Music Department

Performance & Private Instruction

Performance

Reed attracts many students who are accomplished musicians. Performance activities sponsored by the department are open to all members of the community. A significant percentage of the student body participates in music-making on the campus—as solo players or singers, in chamber music ensembles, or in the ensembles conducted by faculty members. Registration procedures for lessons and ensembles are explained in the class sechedule each term. A number of student recitals and concerts by the ensembles are held each year. The Friday at Four series usually features on each program several students who take private lessons. The chamber orchestra performs a concert in Kaul Audtiorium near the end of each semester; one of these includes a performance with the winner of the annual concerto competition.

The department also helps organize and coach chamber ensembles, which are availabe by audition for students interesting in playing together in small groups. In addition, coaching sessions with members of the music performance staff can sometimes be substituted for private lessons with department approval.

Visit the Performance Gallery, featuring photos from recent Reed performances.

Private Instruction

Reed offers individual instruction in guitar, harpsichord, piano, voice, and all orchestral instruments, as well as jazz and some ethnic instruments. Our teachers, all of whom are accomplished performers, are selected from the best available in the Portland community. Some are members of the Oregon Symphony, the Portland Opera Orchestra, the Portland Baroque Orchestra, and various chamber, jazz and ethnic ensembles in the area, and have appeared as solo artists with these groups.

Visit the Prexy Gallery, featuring photos from rehearsals, lessons, and practice in Prexy.

Our private music instructors include:

Piano practice in Prexy

Reed also has instructors for a variety of Chinese instruments. Instructors of other instruments are added to the staff as need arises.

Fees

Fees for private instruction (Music 101) are $450 each semester for twelve 45-minute lessons; some scholarship aid is available. Private instruction fees are waived for junior and senior music majors, who are expected to enroll in private instruction for at least two of their final four semesters.

Academic Credit for Music Performance

All students participating in music performance courses (Music 101, 104, 105, 107, 108, 109) should register; these courses are graded on a credit/no credit basis. The courses carry variable credit: either one-half course or zero credit for one semester. To qualify for credit, students must have taken or be currently enrolled in a one-unit course at level 111 or above at Reed, for which they can receive two half-units of credit for a music performance course, one-half unit per semester (the only exception is Orchestra, Music 104; see the description below). No more than one-half credit may be earned per semester. A second one-unit course at level 111 or above qualifies the student for another two half-units of credit for music performance. No more than two units may be received for the same music performance course. A third one-unit course at level 111 or above qualifies the student for two more half-units of credit in a different music performance course. These credits in music performance may be used toward the quantity requirement of 30 units for graduation, though not toward the Group A or Group X requirements. If the accompanying classroom course is dropped, credit for music performance must also be relinquished.