Student Advising > BMUS > - Incoming BMUS Info

Information For Incoming BMUS Students

Congratulations on your successful audition at the UBC School of Music!

1.  WELCOME AND ORIENTATION

  • Director of the School of Music - Welcome Message
  • MUSA is your Music Undergraduate Student Association. It is made up of Music students and they are there to help you. Contact them through their president. The president for the 2011-2012 academic year is Michelle Poon (E: ubc.music(at)gmail.com).

  • Survival Guide for the School of Music
  • UBC's Get Started Guide (be sure to read about health coverage)
  • A wide variety of orientation sessions are held across UBC in early September.
  • International students may wish to consider attending Jump Start from during the second half of August in addition to the early September GALA orientation.

  • Consider setting up an account on FACEBOOK (http://www.facebook.com) and joining the ‘UBC School of Music’ chat and information group. This is a great opportunity to connect with other UBC School of Music students.
  • Music Ticket Deals for students
  • UBC Clubs, Athletics & Recreation
  • Join a UBC Sorority or Fraternity
  • Student Resources and Services
  • Campus tours

2.  INTERNATIONAL STUDENTS

3.  FINANCIAL

Cost

  • Calculate your financial plan (incl. tuition/student fees and living costs)

Financial Assistance

Awards

Employment

  • Work programs on Campus:
  • Jobs at the School of Music:
    • Each year the Concerts and Communications Manager hires School of Music students for ushering and front-of-house duties. Go to Music Building Rm. 206 on the first day of class to pick-up an application.
    • Each year the Audio Manager trains select music students on audio engineering. These students then are paid to record recitals, auditions, etc. Further details and application instructions will be e-mailed to all School of Music students in September.

4.  HOUSING

  • If you applied for UBC Housing and are eligible for PRIORITY ACCESS, remember that upon admission to UBC, you must pay your course registration deposit (through the Student Service Centre) by the June 1st housing deadline. If you do not, you will lose your housing priority access status.

5.  UPASS

  • The Universal Transportation Pass is a mandatory program for all Alma Mater Society (AMS) members and provides cardholders with: 

    • Unlimited access to TransLink Bus, SkyTrain, and SeaBus services (all zones) and discounted West Coast Express fares
    • UPASS' are valid from August 15th for the Winter Session
    • Additional information

6.  REGISTRATION

  • Before classes start, you must pay a deposit, view the course schedule and register for courses through the Student Service Centre (where you completed the BMUS Supplementary Form). Detailed instructions on how to register are found there and in the UBC Registration Guide, which Enrolment Services will mail to you when you are officially admitted to the University. The Student Service Centre is your interface with UBC. Here, you pay your registration deposit, register for courses, pay fees, change your e-mail and address and eventually apply for graduation.
  • Your personal registration date will be given to you by Enrolment Services. Additional registration information, course drop/add deadlines and minimum courseload requirements may be found here.
  • Some courses meet for both terms of the winter session, while others meet just in the first or second term. Be sure to register for both terms, right away, on, or as close as possible, to your registration date.
  • Private lessons are registered in August by the Student Advisor. Students do not register directly for these courses. You will find out at the beginning of September whom your private lesson instructor is.
  • In addition to their weekly individual lesson, Performance Majors will also participate in small group lessons (affectionately known as "pods"), three times per term, for 2 hours each on Tuesdays from 1 to 3 (no other classes may be scheduled at this time). Pods normally involve 3 or 4 students, and provide an opportunity in which the instructor and students work together intensively and cooperatively on technical and repertoire issues of shared interest and importance. Pods provide an exciting context for peer learning and peer mentoring in which students can enhance their understanding and ability through shared observation, demonstration, and guidance from the teacher. Instructors use pod classes to work on standard excerpts, challenging passages, fundamental techniques, elements of performance style, and other learning objectives that are enhanced by the dynamic interaction within a small group of peers.

  • You are responsible for planning and successfully completing all of the courses you need to graduate.

7.  ADVISING WEBPORTAL

  • The BMUS advising webportal is here. Bookmark this page.
  • From this page you may link to information on degree requirements, registration and drop/add dates, exchange programs, etc.

8.  BMUS CONTINUATION REQUIREMENTS

  • All students in the B.Mus. program will be reviewed annually to determine whether they should be allowed to continue in their course of study. Every year students should improve their performance technique, refine their interpretative abilities, increase the scope of their repertoire on their principal instruments, and be acquiring the basic musicianship skills that are essential for a professional career in music.
  • The primary means of evaluating a student's progress in music performance is a jury or recital required at the end of each winter session. A student who achieves a grade of less than B- on a jury or recital will be placed on probation. A student on probation who scores less than B- on a jury or recital will be required to withdraw from the B.Mus. program.
  • Students should master basic musicianship skills early in their program. Only students who have passed MUSC 106 may take third-year performance lessons. Only students who have passed MUSC 205 may take fourth-year performance lessons. Students are required to be continually registered in musicianship from September to April until MUSC 206 is successfully completed. 
  • Students are required to be continually registered in the core music history courses (MUSC 120, 121, 220, 221) from September to April until MUSC 221 is successfully completed.
  • There are higher standards for continuation in the Piano, Voice, Opera, Orchestral Instrument Performance, Organ, Harpsichord, and Composition majors. They are specified in the descriptions of those majors in this Calendar. Students who do not meet these standards may not continue in those majors, although they may be allowed to continue in the B.Mus. program as General Studies majors.
  • Students must also meet the continuation requirements of the Faculty of Arts. Students whose grade-point average fails below Faculty minimums, or who fail a required course twice, must withdraw from the B.Mus. program. 

9.  WRITING REQUIREMENT

Writing requirement

  • If you started your BMUS program in September 2009 or later, you must fulfill the 3 credit Writing Requirement. The Writing Requirement must be completed within your first 60 credits.
  • If you are applying to UBC as a transfer student who has taken 60 or more transferable credits, we will consider you for admission ONLY if you have passed 3 credits of coursework which fulfills the Writing Requirement.
  • Once you have commenced your BMUS program at UBC, any required Writing credits MUST be completed at UBC.

10.  CONCERT ATTENDANCE REQUIREMENT

  • Requirement (read before choosing your specific course sections or scheduling your classes)  

11.  SECONDARY PIANO CREDITS

  • For all majors except Secondary Education Stream [GSSM] and Piano Performance [PIAN]
    First (1st) and second (2nd) year secondary piano credits may be WAIVED by either:
    1. Submitting a photocopy (or fax copy) of your Royal Conservatory of Music (RCM) Grade Six (6) piano certificate (or an equivalent examining board such as Conservatory Canada) to the Music Student Advisor by August 1, 2011. Note: only exams taken within the last four (4) years are eligible.
    2. A secondary piano examination (exam requirements) with a member of the keyboard division faculty – by appointment with Dr. Terence Dawson (terence.dawson(at)ubc.ca) on either September 7th, 8th or 9th.
  • Secondary Education Stream (GSSM)
    Due to the importance of secondary instrument expertise when teaching in secondary schools, it is not possible for GSSM majors to test-out/have waived any secondary instrument credits:
    1. GSSM majors not concentrating in piano or voice require 2 years of secondary piano, 1 year of class voice and 1 year of further secondary study on any instrument/voice on which they have prior experience (e.g. voice, piano, other).
    2. GSSM voice concentrators require 2 years of secondary piano and 2 years of further secondary study on any instrument/voice on which they have prior experience (e.g. voice, piano, other).
    3. GSSM piano concentrators must take at least 1 year of class voice, and take 3 years of further secondary study in voice or on another instrument on which they have prior experience (e.g. voice, other).

12.  ENSEMBLES

  • How do I register for ensembles? For most ensembles an audition is required to secure your place.
  • During the audition you play or sing a prepared piece for the conductor - check the course description for specific audition requirements.
  • Auditions are held in the first week of September. Come in and sign up for audition times at the Music Office in late August or if you are unavailable to come in person, call our reception desk at 604-822-3113 or e-mail Janaia at musicoff(at)interchange.ubc.ca.

13.  TRANSFER GUIDELINES (including AP & IB credits)

14.  MAPS

15.  ATTEND A SUMMER MUSIC PROGRAM

a place of mind, The Univeristy of British Columbia

FACULTY OF ARTS

UBC School of Music
Music Building
6361 Memorial Road

Vancouver, BC V6T 1Z2
Tel: 604.822.3113
Fax: 604.822.4884

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