Private Lessons & Juries

• Lessons: All students have private studio lessons with their private instructor for each term of their program. Mahanaim students will meet with their private instructor once a week, for a total of 15 private lessons a term.

• Technical Exam / Final Jury: At the conclusion of each term, students perform either a technical exam or a jury, depending on the term, before their private instructor, program chair, and other members of the faculty. Repertoire requirements change with each year the student advances in their program. Details on the technical exam and final jury can be found in the Repertoire Requirements document and Private Lesson syllabus.  

Recitals

• 10-Minute Concerts: Each term, students will perform a 10-minute excerpt of their recital program prior to performing their full recital. 10-Minute Concerts are performed for the student’s peers and the public and are an opportunity to receive feedback early on in the semester. These performances are not graded but are a requirement to pass the Private Lesson or Recital course. 10-minute concerts are held every weekend from the fifth to the tenth week of the semester, with students signing up for a day/time slot to perform. 

• Studio Recital: Students in their first and second years will perform a studio recital each term. Studio recitals are not graded or performed for a wide audience. Rather, the student performs for the rest of their studio and their instructor, who gives feedback. 

• Solo Recital: Students in their third and fourth years will perform a solo recital each term. Solo Recitals are performed on stage for the same evaluation panel as the jury in addition to the student’s peers and the public. Recital requirements change with each year the student advances in their program. Details can be found in the Repertoire Requirements document and Recital syllabus. 

• Commencement Recital: The commencement recital is the culminating experience of all Mahanaim graduates and an opportunity to put all of the skills, techniques, and knowledge accrued on display for the entire Mahanaim community, their families, and the general public. Students and their instructors select one piece to prepare starting in Year 3 and undergo a series of rehearsals throughout their last year leading up to the commencement concert, which is held in the Spring semester for graduating students. The commencement recital will be included in the student’s final recital grade. 

Ensembles & Conducting

• Choir: All students have Choir for four terms in Years 1 and 2. 

• Ensembles: According to their concentration, students will have additional requirements in small, large, or a combination of ensembles such as Chamber, Orchestra, Vocal Ensemble, or Choir. 

• Conducting: All students not already specializing in conducting have two terms of Choral Conducting in Year 4.

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Piano

• Required Piano: All students not already specializing in piano have four terms of Required Piano in Years 1 and 2 to become proficient in basic keyboard skills essential for any musician in an instructing or leadership position.

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Concerts

• Seasonal Concert: Seasonal Concerts are held in Mahanaim for the public at the end of each term. Performances are chosen by audition and will feature solo, duet, chamber, choir, and orchestra performances. All students and groups are welcome to audition for the seasonal concert. The seasonal concert does not fulfill any course requirements. 

• Ensemble Concerts: Mahanaim holds both a Vocal Ensemble Concert and Chamber Concert at the end of each term. All concerts are open to the public. All students enrolled in either Vocal Ensemble or a chamber group will perform in their respective concerts for that term as a part of their ensemble course grade. 

Musical Studies

• All students take a six-course sequence called Musical Studies from Years 1 to 3, which combines topics in music theory, music history, harmony, and analysis into one comprehensive course. 

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Solfeggio

• All students take a six-course solfeggio sequence from Years 1 to 3 to develop their aural skills, pitch, and sight-reading skills. 

• Students take courses in the humanities, social sciences, natural sciences, and mathematics.

• All students share the same liberal arts requirements. The courses are:

  • Introduction to New Testament

  • Introduction to Old Testament

  • English Composition I

  • English Composition II

  • American Literature

  • Introduction to Drama

  • Spanish I

  • Spanish II

  • Public Speaking

  • Introduction to Computing

  • Environmental Science or Physics of Music