The primary mission of the Academic Affairs Office is to offer support and guidance to students and parents through the duration of their studies at the Preparatory. The office advises students with questions about course selection, non-credit certificate programs, performance opportunities, summer programs, college selection, and any other issues relating to student success.
Office hours are Tuesday through Friday: 9:00 am to 5:00 pm Saturday: 9:00 am to 4:30 pm. To schedule an appointment, call 667-208-6640.
Measuring student progress takes many forms at the Preparatory. At the most informal level, parents, students, and teachers keep an open dialogue about weekly homework and practice expectations. On a more formal level, progress reports are issued at the end of each school year to music students enrolled in private lessons. Also available to music students taking private lessons is the non-credit certificate program. Through performance examinations and coursework, this program gives feedback to students from numerous faculty members. Some departments, such as Peabody Dance, schedule parent conferences to discuss student progress.
Students (or parents) with questions or concerns about their progress should first speak to their teacher. If after speaking with the teacher you still have questions or unresolved issues, feel free to contact the Preparatory Office, [email protected].
Progress Reports are issued to music students under the age of 18 at the end of the academic year or at the end of a classroom program which ends midyear. Progress reports provide feedback to parents and students and copies are kept on file in our offices. Adult students do not receive progress reports unless they specifically request them from their teacher.
Generally speaking, students are evaluated in three major areas: participation, preparation, and skills development. Measurement standards for these areas include Excellent, Good, Satisfactory, or Needs Improvement. Some courses, particularly, music theory, provide letter grades based on examinations and homework.
In lieu of written reports, dance students and their parents have a private conference with faculty at the end of the school year to discuss progress.
The Music Student Handbook is primarily intended for students enrolled in private instruction but can be a valuable resource for all preparatory students. It condenses information from various sources into one convenient publication that parents and students can use in conjunction with our catalog and web-based resources.
The handbook is available in PDF format.