Student Handbook
The Hurley Student Handbook has content about juries, sophomore assessments, recitals, hearings, ensemble attendance policy, and much more.
Health and Safety
Musicians are like athletes. It's important to keep healthy and avoid performance-related injuries. Performing schedules can put stress on body and mind. Allowing your practice schedule to be irregular ("feast or famine") can stress muscles and membranes. Straining to achieve performing goals will shorten careers. Here are some helpful hints and links to more information for students:
- Plan your vocal or instrumental practice so that it is regular. Doing nothing for three days, then killing yourself in the practice room for hours will not achieve success and can certainly cause strain.
- Realize that getting good rest and keeping your body healthy is a big head start on useful practice and progress in musicianship.
- If something hurts when you practice or perform, there is something wrong. Stop and see your teacher, to figure out how to fix the problem.
- If you are a percussionist, or play a loud instrument, wear hearing protection during long practices in small closed spaces and in loud rehearsal situations. Hearing problems can also occur if you spend hours mixing sound or working with headphones on.
Vocal Health Advice - this site has great basic information on hydration, drugs, GERD, speaking techniques, and other topics of interest to singers. There is also a big list of external links that are fascinating.
Musicians and Injuries - great site with many, many external links. Articles on carpal tunnel, tendinitis, trigger-finger syndrome, TMJ Disorder, and other topics of interest to instrumentalists. There is an extensive reading list with links.
Hearing Care for Musicians - has good basic information about the potential for hearing problems among musicians, and offers some solutions.
Departmental Honors
To be considered for Departmental Honors in Music, students must meet the general College requirements for honors programs. In addition they must:
- Apply to the chair of the department during their junior year.
- Be a music major.
- Hold a 3.5 grade point in the major (3.25 overall).
- Earn two credit hours in Music 491-496: Independent Study. Candidates for Honors will complete a substantial scholarly or artistic project. The results of the project must be either published or presented in a forum such as the Student Research Forum, a professional conference, or a colloquium of Music faculty and students. Artistic presentations must include committee-approved research on the works performed.