Helpful Info

The following is a list of helpful tips for freshmen:

  • If you have not passed an audition on your principal instrument, call 205-348-7110 and ask to set one up before classes begin. You cannot begin your career as a music major until you have been accepted by the School of Music.
  • Pay your fees by the deadline on your bill or your schedule will be scratched and you will have to start over the day before classes begin, which is a very unpleasant thing to do.
  • Once you arrive on campus, with your schedule in hand, visit the bookstores (please note that this is a plural word) and purchase the texts for your classes. Pay special attention to the section number for courses outside music, as there may be different texts for different sections. Save your receipts. Refunds are impossible without receipts. The bookstores are the University Supe Store in Student Center, the Supe Store in Tutwiler, the Alabama Bookstore on the Strip, the Alabama Bookstore on Bryant Drive, and the College Store on Bryant Drive. It is sometimes necessary to go to all five in order to get the books you will need, so allow plenty of time and patience and take a bottle of water for the trek.
  • Be sure to pick up the “Introduction to Music Therapy: Theory and Practice” text for MUS 180 or save money by ordering it online. It is available from amazon.com and other online booksellers.
  • Be sure to get a very good calendar which you can carry everywhere and in which you will keep all your appointments and assignments. There will be far too many things to remember in your head.
  • One or two days before classes begin, come to Moody and find Dr. Cevasco-Trotter’s office (#253) and Dr. Draper’s office (#252B). Check the bulletin board right beside their office doors to see if there are any further instructions.
  • One or two days before classes begin, come to Moody and find the CMTA (Capstone Music Therapy Association) bulletin board. It is on the first floor, right where the two wings of the building meet. Write the time, date, and place of the first meeting into your calendar. You will need to check all three of these bulletin boards regularly to make sure you are up-to-date on important matters.
  • One or two days before classes begin, come to Moody and find the studios for your principal applied teacher. Check bulletin boards for instructions about scheduling your applied lessons. TAKE YOUR CALENDAR AND YOUR CLASS SCHEDULE WITH YOU when you sign up for lesson times. Inquire about meeting times for rep classes and write these in, too.
  • One or two days before classes begin, walk around campus and locate the room where each of your classes will meet. On the appropriate day, begin attending scheduled classes. Try very hard not to miss the first class meeting of any course.
  • You have been issued a university email account. Your professors and the university will send regular email communications to this address; this is your official campus address and should be checked daily, if not more frequently. It runs through gmail and has very good spam detection and extensive storage capacity.
  • On the first Friday of the semester, attend your first School of Music Convocation at noon in the big concert hall. Announcements and instructions are often given at this convo. Music convo is a regular event and should appear on your schedule (MUS 010).
  • If you have a questions contact Dr. Cevasco-Trotter or Dr. Draper. Don’t add or subtract any courses from your schedule without checking with us. We will be your advisors and we know the music therapy curriculum. Other students and faculty are not familiar with your degree’s requirements, so check with one of us. We can communicate via email or you may make an appointment to talk in person.
  • Take comfort in the fact that by Labor Day, at the latest, all problems will have been solved and you will be on your way to a happy year.
  • Even better, after this first semester, everything gets easier!