Updated student information for spring semester 03-12-2020
As promised in Dean Rossi’s earlier email, we write here with some additional information as you prepare to transition to online learning for the remainder of the semester. As you know, the University has announced that students are being asked not to return to campus from spring break (unless no other options exist for them), and that we will transition to fully online delivery of classes. Spring break will be extended for two days to give everyone additional time to prepare, and classes will resume online on Wednesday, March 18th.
Your investment in this transformed spring semester is critical to your success, as well as to the health of our community. Our goal in creating these policies has been to proactively respond in a way that allows us to conduct business and complete the semester, while still adhering to the University’s stated goals of social distancing and de-densifying our community. We all share the responsibility to conduct ourselves in a way that prioritizes the community’s health and wellbeing, while also upholding our core values of academic and musical excellence.
Classes and lessons:
All classes and lessons will be taught online. No classes (including small graduate seminars) are to be taught in person, even for students who are still in the residence hall or in Rochester. This includes one-on-one lessons. We also expect studio class to be moved online or canceled for the remainder of the semester.
Faculty are being instructed to adjust their syllabi as minimally as possible and to try and maintain the essence/rigor of the course. We expect that courses will be delivered in real time and will require that they are delivered in their original time slots so students can complete all their classes without conflict. However, we recognize that there will be students returning home to different time zones who will be required to access classes that will occur in the Eastern Daylight Time zone. If you are faced with this challenge, we would encourage you reach out to your individual instructors to discuss options. We are confident that faculty will do their best to be as accommodating as possible.
It is our assumption that you will have the necessary tools to access your classes while away from campus, including a reliable internet connection and a device with audio/video capability (i.e., a desktop or laptop computer, a tablet, or a smartphone). If you do not, please contact the Office of Academic Affairs immediately and we will do whatever we can to assist.
Chamber music and ensembles:
All chamber music and ensembles, large and small, are cancelled for the remainder of the semester. This includes the spring opera and opera scenes course. Students will be graded based on work completed prior to spring break.
Concerts/Masterclasses/Visitors:
All concerts and events are cancelled except for select degree recitals.
Recitals:
All non-degree recitals are cancelled. Degree recitals for doctoral students who are not in their final semester are also cancelled. Students requiring a degree recital to graduate this May have the following options:
- If at home, you may arrange for a performance of your recital repertoire that can either be live-streamed or recorded and then sent to their faculty committee for review. We will accept this performance in lieu of an on-campus recital. Faculty will be strongly encouraged to work with you on any adaptations required to account for issues related to collaborative partners.
- Students who remain in Rochester will be allowed to present their recital at the scheduled time, but it will be closed to the public. The only people allowed in the hall with the performers will be the members of the faculty committee assigned to evaluate the recital. Students may proceed with any chamber music/collaborative partners programmed on their degree recital, but the total number of musicians on stage at any time must not exceed 8.
Juries:
Juries for the spring semester are cancelled and will not be rescheduled.
With juries being cancelled, the Concert Office will use that week to schedule any degree recitals that may be displaced. In addition, you should plan on the Monday and Tuesday of jury week being used to make up for the classes that will be missed on March 16 and 17.
Practicing/Room availability:
The school continues to be open, but with limited hours. Students will still be able to book rooms and practice, but no groups larger than 8 may be in a room together at any time. While students may choose to rehearse together, we have instructed faculty not to organize or coach any groups. We will also restrict student access to faculty studios; studio keys will no longer be distributed by the Student Living Center staff effective immediately.
Most importantly, we want to make sure students continue to make progress toward their degrees and, for those in their final semester, graduate on time. This will require creativity, patience, and understanding that our delivery of instruction may not be perfect but will still offer students the education that they deserve.
Thank you very much for your patience, flexibility, and understanding; and please reach out to us if you have any questions or concerns.