Cello Studio Handbook

Studio of Hans Jensen Email: cellojensen@gmail.com Office Phone: 847-491-4770 Website: www.jensencellostudio.com Required Books

The Ivan Galamian Scale System for Violoncello, volumes 1 and 2, edited by Hans Jrgen Jensen 12 Caprices, Carlo Alfredo Piatti 40 Etudes, David Popper Six Suites, J.S. Bach (preferably the Barenreiter edition)

Written Work There are two papers to be handed in by the student each quarter: The first is a short paper (2-3 paragraphs) that outlines goals for the quarter. This should include details about pieces you would like to play, technical issues to address, and larger goals such as performance opportunities and competition entries. For the fall quarter, the paper is due by the third studio class. For all subsequent quarters, the paper is due at the end of the first week of the quarter. The second paper, due at the end of the quarter, should realistically assess your achievement of the goals that were set in the first paper. Cello Studio Class Studio class is held in Regenstein Recital Hall (MCR) every Thursday, 4:30pm-6pm. (4pm-6pm in the spring quarter) Attendance is required by all students. You are allowed one unexcused absence each quarter. All other absences must be cleared by Professor Jensen in advance. Students who wish to play in studio class must first play the piece (with piano, if applicable) in their lesson before playing in class. All studio class performances will be videotaped and posted on the Studio Website. Every performer must watch his/her own performance and submit a 3-4-sentence commentary by Tuesday of the following week.

Jensen Studio Handbook

Updated: 09/15/10

Practicing All students should practice as much as your schedule allows. Minimum average daily practicing should be: Double majors: 3 hours Music majors: 4 hours (5-6 hours if you plan to enter any major competitions) Graduate Students: 5-6 hours Practice Breakdown: 25% Technique, 60% Solo Music, and 15% Other (chamber, orchestra, etc.) You are highly encouraged to track your practicing in a practice journal. Technique Class Undergraduates: Undergraduates are required to complete the Undergraduate Technique Curriculum before the completion of your degree. The curriculum outline may be found on the Studio Website under the Pages heading. The skills will be worked on and assessed on an individual basis. Progress will be tracked by Mr. Jensen and his graduate assistant. Each student will test on one or more skills at the end of each quarter, and these tests must be videotaped and evaluated by the student, the graduate assistant and ultimately by Mr. Jensen. Insufficient progress toward the technique goals can possibly result in the lowering of your quarterly grade. Graduate Students: Grad Technique class is taught by Mr. Jensen and will be scheduled each quarter based on the availability of Mr. Jensen and the graduate students. The curriculum will be set each quarter. Performances

Recitals: Northwestern requires that juniors, seniors and graduate string students give a recital during the academic year. All other students are unofficially required to perform a solo recital or a joint recital every year. Juries: Juries are held near the end of the spring quarter. All students, including certificate and doctoral students, must be ready to play two contrasting pieces or movements. Students who enter either the Concerto Competition or the Thevue Competition are excused from playing a jury. NU community performances: It is important that we support our musical community with our craft. Collaborations with student composers are always encouraged. Playing on student conductors' recitals is also a valuable experience, but you are cautioned to prioritize your own practicing before taking on these projects. 2 Updated: 09/15/10

Jensen Studio Handbook

Recital Preparation Recital programs should be determined at least three months prior to your proposed recital date. All repertoire decisions will be made by the student and Mr. Jensen. Be sure to carefully read Northwestern's recital scheduling policy so that you are aware of all deadlines and details. That policy may be obtained from the Pick-Staiger office or the wall-mounted boxes across from the Pick-Staiger box office. It is also available at the link on the Studio Website. One month prior to your recital you should already have: Played all pieces in their entirety in your lesson. Played all movements at some point in studio class. Thoroughly worked with a pianist, especially when playing a Sonata Studio Attendance Lessons: Once the schedule is posted for each quarter, students are required to attend all lessons with Mr. Jensen and those scheduled with his graduate assistant(s). If any permanent quarterly conflicts with your schedule arise, first contact studio members with whom you may change your lesson time. Once the permanent change in lesson time has been made, contact Mr. Jensen and his graduate assistant via email with the time change and the studio members name with which youve made the change. For temporary weekly conflicts, it is your responsibility to contact another studio member to change your lesson time. It is not necessary to email Mr. Jensen about the temporary change, but would be a nice courtesy to mention it in one of your lessons before the change happens. It is preferable to have the temporary change completed at least a week in advance. Technique Class: For undergraduates, your attendance will amount to half group classes and half individual coachings per quarter with Mr. Jensens graduate assistant. Schedules for the classes and individual coachings will be mapped out via NU email, so please make sure to check your account on a daily basis. For graduate students, your attendance will be all group classes with Mr. Jensen Technique classes should be attended with the same respect as your lessons. Studio Class: As mentioned above, studio class is required for all students. One unexcused absence is allowed per quarter. Otherwise, special permission to miss class must be obtained by emailing both Mr. Jensen and his graduate assistant, and then waiting for an approved response.

Jensen Studio Handbook

Updated: 09/15/10

Recitals: Everyone should attend all the recitals given by your peers throughout the year. If you cannot attend a particular recital, you should have the courtesy to contact the performer and Mr. Jensen before their recital to acknowledge them and tell them of your absence. If you miss a recital, you must watch the recital when it is posted on the Studio Website, and submit a one-page, single-spaced paper with your comments about the recital. Write a few sentences about each movement. Papers are due one week after the recital. Grading: Attendance will be considerably weighed (40%) when calculating your grade per quarter. Attendance will be monitored for all the above. Competitions Students are encouraged to enter competitions, but must be aware of the planning and commitment necessary to prepare for them. You must plan your repertoire as early as possible in consultation with Mr. Jensen. Studio Video Privacy Policy All videos are hosted by Vimeo.com, and therefore all students need to sign up for an account with Vimeo. Studio class videos and Recital videos will be open to all members of the studio to watch. Technique test videos are viewable only by the student, the graduate assistant, and Mr. Jensen. Communication Most studio communication will happen over email. All students are expected to check their email daily and to respond to studio email promptly when requested. All emails that require a response will have mention of that fact either within the email or in the emails subject heading. If your primary (school-related) email address changes, please notify Mr. Jensens graduate assistant via your new email address.

Jensen Studio Handbook

Updated: 09/15/10