On Wed, 20 Sep 2000, dclark wrote:
> Of course, I am aware that there are more than a few duets in lots of operas.
And
> wouldn't it be lovely if we could do as Tako suggests? However, in the real
> world, I believe that would be an administrative nightmare.
I agree it would be a challenge... But think of how awful it is for a
student to not be able to get credit for an entire semester of work! Much
more wasted effort for the student than for the administrator. I once had
to trek across the country from UC Berkeley to IU Bloomington to fulfill
one silly requirement - I did not have enough "upper division" music units
to walk at the graduation ceremonies. It is because I had chosen to do an
independent study with one of the world's foremost early music experts,
John Butt, putting together a full-length Schuetz concert. It was a lot
more work than a typical class, but it didn't *count* towards my degree
requirements. Needless to say, I was quite bitter and $1000 poorer.
Now that I work (and study) at a university, I try to keep this experience
in mind when I say something will be an "administrative nightmare".
> Who would make the decisions about which operas would count as
> ensembles and which wouldn't?
I would simply create a new course number for which a student could
enroll. When s/he goes to get the instructor's signature to add the
course, the instructor (who knows the opera) would OK the decision to
enroll in the opera in an (ensemble) capacity. 247E instead of 247A, for
instance. Mills uses the Banner computer system, and it is possible to
do. Even if the computers can't do it, an advisor can always
"over-ride" rules based on legitimate exceptions.
It is terrible the kinds of hoops undergraduates sometimes must jump
through to satisfy requirements. Who does the bureaucracy serve? The
student or the administration? A school exists to teach and to prepare
people for what they want to do in their lives. The truth is, most
ensemble classes do not serve the needs of a future soloist. Why must an
opera student learn bad pianissimo habits in a chamber chorus when she has
a large voice?
Tako
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