It is further recommended that students taking private lessons limit their overall course load to a maximum of 17 credits. Students are expected to practice a minimum of five hours per week. Credit will not be received if the student misses more than two lessons in a semester. Students must give instructors advance notice of plans to miss an upcoming scheduled lesson. Four-year music scholarships are currently awarded to entering freshmen via auditions held on Northwest Fridays of the year prior to entering the college.
Occasional scholarships are also available to upperclassmen on the recommendation of music faculty.
The awarding of more upper-class scholarships is a goal of the department and the subject of ongoing talks. All students accepting placement in Northwest A Cappella and His Praise must also register and sing in the Master Chorale. Music majors who entered with requirements for private piano or private voice may now satisfy those requirements by substituting Class Piano or Class Voice. Please also note that class piano and class voice are open to non-majors. A single new diagnostic theory test is now available for placement into any level of the theory program.