Lifebook: Academic Program Information
Academic Life at BUTI is vibrant and busy, full of extraordinary music making, training, and performance as well as the highest caliber artists from around the globe, including you! Students experience a total immersion in their craft unlike in any other environment. With curricula designed to push you to even greater heights in your musical excellence, you are also constantly encircled by the sounds of your peers, expert faculty, and one of the world’s greatest symphony orchestras. The spirit of Tanglewood is infectious and has inspired generations to pursue a life filled with music.
The information below outlines information and policies pertaining to our academic programming. Please review this information in advance of your arrival to understand what is expected from you at the start of your academic program as well as learn about special opportunities you will have as a part of this community. Please note that students will also receive additional specific information in the weeks that precede their particular programs of study.
Weekly Schedules
All schedules will be posted on the Academic bulletin boards located in the hallway of Groton Place. You should make it a habit to check this board frequently for important announcements and schedule changes. Address any questions you have to the director or manager of your program. You may also stop by the Academic Life Office in Groton Place for assistance.
Attendance Policy
Students receive one college credit for each week they are enrolled and complete. Grades are given at the end of the program with transcripts available in the Fall from the Boston University Registrar’s office. Students are expected to attend all scheduled classes, rehearsals, and concerts, including those scheduled on weekends, unless they have a medical excuse. Students who cannot make a scheduled class, rehearsal, or concert due to illness are required to see one of the Health Services staff members on the West Street Campus prior to the start of the scheduled event; the appropriate documentation will be passed to the Academic Life Office personnel.
Permission to be excused from classes or rehearsals due to anything other than medical reasons must be provided by an administrator at BUTI, with additional approval from the director or coordinator of the workshop or program in which the student is enrolled.
Students who arrive after the first day of classes (unless having received prior approval), leave before their last academic obligation (unless having received prior approval), or have repeated, unexcused absences during their workshop/program are subject to loss of their scholarship and college credit.
Seating Auditions & Placement Exams
Young Artists Orchestra and Wind Ensemble – Repertoire and Concert Dates
Seating auditions are required for Young Artists Orchestra and Young Artists Wind Ensemble students. Students should be prepared to play one solo work as well as the excerpts which will be made available on the BUTI website. The faculty will make seating decisions. While every attempt will be made to give students a variety of experiences over the course of the summer, there is no guarantee that everyone will have a chance to play a first/principal part.
More information regarding placement auditions will be released by April 1.
Young Artists Vocal Program
All Vocal Program students will sing for the voice faculty on Monday, July 7. A detailed schedule will be available at registration. Please come prepared to sing the same or similar repertoire you performed for your audition (to be performed from memory). Bring sheet music with you.
Vocal Program students will also take placement exams in theory, musicianship, diction, and history on Monday, July 7, These exams are designed to gauge students’ level of knowledge in each area for appropriate placement in academic courses.
Young Artists Harp Program
Students in the Young Artists Harp Program (YAHP) are required to take theory. Placement exams will take place on Monday, July 7.
Private Lessons
Due to the small enrollment of the BUTI Workshops, formal one-on-one private instruction is included in some, but not all workshops. Each workshop schedule will not be determined and available until its start date.
One-on-one private instruction is included in all Young Artists Programs. All students enrolled in the Young Artist Orchestra, the Young Artists Vocal Program, and the Young Artists Wind Ensemble will be assigned a faculty member for private instruction based on their seating/placement audition. Students should not request a specific instructor for these lessons that are included in their curriculum.
All students, in any program or workshop, have the opportunity to request private instruction that extends beyond what is provided in their curriculum. Once students arrive on campus, they will also be introduced to the BUTI Private Lessons Coordinator (who will oversee all lesson assignments and scheduling).
The applied music faculty is primarily drawn from the Boston Symphony Orchestra and Boston University School of Music. Because of the demanding and complex schedules of both the students and faculty, there is no guarantee that students will receive their requested number of additional lessons or their first teacher of choice. All lessons outside of the curriculum will come at an extra cost, even if a student has received a full scholarship to attend their program(s). The cost of each lesson is determined by the instructor, with an average range of $75-$150 per hour.
Students are NOT permitted to set up their own private lessons without permission from the Institute, even if currently studying with a member of the applied music faculty during the academic year. All students must work with the BUTI Private Lessons Coordinator to set up additional private instruction.
Electives
Students will have the opportunity to participate in a variety of elective courses in music theory and history, improvisation, career training and leadership, health and wellness, and more. The program is designed for you to take control of your own learning and participate in as many electives as you like. Electives will be offered outside of the required core curriculum and will occur 2-3 times per week. Prior to the start of the program, enrolled students will receive a detailed schedule of classes and more specific information on course content, and be invited to ‘enroll.’ Once enrolled, attendance at each class of the course is mandatory.
Concert Information
Ozawa Hall Concert Ticketing
Young Artists Orchestra Ozawa Hall concert tickets may be purchased the day of the concert immediately outside of the concert hall, or in advance at bso.org or the Tanglewood Box Office for $13 each. Each student performing in a Young Artists Orchestra concert at Seiji Ozawa Hall will receive two complementary tickets for outside guests to attend. These tickets do not need to be requested in advance, and will be available for pick up at a table located directly outside the concert hall on the day of the performance.
Young Artists Wind Ensemble and Young Artists Chorus Ozawa Hall concerts are free and open seating.
For any questions regarding ticketing for BUTI Ozawa Hall performances, do not hesitate to contact the BUTI Administrative Summer Offices.
Tanglewood on Parade and Special Collaborations
For Tanglewood on Parade and/or BSO-related performances on Tanglewood Main Grounds, parents and guests who wish to attend must purchase tickets or lawn passes through the BSO Box Office.
Other BUTI Concerts and Performances
All other BUTI concerts and performances are free and open to the public. Tickets are not needed.
Boston Symphony Orchestra (BSO) Concerts
To attend the weekend concerts of the BSO, use the Student Gate in the main gate complex or the Lion’s Gate at the back of the Tanglewood grounds. You may sit in Section Y, the special students’ section of green benches located to the right of the Koussevitzky Music Shed. Your Tanglewood grounds pass must be shown to the Section Y attendant. Seats are available on a first come, first served basis and only given with the assistance of a BSO usher. You may also sit anywhere on the lawn. Visitors may purchase general admission tickets for lawn and reserved seating for BSO concerts.
Recital Series Information
A series of recital and chamber music concerts by renowned visiting artists and faculty will take place throughout the summer. If seats are available in Seiji Ozawa Hall, ushers will provide those to BUTI students on a first come, first served basis, directly prior to the start of the performance.
Concert Attendance
Music is the center of what we do at Boston University Tanglewood Institute, and as such, we believe that participation as an audience member is a vital part of the BUTI experience. In an effort to develop listening skills, absorb a broad range of musical repertoire, demonstrate concert etiquette, and be supportive colleagues, BUTI students are encouraged and expected to attend as many performances as possible by their respective program faculty and peer groups as well as concerts presented by other BUTI programs. Failure to attend required concerts may affect your final grade.
Tanglewood Main Grounds Lawn Passes
When you register for your BUTI program on campus, you will be assigned a BSO lawn pass for the summer. This pass gives you access to all BSO and TMC concerts on the Tanglewood grounds (except the Popular Artists Series). If you lose or misplace your pass, there is a $100 replacement fee that must be paid before a new pass will be issued.
Behavior on the Tanglewood Grounds
One of the highlights of your summer will be your attendance at the many concerts held on the Tanglewood grounds. For concerts at the Koussevitzky Music Shed, the ushers will make every effort to find seats for you inside if you sit in Section Y, as described in the above section “Boston Symphony Orchestra (BSO) Concerts.” When you are on the Tanglewood grounds, you are a guest of the Boston Symphony Orchestra and a representative of BUTI. Disorderly conduct or any behavior not conducive to BUTI policy may result in your dismissal from the grounds and loss of your Tanglewood grounds pass, resulting in the loss of your privilege to attend concerts. Please avoid making unnecessary noise or causing a disturbance during a concert, whether you are in the hall or on the lawn. If, for any reason, you are asked to leave by an usher, a member of the Tanglewood staff, or a member of Boston University Tanglewood Institute staff, please leave quietly.
A significant number of famous artists perform at Tanglewood each summer, and you sometimes have the opportunity to meet artists backstage after their performance. Tanglewood is a friendly environment and many artists enjoy meeting audience members, but this is up to the individual artist. If you want to visit backstage with an artist, please follow the instructions given by Tanglewood staff members posted at the stage doors. Sneaking backstage or disregarding the instructions of the Tanglewood staff may result in the loss of your Tanglewood grounds pass and further disciplinary action up to and including dismissal from Boston University Tanglewood Institute. Following evening concerts, your first responsibility is to board the shuttle bus that will take you to West Street Campus, or walk back to your dormitory if no buses are scheduled. Visiting backstage with an artist does not excuse you from the Boston University Tanglewood Institute curfew policy.