Department of Music

Private Instrumental and Vocal Study

A vocal instructor works with a student

Lessons are taught either by members of the Brandeis faculty or by members of Boston's large and talented community of professional musicians.

Fees

Lessons at Brandeis cost $800 per semester (for 10 fifty-minute lessons). Non-music majors pay the full fee: $800 per semester; music majors in the Composition & Theory and History & Culture tracks pay $250 per semester. Music majors in the Performance tracks and Leonard Bernstein Fellows do not pay a fee. If you owe a fee, it will be billed to you via your Nelnet student account within a few business days of registration for the course. For more information, contact Katie Dickinson.

How to Register

Note: Vocalists need to sign up for and successfully complete an audition before beginning the registration process.

1. Submit a pre-requisite override request for the section you plan to register for.

Vocalists: Register for MUS 112b 1 or 2XC like you would normally register for a class. You’ll be put on a waitlist, and Prof. Duff will admit you into the class from there.

Instrumentalists: Register for your appropriate section like you would normally register for a class. You’ll be put on a waitlist, and the professor will admit you into the class from there.

  • If you’re a violinist studying with Clara Lyon, register for section 11 or 12XC.
  • If you’re a violinist studying with Julia Glenn, register for section 9 or 10XC.
  • If you’re a violist, register for section 5 or 6XC with Mark Berger.
  • If you’re a cellist, register for section 7 or 8XC with Josh Gordon.
  • All other instrumentalists, register for section 1 or 2XC with Bob Nieske.
There are a bunch of helpful registration guides here.

2. Verify that you are registered. View your course schedule  in Workday.

 If you have difficulty registering for an ensemble, consult the director of instrumental studies, Professor Bob Nieske, or the director of vocal studies, Professor Robert Duff.

Credit

Students must register for lessons in Workday (MUS 111a/b for instrumental lessons; MUS 112a/b for voice lessons). Students are encouraged to register for credit whenever possible. The courses are half-credit courses (one year of study is worth one semester course credit), and they have as a corequisite participation in a university-sponsored ensemble. The ensembles are also half-credit courses.

One semester of private lessons plus the co-requisite ensemble satisfy the Creative Arts requirement for your degree. Since two half-credit courses are required in this instance, you should contact the Registrar directly in order to count lessons/ensemble for Creative Arts credit.