Offered in: Chicago

The goals of the piano program are to prepare the student for a multifaceted performance career (soloist, collaborative pianist, and chamber musician) and to provide the student with the skills and pedagogical background to become a productive teacher.

The graduate program's objectives are to:

• Develop and refine technical and musical abilities through the study and performance of challenging works from the traditional and modern repertories.
• Provide ongoing solo and ensemble performing experiences; expand the student's knowledge of the family of keyboard instruments and relevant performance practices.
• Introduce principles and methods for teaching adult students, including instructional techniques for group piano classes, from beginning through advanced levels.
• Provide opportunities to investigate musical topics and repertories in academic courses.

No prescribed technical or repertory requirements are in place for graduate students. The four semesters of applied study are directed toward building strengths, addressing areas of weakness or deficiency, and preparing a recital program of major works from the piano repertory that is at least 60 minutes in length and encompasses at least four stylistic periods (including at least one 20th or 21st-century work). All jury and recital repertoire requirements are listed on the Requirements tab within the academic catalogue.

Admission requirements

Please consult the CCPA Admission and Audition Information web page for audition requirements for piano.  

Grade Requirements

• Applied Lessons: B- is the minimum passing grade for PIA 411 PIANO (MM).
• Recitals: B- is the minimum passing grade for PERF 428 GRADUATE RECITAL

GPA Requirements

Master’s degree students must maintain a cumulative Roosevelt GPA of 3.0 or higher to be in good academic standing.

Course Requirements

¹

Enrollment in ensembles is contingent upon placement and assignment. All students in the Music Conservatory are required to participate in all ensembles to which they are assigned by the Program Director of Ensembles and Ensemble Coordinators, and in consultation with the Academic Advisors. Students who are assigned or receive permission to enroll as zero-credit participants in any ensemble will receive a grade; they must complete the same requirements as students enrolled for credit. Assignments are made at the beginning of each semester following placement and seating auditions.

²

Pianists who have completed PERF 461 SEMINAR IN VOCAL COLLABORATION FOR PIANISTS apply the skills learned in service of the CCPA OperaFest during the following Fall semester.

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Pianists who have completed PERF 463 SEMINAR: INSTRUMENTAL COLLABORATION FOR PIANISTS apply the skills learned toward accompanying for instrumental studios and performance classes during the semester following PERF 463.

Recital Repertoire

PERF 428 GRADUATE RECITAL
60 minutes of music is required, spanning works from at least four stylistic periods, including Contemporary, and must include three pieces that are considered major works in the pianist’s repertory (at the discretion of the Director of Piano and the applied instructor). The student may petition to include only three stylistic periods if, in the aggregate, the time requirement is met. Both the Director of Piano and the applied instructor must approve the program. The recital will be graded by the applied instructor.

Jury Repertoire

All works programmed on the M.M. recital must have been performed in juries during the prior semesters. Repertoire must span at least one work from each of the six stylistic categories listed above, with specific works assigned at the discretion of the teacher.
 
Jury I (see below) will serve as proof of the student’s ability to succeed in graduate studies at the CCPA. On the basis of the Jury I, the student shall be granted permission to continue in the program. If the student’s progress is deemed insufficient for continuation by the faculty, the course must be repeated on a probationary basis, not to exceed one semester. If the student does not attain the minimum jury grade after this probationary period, the student will be expelled from the program.

Jury III (see below) will serve as the recital-permission jury, for which the student will prepare at least half (30 minutes) of the intended degree recital program. On the basis of this jury, permission to present the recital in the following semester will be granted. If the jury is deemed insufficient for approval by the faculty, the course must be repeated on a probationary basis, not to exceed one semester. If the student does not attain the minimum jury grade after this probationary period, the student will be denied permission to give the required degree recital and will be expelled from the program.

Jury I – 20 minutes
Repertoire will span three stylistic periods. Please see special note above.

Jury II – 20 minutes
Repertoire will span three stylistic periods.

Jury III – 20 minutes
Repertoire will span any works intended for inclusion on the degree recital program and/or those of stylistic categories not yet performed during Juries I-II. Please see special note above.

Technique Jury Requirements

for M.M. Composition Majors taking Non-Curricular Piano Lessons only
PIA 401 PIANO (SECONDARY): Technical routines to be planned by the teacher and student.

This degree map charts a suggested pathway through all of your required courses. It is incumbent upon all students to fully comprehend curricular requirements and course schedules, and while it is feasible to chart an alternate pathway, it is highly recommended that you do so in close consultation with your academic advisor so as to determine a degree path appropriately tailored to your needs.

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Pianists must select either a vocal or instrumental collaborative sequence.

N.B. The degree correctly totals 33 credit hours - pianists who select a vocal sequence fulfill their practicum in the Fall semester of their second year, while pianists who select an instrumental sequence fulfill their practicum in the Spring semester of their first year.

²

Those who select PERF 461 SEMINAR IN VOCAL COLLABORATION FOR PIANISTS fulfill the practicum component of the sequence PERF 462 PRACTICUM IN VOCAL COLLABORATION during the following Fall semester by playing for the CCPA OperaFest.

³

Those who select PERF 463 SEMINAR: INSTRUMENTAL COLLABORATION FOR PIANISTS  fulfill the PERF 464 PRACTICUM IN INSTRUMENTAL COLLABORATION instrumental studios and performance classes during the semester following, as assigned by the Director of Piano.