requirements, but remember that the pieces and exercises listed are not what you're expected to play for an audition, but are just to give you a sense of the ability level at which we think you should be plyaing.
If you're planning to practice in Braun, participate in ensembles, or take lessons, you might consider renting a music locker: it's safer than keeping your instrument under your bed; closer to rehersals, performances, and practice rooms; and the building is pretty well regulated in terms of temperature and humidity, so you don't have to worry much about the health of your instrument. We have lockers of many sizes available for Stanford students, but larger lockers (tuba, bass, cello) are limited in quantity, so if you're bringing your bass you might want to get over to our office as soon as you can, because lockers are assigned on a first come, first served basis.
Locker Fees are due at the beginning of the academic year, which allows you to keep your locker to the end of Spring Quarter. You'll need to bring cash or a check with you when you sign up. Be prepared to pay a $20 lock deposit (all lockers use our locks; when you leave for the summer you can turn your lock in and we'll give you the $20 back), and either a $10 or $20 fee for the school year, depending on the size of locker you need.
We have modular practice rooms available on the second floor of Braun Music Center, as well as a few old-school ones in the basement of Dinkelspiel Auditorium, which is accessed through the back of the building (the side away from Tresidder). Anyone with an active Stanford ID can get access to practice rooms, but you need to schedule time, and there is a fee for use to help us keep up with tuning pianos and keeping the rooms in decent order.
Practice Room fees are due at the start of each quarter. The minimum fee is $45 per term, which guarantees you 3 hours of reserved practice time per week. If you find you need to reserve more time, you're welcome to do so; the cost is $15 per additional hour. Again, bring cash or a check with you when you come to sign up. When you sign up, your ID card proximity chip will be activiated, and you will have access via your card to Braun 206 and most of the modules contained therein. If you want to practice in Dink, you will also need to get a key, which requires a $10 deposit.
You can sign up for a practice room or a locker at any time during the quarter, but most students take care of it at the beginning of the school year. Sign-ups at the start of each quarter are in the basement of Dink in room 1; unfortunately we can't announce office hours until our student workers arrive back on campus, so check in with the Main Office in Braun when you get here, and we'll hopefully have some preliminary times. We'll also post Dink office hours on the department website as soon as we can.
Private lessons carry an additional cost of $500 over Stanford tuition, however Friends
of Music at Stanford, the community based fund-raising organization for
the Department of Music, have made funds available to help students with
that cost. Their philosophies are these: that financial concerns should never
prevent a student from taking lessons; and that all students who apply for
financial assistance for lessons should receive at least some support. Students
enrolled in private lessons with our faculty and who are in need of financial
assistance can apply for scholarships each term; scholarship applications
and more detailed information will be outside Braun 101.
Please join us for our annual Welcome BBQ, an event for incoming freshmen with an interest in music, returning undergraduate and graduate students, and Department of Music faculty and staff. The BBQ will be on the lawn behind The Knoll, home of CCRMA (the Center for Computer Research in Music and Acoustics). There will be food, drinks, games, and plenty of camaraderie! Come play on Friday October 2nd at 5:00 PM, meet students, staff, and faculty, and find out what it’s like to participate in music at Stanford. Information about the BBQ will be in front of the main office in Braun Music Center and on the department website.
Department of Music,
Stanford University
541 Lasuen Mall
Stanford, CA 94305-3076
Tel: 650.723.3811
Fax: 650.725.2686
Stephen M. Sano , Chair
Copyright © 2004 Stanford University Department of Music
Website Developer: Jeff Q.
Nguyen (Mus. ‘04)
Webdeacon: William Keats
Banner: Copyright © 2004, Raina Cornejo
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