Illinois Wesleyan: School of Music Academic Policies

ACADEMIC POLICIES & PROCEDURES

Academic Advising
Class Attendance Policies
Individual Private Lessons
Secondary Instruments
Jury Examination
Convocation Attendance
Recital Attendance Requirement
Ensemble Participation
Admission to Upper Division Study
        Music Education
        BME Upper Division Interview
Recitals
        Performance Requirements
        Upper Division Recital Scheduling
        Printing of Recital Programs
        Recording of Recital Performances
        Selection Guidelines for Honor Recitalists
        Procedure for Honor Recitals
Concerto/Aria Guidelines
Honors in Music Composition
Copyright

ACADEMIC ADVISING

Music majors are assigned to a member of the music faculty for academic advising. All first-year students on campus will be assigned a "First-Year Faculty Advisor" from the faculty-at-large. In addition, first-year music majors will have a "First-Year Music Mentor.” The advisor/ mentor will help you plan your course of study, check to make sure you are meeting all degree requirements, and monitor your progress in the degree program you have chosen. Please see your advisor/ mentor as often as needed. Your advisor will help you when possible, but the final responsibility for planning, enrolling, completing, and succeeding in your academic program is up to you.

First-year students are assigned to a music faculty mentor following summer registration and keep these mentors through their sophomore year. During the first semester of the sophomore year, students must make application for "Admission to Upper Division Study." When the student has been approved for admission, a new School of Music advisor may be assigned to assist the student in completing the appropriate degree program.

Mentors and advisors are assigned by the Director of the School of Music. If you wish to request a change of advisor/ mentor, please make an appointment with the Director to discuss your request.

CLASS ATTENDANCE POLICIES

Class attendance policies will be established by each faculty member and will be made clear to each student at the beginning of the semester. Students are responsible for acquainting themselves thoroughly with these policies and for notifying faculty members if an absence is necessary. Faculty members are not obligated to accept late assignments or to permit late examinations resulting from unexcused absences.

INDIVIDUAL PRIVATE LESSONS

Applied music lessons are arranged with the appropriate faculty member. The B.M and B.M.E. curriculum includes one hour of private instruction per week; the B.A. curriculum provides 1/2 hour. The expectation for an "hour" lesson is fifty minutes of contact time, which conforms to the classroom lecture period. The primary goal of applied music study is the development of skills for interpretation and personal expression.

The B.A. degree candidate in music may request hour lessons only after successful completion of the first term of Applied Studio. If this request is approved, the student must pay for the additional 30 minutes. The B.A. degree candidate in music may request an accompanist for 60 minutes per week (rather than the provided 30-minutes per week) only after successful completion of the first term of Applied Studio. If this request is approved, the student must pay for the additional 30 minutes of accompanying. The student must have the approval of her/his applied studio instructor and the applied jury.

Private lesson attendance policies will be made clear to each student by the instructor. A student must notify the teacher in advance if a scheduled lesson time cannot be kept. A missed lesson may be recorded as a failing grade by the teacher. Except in documented cases of illness, the student should not expect the teacher to grant a make-up lesson.

Recital attendance will be considered a part of the Applied Studio grade. A deficiency in recital points will result in a grade of Incomplete for the applied lesson. The points must be made up the next semester. Once the concert attendance point requirement is met, the Applied Lesson grade will be based solely on the quality of work done in the lessons. See below for more details regarding Recital Attendance.

SECONDARY INSTRUMENT

Once admitted to upper division study (see page 18), a student may request that the applied music requirements be split between two or more band or orchestral instruments. Such a request requires the approval of the instrumental faculty.

Minor lessons which are degree requirements (for example, for performance majors) are included in your tuition. However, once the requirement has been fulfilled, as in the case of a BM candidate accumulating the necessary single unit of applied minor study, all additional minor lessons will be charged an additional fee, ($300.00/semester for 2005-2006). Lessons taken by music majors as electives are also assessed the fee. The BME degree does not require minor applied study; consequently, BME students must pay the additional fee for applied minor lessons.

JURY EXAMINATIONS

Final examinations in applied music are held at the end of each semester. They are performed before a jury of music faculty representing each applied music area (piano, voice, strings, winds, and percussion).

Juries are generally 10-20 minutes in length on the principal instrument and 5-10 minutes on the secondary instrument. Juries are scheduled by each department prior to final exam week. Students should check appropriate times with their applied teacher and their accompanist before signing up for an exam time.

Each student must fill out an Applied Music Report, available from the Music Office, prior to the jury. This sheet is given to the jury prior to the exam performance.

Applied music semester final grades are determined by the applied instructor (2/3) and by the jury grade given by the departmental faculty (1/3).

CONVOCATION ATTENDANCE

The School of Music as a whole meets nearly every Thursday afternoon at 4:00 in Westbrook Auditorium for Convocation. Each week’s program is posted at the doors and on bulletin boards in Presser Hall.

It is very important that students not schedule other activities during Convocation time. Attendance at Convocation is required. Attendance slips are distributed at the door at each convocation, and must be turned in at the School of Music Office immediately after convocation each week.

RECITAL ATTENDANCE REQUIREMENT

Attendance at recitals and concerts is an integral component of music study. The School of Music faculty believes that it is of vital importance for its students to broaden their listening experience by attending as many live musical performances as possible.

Intense work in specialized areas tends to isolate the music student from the work of other musicians. Attendance at musical performances provides opportunities for several different learning experiences, including:

inspiration for personal work and progress
observation of other performing media and techniques
observation of the importance of projection and communication
observation of performance attitudes (stage presence and deportment)
experience with the repertoire of various instruments and voices
introduction to the works and styles of many composers
examples of high performance standards, helpful as students prepare graduate school auditions or compete in national and international job markets

Attendance by music majors at School of Music events fosters pride in peer accomplishments, which improves morale, provides peer support and thereby contributes to a more effective learning environment.

For these reasons, all students enrolled as degree candidates in the School of Music are required to attend a selection of concerts and recitals each semester in order to meet graduation requirements established by the School of Music faculty. Attendance is verified by enrollment in a non-credit course, Music 15X: Experiencing the Live Performance of Concert Repertoire, each semester until the student accumulates the appropriate number of semesters for his/her degree program:

A. Number of Semesters Required

BM in Performance or Composition – seven semesters
BME or BA in Music – six semesters
Minor in Music – four semesters

MUS 15X is a pass/fail class and an incomplete will not be given.

Students who are participating in study abroad programs, off-campus internships, etc. will be exempt from this requirement during the semester of that experience.

NOTE to current sophomores, juniors and seniors: For every semester prior to Fall ’06 during which you have received a grade for major applied lessons, you will be excused from one semester of this requirement. Beginning in the Fall of 2006, enrolling in major lessons will no longer also count as a semester of Music 15X.

B. Number of Events Required
In order to receive a passing grade in Music 15X, students will be expected to attend a total of twelve (12) concerts or recitals during the semester enrolled.

A maximum of two (2) off-campus performances per semester, presented by professional musicians or touring companies only, will be permitted. Student recitals, concerts or productions at other institutions do not qualify. Students must present a ticket stub, printed program, or similar documentation as proof of attendance at off-campus events.

NOTE: Participation in a performance does not count toward the attendance requirement.

C. Monitoring of Concert and Recital Attendance
A faculty monitor will be present at each School of Music event that fullfills the requirement for Music 15X. It is the student's responsibility to obtain a Recital/Concert Attendance slip from the monitor before the beginning of the event. (No slips will be distributed after the concert hall doors close.)

Immediately after the performance, the student must return the slip to the faculty monitor, who will submit them to the Music Office, where attendance will be recorded. ONLY SLIPS RECEIVED FROM THE FACULTY MONITOR WILL BE RECORDED.

Attendance records will be maintained in the Music Office. The chair of the Recital Committee will be the Instructor of record for MUS 15X. Students may check the status of their concert/recital attendance record by asking at the Music Office.

D. Incompletes from semesters prior to Fall 06
In semesters prior to Fall 06, recital attendance is considered a requisite for the Applied Studio grade. Students with a grade of Incomplete due to a deficiency in recital points will be required to complete the attendance requirement under the system of reports and 1- or 2-point values in effect during Spring 06. Details are available in the 05-06 School of Music Student Handbook, available from the Music Office. Report forms will be available at the Music Office window, and must be turned in to the Recital Monitor at the time of the performance.

No student will receive a degree from the School of Music without fulfilling the concert/recital attendance requirement!

ENSEMBLE PARTICIPATION

All full-time music majors are required to enroll in one ensemble for credit each semester. Exemptions from this requirement include part-time students (enrolled for fewer than 3 course units) and Music Education students during the semester they are student teaching. The faculty reserves the right to assign students to ensembles in which their participation may be considered essential to the student's specific career goal, degree program, and/or educational needs.

A student may elect to enroll in more than one ensemble. However, only one ensemble per semester may be taken for credit (1/4 course unit). Additional ensembles may be taken for no credit (course number followed by an "X"); a grade will be recorded on the transcript to indicate participation in the ensemble. Students are not allowed to 'audit' ensembles. All ensemble participation is graded, and regular attendance is mandatory.

To satisfy the ensemble participation requirement, a student must enroll in one major ensemble each semester, to be selected from Collegiate Choir, University Choir, Illinois Wesleyan Civic Orchestra, Symphonic Winds or Wind Ensemble. Piano majors may meet the ensemble requirement by enrolling in Chamber Music-Accompanying (Music 031-1). Students are also encouraged to audition for and participate in other university ensembles such as Titan Band*, Jazz Ensemble, Jazz Lab Band, and Chamber Singers, as well as woodwind, string, choral and piano ensembles.

Students are urged to continue a commitment to a given ensemble through the full academic year. Most ensemble directors expect that students enrolled for Fall Semester will continue to participate in the Spring Semester as well.

*Titan Band is an ensemble for wind and percussion players, which performs at university athletic events. Eligible students may receive work-study pay for playing in Titan Band. Titan Band is a required ensemble for a minimum of two seasons for all wind and percussion instrumental Music Education majors (each season usually begins in late August and runs through the first half of March; however, students should register only for the fall semester.) NOTE: Titan Band does not fulfill the ensemble requirement for music majors. Exemptions from playing in the Titan Band will be determined by Ed Risinger, Director of the Titan Band, and Dr. Pelusi, Director of the School of Music.

ADMISSION TO UPPER DIVISION STUDY

Each degree program is divided into an upper and a lower division; initial acceptance into the School of Music does not guarantee acceptance into the upper division.

The lower division core curriculum for all music majors encompasses the freshman and sophomore years and is comprised of: (1) specified courses in the liberal arts, (2) basic musicianship sequence, (3) applied study in the major and/or minor instrument, and (4) performing ensembles.

In the sophomore year, the student begins to explore those areas of study which are supportive of the intended major area in music (e.g., performance and music education) in anticipation of admission to upper division study leading toward a specific music degree. During the sophomore year, students make formal application for admission to upper division study in music. At that time each student's record in both liberal arts and music courses is evaluated in terms of the quality and appropriateness of work completed to date in relation to the major area in which degree candidacy is sought.

MUSIC EDUCATION

Students who wish to pursue the Bachelor of Music Education degree must make formal application for admission to the Teacher Education program no later than the fall semester of their Sophomore year. Application forms are available in the Teacher Education Office in Holmes Hall.

Also required is a personal interview with Music Education faculty Various materials are available explaining course and observation requirements.

BME UPPER DIVISION INTERVIEW

The Upper division BME interview will be given during the spring semester of the sophomore year. Music education students must successfully pass all portions of the exam (and the applied upper division jury) for admittance to the Teacher Education Program and to upper division status within the BME program. If a student is deficient on any portion of the exam, a remedial plan will be devised (by the MTAC committee in consultation with the Director of the School of Music) and one semester of probation (fall, junior year) will be granted. Students may enroll in MUS332 during the probationary semester. If significant progress has not occurred at the end of the probationary semester, which will be determined by a second (and final) examination and interview, the student will not be permitted to enroll in MUS333, MUS497A, or MUS427, and a change of major will be recommended.

The interview consists of five major areas: musical competencies, writing skills, professional qualities, personal qualities, and academic skills. In addition, the student must write a brief essay (maximum two pages) articulating reasons he/she wishes to be a music educator. The essay should include unique characteristics the candidate has to offer to the music education profession and a personal philosophy of music education.

Musical competencies include the following: score reading, descriptive analysis of musical style, sight-singing in major and/or minor keys, singing/identifying all intervals to the octave, solfeggio skills, theory, performance practices and knowledge of major field repertoire (band, orchestral, or vocal), history, style periods, and performance skills acceptable for upper division status.

RECITALS

RECITAL PERFORMANCE REQUIREMENTS

All students pursuing the Bachelor of Music degree in Performance must present both a Junior and a Senior recital of acceptable quality for completion of applied music requirements. Students pursuing the BM degree in Composition present a public recital of original works during their Senior year.

Bachelor of Music Education and Bachelor of Arts students are encouraged to perform Junior and Senior recitals upon approval of their major applied teacher. However, such recitals are not required for any of these degrees.

All music majors are required to participate in studio class and departmental recitals scheduled for their performing area. Other performance opportunities include Convocations, Departmental Recitals, and repertory classes.

UPPER-DIVISION RECITAL SCHEDULING

Students planning a recital should obtain a Recital Packet from the School of Music Office. It contains information on procedures, as well as the forms needed to reserve date and location, and arrange for recording, program printing, stage set-up and piano service (if needed).

Westbrook Auditorium is considered the venue of choice for upper-division (Junior and Senior) recitals, but use of other spaces on campus is permitted. Special arrangements must be made for venues other than Westbrook (see step 3 in the "Upper-Division Recital Sign-Up Procedures" listed below).

Recital Times for All Venues

All School of Music events are scheduled to take place during the following times only. Simultaneous events are not permitted, regardless of venue.

Tuesday, 8:00 pm (Spring semester only)
Thursday, 8:00 pm
Friday, 7:30 pm
Saturday, 11:00 am, 1:00, 3:00, 5:00 and 7:30 p.m.
Sunday, 1:00, 3:00 and 5:00 p.m.

The last possible recital date in any semester is the Sunday before Reading Day.

Students performing required recital will have priority in choosing recital dates. Dates after Spring Break will be reserved for required recitals, until the 5th week of the Spring semester.

Student recitals are not scheduled during May Term unless they are related to May Term coursework.

Senior Recitals may be presented as solo or shared programs, as approved by the major applied teachers involved. The entire program is not to exceed 80 minutes (including intermission).

Junior Recitals must be shared by two Juniors; students unable to find a partner should contact their applied teacher for help. The entire program is not to exceed 80 minutes, and no intermission should take place.

Students may petition for exceptions to the above policies, using the Student Recital Petition Form available from the Music Office. Exceptions must first be approved by the applied Department and then by the Recital Committee before the recital can be scheduled. Petitions are considered on an individual basis; the granting of any given petition cannot be assumed

Upper Division Recital Sign-up Procedures

Sign-up for required recitals will begin during the last 2 weeks of the semester prior to the semester in which the recital will take place. Students planning Fall recitals may continue signing up on Monday, August 29, 2005. Seniors and Juniors performing required recitals will have priority in choice of date and time. Details will be posted on bulletin boards in Presser Hall.

Seniors planning required recitals for Spring, 2007 may begin sign-up on November 27, 2006. Juniors planning required recitals for Spring, 2007 may sign up beginning December 4, 2006. Changes in Spring required recitals may be made during the first week of the Spring semester. Students planning non-required upper-division recitals during the Spring semester may begin scheduling their recitals on January 15, 2007. Recital times after Spring break will be reserved for required recitals until February 5. After that date, any upper-division student may reserve any available recital date and time.

To schedule an upper-division recital:

Plan your recital with your applied teacher, including several choices of date and time. Juniors must find a fellow-Junior with whom to share the recital.
Before the scheduling period begins, obtain a Student Recital Request Form from the School of Music Office. Complete the form by choosing 3 dates and/or times and obtaining signatures from your teacher and accompanist.
If planning to use a space other than Westbrook, you must reserve the space with other administrators (for example, reserve Evelyn Chapel through the Registrar's office). Keep in mind, different spaces will have different requirements for set-up and availability.
Bring your completed Recital Request Form to the School of Music office on or after the designated scheduling date. Your recital will be entered into the calendar on a space-available basis. In case of conflict, your recital will not be scheduled, even on a tentative basis, until the conflict is resolved. Only office personnel may enter recitals on the calendar.

PRINTING OF RECITAL PROGRAMS

The School of Music will furnish printed programs for all official recitals and concerts. Program information must be submitted at least two weeks prior to your recital date. The Music Office will assume the cost of printing the program and notes if they are submitted on time and conform to a standard layout. Otherwise, the student will be responsible for having his or her programs printed. The program, notes and translations may be submitted on a disk, or through e-mail, using Microsoft Word. Programs furnished by the School of Music will be of a standard format, as outlined in the Recital Packet. Students are permitted to use other formats for their programs, but will be responsible for the cost and production of non-standard programs. See Information in the Recital Packet, available in the Music Office, for details.

RECORDING OF RECITAL PERFORMANCES

Student Recitals are recorded only by request. To have your recital recorded, you must complete the recording request form (available in the Music Office) and submit it with the recording fee no later than two weeks prior to your recital. Any late requests for recording cannot be guaranteed.

One archival copy of the recital may be ordered, in CD format, through the School of Music office. Recital CD’s cost $20 (which includes the recording and editing fee) for the initial CD, $12 for additional copies. Ensemble recordings will cost $12 each. Mechanical licenses are required for multiple CD’s; see the following important Copyright information. (NOTE: The mechanical license is not needed to record your recital; it is only needed if you want to make multiple copies). Order forms and fee information for additional services are available in the School of Music office.

To request a recording of your recital:

Complete the Recording Request form, including title and length of each piece, and submit it with your recital program.
Submit the completed form, and all appropriate fees to the Music Office at least two weeks prior to the performance.
The recital will be recorded and the archival copy made by the Recording Studio.
Completed archival recordings will be available in the School of Music Office approximately two weeks after the performance.

SELECTION GUIDELINES FOR HONOR RECITALISTS

A senior student, with approval of the major applied teacher, may request designation of their senior recital as an Honor Recital. The student must first request a preliminary screening by the relevant department. Departments will recommend only well-prepared students whose level of performance and repertoire meet standards for Honor Recitals as established by the faculty. Once recommended by the individual departments, Honor Recital candidates will perform an audition for the entire faculty, whose vote determines which recitals will receive the Honors designation.

It is expected that the student's audition will be presented in a professional manner and show a high level of musicianship. The audition itself will be the sole determining factor in the judgment of the faculty. Emphasis will be placed on the student's ability to present a recital worthy of the distinction of being named Honor Recitalist.

PROCEDURE FOR HONOR RECITALS

Honor Recital auditions are scheduled near the middle of each semester. Students may audition on either date except that B.M.E. students may not audition during their student-teaching semester. Honor Recital auditions take place during the regular School of Music Convocation time; audition dates are posted in conjunction with the Convocation Schedule.
Students interested in auditioning must submit their entire proposed Senior Recital program to their department head at least 2 weeks before the final audition. Exact timings for each distinct portion of the program must be specified (e.g. each movement, song, or any other major division(s) applicable to the listed repertoire).
A departmental screening will be held no later than one week prior to the Honor Recital auditions. Excerpts to be performed at the screening will be chosen by the department faculty. Students will be informed of the excerpts to be performed one day before the scheduled screening. Students will not be recommended for Honor Recital auditions if more than one dissenting vote is cast by the departmental faculty.
Those students recommended by their department will perform a 20-minute audition for the entire School of Music faculty. The audition will consist of excerpts from the senior recital program, chosen by the faculty. Students will be informed of the excerpts to be performed one day before the audition.
Faculty voting is by secret ballot. An auditionee must receive affirmative votes from at least two-thirds of the faculty present in order to be named an Honor Recitalist. Tallies will be made immediately following the auditions by the Recital Committee. The names of those students selected for Honor Recital distinction will be posted as soon as votes are tallied.

CONCERTO/ARIA GUIDELINES

Each year, the Illinois Wesleyan Civic Orchestra showcases the School of Music's finest soloists in the annual Concerto-Aria concert, now known as the Henry Charles Memorial Concert. Soloists are chosen by audition, according to the following guidelines:

Auditions are held during the fall semester. Audition dates and details will be posted on School of Music bulletin boards. A sign-up sheet will be posted across from the School of Music Office. Professor Eggleston and the Orchestra staff provide oversight of the Concerto/Aria auditions and concert.
Auditions are open to all students regardless of class level.
Winners from previous years are not eligible to audition.
Students must audition on the work they intend to perform with the orchestra. Each audition is strictly limited to 10 minutes. The performance piece must be 20 minutes or less in length. Longer selections will be disqualified.
All auditionees must provide an accompanist, and auditions must be from memory.
Ensembles of no more than 3 performers will be allowed to audition, provided that, in the preliminary audition, each performer’s preparation qualifies them to continue to the finals. Selection to perform with an ensemble will count as each student’s single time as a concerto/aria winner.
The balcony will be open to an audience at the finals. There is to be no applause or other noise. Stage crew monitors will ensure that there are no disruptions. Preliminaries may be open to an audience at the discretion of the faculty in each department.

Preliminaries:

Each area must conduct preliminary auditions.
Preliminaries are to be judged by a panel of at least three IWU faculty members, two of whom are from outside the performance area and one of whom is from within the area. It is the responsibility of the area head to secure the panel of faculty judges. In some cases, at the discretion of the faculty members in the area, additional judges from outside of the University may be included on the panel.
Each judge will rate each student on a scale of 1 to 5, with 5 being highest. Those students whose point average is 4.0 or higher will be advanced to the finals. No consensus of the judges is required.

Judging of the Auditions and Selection of Performers:

The final auditions will be heard by four judges from outside of the University. Each department in the School of Music will secure one judge with expertise in their performance area. Judges will not be engaged in consecutive years.
At the end of the auditions, each judge will rank all auditionees in order, ranking the field 1 through x (x equaling the total number of auditions.) After compiling the scores of all the judges, the students with the lowest point totals will be selected to perform in the concert. No consensus of the judges is required.
A maximum of 50 minutes of playing time will be reserved on the concert for the concerto/aria performance. The number of students selected to perform will be determined by the playing time of the pieces of the top students, the total of which may be up to, but not exceed, 50 minutes.

HONORS IN MUSIC COMPOSITION

Student composers of exceptional talent are eligible to apply for Research Honors. Interested students should obtain a copy of the guidelines for the university-wide Research Honors Program from the Associate Provost's Office, and follow those procedures in conjunction with those outlined below.

The Hearing Committee will consist of the Project Advisor, two other music faculty, and one faculty member from another field.

MUSIC COMPOSITION MAJORS:

At least three weeks before her or his senior composition recital, the student will submit a portfolio of works to the Hearing Committee. This portfolio will consist of the scores of the works to be performed at the student's recital. All scores except the most recent one must be in final form at this time: carefully notated, photocopied and bound. The most recent score may be submitted as a working copy at the time the portfolio is due, but it must be submitted in its final form no later than two weeks before commencement.
In order for the student to be recommended for Research Honors, the portfolio must be an original body of work of exceptional quality as measured by the creativity of the musical ideas, the composer's skill at writing idiomatically for a variety of media, and the composer's ability to create convincing phrases and formal structures.
All compositions in the portfolio must be performed at the student's senior composition recital, unless it can be shown that circumstances beyond the student's control made it impossible to perform a specific work. The recital must take place during the regular recital season and at least two weeks before commencement.
It is expected that all members of the Hearing Committee will attend the student's recital.
The decision concerning Research Honors will be made solely on the basis of the compositions themselves; any performance inaccuracies which occur during the recital will not have a negative effect on the Hearing Committee's decision.

NON-COMPOSITION MAJORS:

A non-composition major may apply for Research Honors in composition if he or she wishes to write an extended and ambitious work during the senior year; the exact nature of this work will be determined in consultation with the Project Advisor. Examples of acceptable projects include a multi-movement chamber work of at least ten minutes' duration, a one-act musical comedy, or a five-to-seven-minute composition for a large ensemble such as orchestra or symphonic wind ensemble. The same deadlines given above apply. The composition must be publicly performed, and the student is responsible for assembling the necessary performers.

The Copyright Act of 1976

Much of the following information is contained in Copyright: the Complete Guide for Music Educators by Jay Althouse (pub. by Alfred Publishing Co.), published copies of which have been placed near the photocopier in the reception room in Presser Hall and on reserve in the Thorpe Music Library. Should the reader require further clarification regarding any of the statements cited below, he or she should refer to this informative and useful book. Information was also obtained from the Harry Fox Agency, Inc.

Duration of Copyright:

Works published between 1923 and 1963 have an initial 28-year term and must be renewed for an additional 67-year term for a total of 95 years. Assume that any work that achieved any success or popularity has been renewed.
Works published between 1964 and 1977 have an initial 28-year term plus an automatic 67-year second term for a total of 95 years.
Works published after 1977 have a term of the life of the author plus 70 years, or in the case of works with multiple authors, 70 years after the death of the last surviving author.
Works published before 1923 are in the Public Domain.

Photocopying Music:

Unauthorized photocopying is a blatant violation of copyright law. Every unauthorized copy is a lost sale, and lower sales mean less income for publishers which, in turn, means less income in the form of royalties for composers.

The Doctrine of "Fair Use":

Please note that "fair use" is for purposes other than performance--with the single exception of item "1" immediately below; also, note that rehearsing a work, under the law, is also a performance).

One can photocopy music for the following reasons:

Emergency copying to replace purchased copies which for any reason are not available for an imminent performance, provided purchased replacement copies shall be substituted in due course.
For academic purposes other than performance, single or multiple copies of excerpts of works may be made, provided that the excerpts do not comprise a part of the whole which would constitute a performable unit such as a section, movement, or aria, but in no case more than 10 percent of the whole work. The number of copies shall not exceed one copy per pupil.

Other guidelines:

Under the doctrine of Fair Use, the following are expressly prohibited:

Copying to create or replace or substitute for anthologies, compilations or collected works.
Copying of or from works intended to be "consumable" in the course of study or teaching such as workbooks, exercises, standardized tests and answer sheets and like materials.
Copying for the purpose of performance except for emergency copying to replace purchased copies as described in number 1 above.
Copying for the purpose of substituting for the purchase of music, except as in Fair Uses numbers 1 and 2 above.
Copying without inclusion of the copyright notice which appears on the printed copy.

Also, if a work is out-of-print, it does not necessarily mean that it is also in public domain. Therefore, if you wish to photocopy an out-of-print work, you must still contact the publisher and ask for permission to do so.

Recordings:

One of the most important exclusive rights afforded to copyright owners of musical works is the right "to reproduce the copyrighted work in copies or phonorecords." This is what is often referred to as "mechanical reproduction." A musical composition does not exist only on paper; it exists also when it is performed and recorded. Therefore, it is possible to reproduce a composition in two ways: it can be notated on paper, or it can be recorded. Under the Copyright Act of 1976, copyright owners have the exclusive right to record as well as to print copies.

Fair Uses:

A single copy of a sound recording (such as a tape, disc, or CD) of copyrighted music may be made from sound recordings owned by an educational institution or an individual teacher for the purpose of constructing aural exercises or examinations and may be retained by the educational institution or individual teacher.
A single copy of recordings of performances by students may be made for evaluation and rehearsal purposes and may be retained by the educational institution or individual teacher.

Additional guidelines:

Performances of music under the following circumstances are exempt performances and are not copyright infringements:

Face-to-face teaching activities in a non-profit educational institution;
Instructional broadcasting (broadcasts that are essentially an adjunct to actual classwork of educational institutions as opposed to public broadcasts which are directed to the public at large);
Religious services;
Live performances without commercial advantage to anyone;
Reception of broadcasts in a public place;
Annual agricultural and horticultural fairs;
Public performance in connection with sale of recordings or sheet music;
Non-commercial broadcasts to the blind or deaf;
Non-profit performances of dramatic works transmitted to the blind by radio subcarrier.

Note: Limitations numbers 1 and 4 above cover most live performances of music by school performing groups.

In the late 1970's, ASCAP (The Society of Authors, Composers, and Publishers) and BMI (Broadcast Music Incorporated) began licensing colleges and universities, and today well over ninety percent of all U.S. institutions of higher learning have performing rights licenses. The cost is minimal; e.g., ASCAP's fee is presently less than twenty cents per student per year. Each year, the School of Music submits copies of all of its concert programs to ASCAP and BMI. Please note that the fees paid to ASCAP and BMI are for live performances.

The Internet:

Policing copyright infringements on the net is sometimes extraordinarily difficult. Infringements such as sending copyrighted files or software from one computer to another, or downloading copyrighted recordings (via MP3 technology) can be difficult to trace. However, there are certain activities that can be traced, sometimes very easily; e.g., associations of copyright owners such as the Software Publishers Association regularly scan online services such as America Online, Compuserve, and bulletin board services for infringements, and many large corporations that derive income from their copyrighted properties also act similarly. Also, many music organizations scan the world-wide web for infringements. All of these organizations are looking to find cases that they cannot lose in court in order to make an example of the copyright infringer. In fact, there now exist internet "spiders," which are similar to search engines, which can indicate a copyright infringement; e.g., a music publisher can search for a line of text in one of its songs and locate every instance of it on the internet.

What about music online? Many thousands of copyrighted musical works have been placed online without authorization of the owners of those works and are available to be downloaded. Both the person who places a work online and the person who downloads it are infringers of the copyright law. Music publishers and recording businesses are pursuing these infringers very aggressively.

One of the best sources for copyright information, particularly with regard to recorded music, is the Harry Fox Agency, Inc. This is an agency that is used by many copyright owners for the licensing of recordings of their musical works. The address is 711 3rd Avenue, New York, NY 10017; the phone number is (212) 370-5330, and the website address is: www.nmpa.org/hfa.html. For your convenience, copies of the pertinent downloaded pages from this website can be obtained in the Music Office along with instructions to follow in order to obtain a mechanical license.

What follows is additional specific information regarding the fees (processed through the Harry Fox Agency):

You are permitted a single free recording of a concert or recital (this is called an "archival copy"). If you would like multiple copies of a concert or recital, then you must pay a "mechanical license fee." The rate is 7.5 cents for each composition on the recording, and you must pay for a minimum of 500 "units" (i.e., copies), even if you want only four copies, for example. (Please note that the rate of 7.5 cents per composition is for works up to five minutes in duration. There is a very small incremental increase for works longer than five minutes, and you would be informed of the precise rate before you pay the licensing fee). So, suppose you give a recital, and you want only one recording, then you do not have to pay this fee. However, if you want 1 additional copy or 499 additional copies, the fee would be $37.75 for each composition that is not in the public domain. For example, suppose you perform 10 compositions on your recital, and you want to make multiple copies of the recording of your program, then the fee would be $377.50 (10 x $37.50). The payment of this fee would then allow you to produce up to 500 copies of the recording as well as to sell them, if you so desire. The only way to reduce the cost of this fee is to negotiate a lower fee directly with the publisher of each composition, which, in some cases can take several weeks or even months, but of course, could be, quite literally, worth the wait (so plan ahead). Also, some publishers will waive the fee altogether, and it is sometimes possible to expedite this kind of request via a given publisher's website. (For examples of sample letters to publishers with which one can request a reduced fee or a waiver, see Copyright: the Complete Guide for Music Educators by Jay Althouse.)

Also, suppose the ensemble in which you participate gives a concert, and you would like a personal copy of the recording of the performance. In this instance, the ensemble (via the School of Music) would have to pay the total fee, after which this initial expense to the School of Music could be recovered by selling copies to a number of students at a reduced rate. For example, suppose the Illinois Wesleyan Civic Orchestra wanted to make multiple copies (up to 500) of a recording of one of its concerts on which 5 works were performed. Then the initial fee would be $188.75 (5 x $37.75); of course, this example assumes that each of the five compositions is no longer than five minutes in duration. If, say, 30 students (or others, for example: audience members who wished to have copies, or friends and relatives of the performers) were to pay $6.30, then the initial fee of $188.75 would be covered in its entirety.

It is unnecessary to pay a mechanical license fee prior to a concert or recital, but it is necessary to pay the fee prior to making multiple copies of the recording. For example, you could give your recital in September for which you would receive one archival copy for which you would not have to pay a licensing fee, and then you could decide some time later (in January, for example) that you wanted to make multiple copies. It is at that time, then, that you would have to pay the fee, but this would give you several months in which to contact publishers in order to request reduced fees or waivers.

Conclusion:

What are the consequences of copyright violation? Depending on the nature of the violation, it is possible that individuals and institutions can be fined many thousands of dollars, and in extreme cases, they can be incarcerated as well. It is, therefore, prudent, reasonable, and relatively inexpensive--as well as the law of the land--to comply with the copyright law.

It should be remembered by all--particularly artists--that violating the copyright law with respect to music is tantamount to stealing from our fellow musicians, past and present.

Finally, with this document, the School of Music has provided the music faculty and students with important information regarding the Copyright Law; it is now, therefore, the sole responsibility of each of these parties (i.e. students and faculty), not the School of Music in general, to comply with copyright regulations.