August 15, 2020

Answers to Frequently Asked Questions:

• Will there be a Commencement ceremony for 2020 in person?

  We will have an in-person graduation once the campus reopens.

  We plan to also have a virtual participation option for those who are unable to attend in person. And, of course, we will livestream the ceremony as we do every year.

  Here is the list of of this year’s commencement speaker and honorary doctoral recipients:

  Commencement Speaker:

  Bebe Neuwirth (HonDMA ’15), Actor/dancer/singer and MSM Trustee

  Honorary Doctorate recipients:

  Martina Arroyo, Metropolitan Opera Soprano (https://www.martinaarroyo.com/)

  Deborah Borda, President, New York Philharmonic (https://nyphil.org/about-us/artists/deborah-borda)

  Carla Bossi-Comelli, Arts Philanthropist and MSM Trustee

  Terri Lynne Carrington, Jazz Artist (https://www.berklee.edu/people/terri-lyne-carrington) and Founder/Artistic Director, Berklee College of Music Center for Jazz and Gender Justice

  Kelli O’Hara, Broadway performer (https://www.kelliohara.com/)

  Susan Stroman, Choreographer and stage director (https://www.masterworksbroadway.com/artist/susan-stroman/)

• Will I have to do a jury? Graduation recital?

  Graduation Recitals

  Provost Griggs wrote to you in her Update #2 (April 15) that any graduating student who wishes may perform their graduation recital on campus during the upcoming academic year.  Once we know when we will be reopening the campus, we will share specific details for how to schedule these recitals.

  Juries

  The Registrar’s Office has shared each department’s plan for juries and recitals. Most importantly, the faculty in your department have worked to create flexible and attainable standards for you to meet these expectations in a format that will help you succeed and complete your requirements for this semester.

• Will I receive all of my credits for which I’m registered?

  Yes. Just as in any other semester, if you complete your courses and receive a passing grade, all of your credits will count toward your degree requirements; MSM remains fully accredited.

• I’m not sure that I can complete all of my lessons via distance learning. Is there an alternative?

  On a case-by-basis, extenuating circumstances will be considered to accommodate extraordinary circumstances. This may cause a delay in your receiving a grade until such time as those lessons can be completed. If you believe your circumstances may warrant this option and you planned to graduate in May, contact the Registrar’s Office as soon as possible; international students should contact Michael Lockhart in International Student Services as well.

• End-of-year performances and readings

  For performance-based courses, your faculty members are working with you to determine how and if a “virtual” performance can be presented at the end of this semester. If you have any ideas about such possibilities, please share them with your course instructor. We will offer performance and/or reading opportunities for chamber music and jazz combo groups that wish to participate once campus reopens. Similarly, we will make every attempt to schedule readings for courses that traditionally culminate in a reading and/or recording of work.

• Updates about Coachings

  Chamber Ensembles and Jazz Combos have resumed coachings. The content and format may have changed, but faculty and many students have reported they enjoy the time to dig deeper into the music by contextualizing recordings and compositions, discussing performance practice techniques, and exploring new repertoire that broadens awareness of composers and performers, some of whose history may have been unjustly neglected.

• Remote Learning Resources

  Check out the Student Remote Learning “course” in Canvas for pro-tips from our Distance Learning and Recording Arts staff.  They have shared information on how to improve sound on Zoom as well as utilizing Canvas.

• MSM Bridging the Distance

  Many of you have been posting performances on social media, and MSM is sharing these wonderful clips, both on our social media feeds and via a weekly email to our performance patrons, who currently are having to make do without being able to experience your artistry in person. You may view them on our Instagram page, where they are catalogued in the Bridging the Distance Tab.

  If you are interested in participating in this series, please post your performance on Instagram, Facebook, or Twitter, include the #MSMBridgingTheDistance hashtag, and tag @msm.nyc (on Instagram) or @msmnyc (on Facebook or Twitter).

• Information regarding reopening campus in the Fall

  We are still planning for a normal opening. However, right now, we are also developing contingency plans, as we simply don’t know for sure when that opening date will be.

  We continue to closely monitor the Centers for Disease Control, the New York State Health Department, and other sources locally and worldwide regarding updates and direction about the virus.

  We are also in weekly contact with leaders at other independent conservatories throughout North America (Boston, Philadelphia, Los Angeles, San Francisco, Cleveland, and Toronto) as well as leaders of institutions of various kinds here in NYC every few weeks to determine the best course forward.  We, along with other conservatories and institutions of higher education, are looking at various scenarios for starting our new academic year, scenarios which are contingent on the course of this disease.  Please rest assured that as we know more about the details of MSM’s fall reopening, we will promptly communicate all relevant information to you.

   

• Access to MSM Campus in Fall for current students

  Normally, full access to the MSM Campus is for currently enrolled students only.  Because the pandemic interrupted graduating students’ last semester on campus, we have extended access to the MSM Campus for all 2020 graduating students through the upcoming Fall Semester.  All graduating students with the current Spring Semester ID will have full access to the MSM Campus, including practice privileges. (Please note: enrolled students for the Fall Semester will have priority access to practice facilities.).

  Auditing a course

  In addition to campus access, spring semester 2020 graduating students will be able to audit one course (does not include lessons or small ensembles) during the upcoming Fall Semester. (Please note: enrolled students for the Fall Semester will have priority for space in every class.)

• Health & Wellness

  Students can use telehealth for counseling, wellness, and physical therapy sessions. Our MSM Counselors, physical therapist Dr. Pereira, and Nurse Myriam are available to all MSM students throughout the rest of the semester.

• I’m a student worker. Will I get paid?

  We understand that many of you have relied upon this income to fund your expenses. We have two kinds of student workers:

  1. Federal Work Study, or FWS (awarded on documented financial need and primarily paid for by the US Government); and
  2. MSM Student jobs (paid completely by MSM).

  The US Government has authorized colleges and universities to pay students on FWS through the end of the semester.  Consequently, those who have received FWS pay will continue to receive pay through the remainder of the semester up to the limit of their award.  For those students who work MSM jobs not funded by FWS, MSM will issue a one-time payment to these students based on their average recent pay. These earnings will be equivalent to two weeks of pay for the period of the two weeks following spring break (during which part-time students have not worked).  Please understand that our staff continue to work remotely and are doing their best to make sure we meet this planned deadline.

  Separately and not related to student work, Student Council has suggested that the remaining student organization activity budgets potentially be redeployed to a hardship fund for students with demonstrated need.  MSM appreciates and supports this initiative and will match this total budget in order to provide additional funding and resources.  More details about this program will be forthcoming from Student Council soon.

• Will I as a commuter student receive my meal plan balance back?

  Yes. Just like the Andersen Hall residents, all MSM students will receive a full refund for the balance of their meal plans for Spring 2020.

• Is MSM a not-for-profit institution?

  Yes. MSM has always been a not-for-profit institution. Because of this status, donations to MSM are tax deductible. Most years MSM receives in the range of $4-6 million in donations. These donations are for scholarships, support for the general operation of the institution, and campus building projects, for example. Without the generosity of donors, we could not do as much of what we do each year, as student tuition does not cover the cost of running MSM.

  In some cases, funds raised allow us to do such things as renovate the campus as we recently did with Neidorff-Karpati Hall and our new campus entrance. For this initiative we raised more than $13 million in project-specific funds. Even our most recent add-on to this project, the Lounge below Neidorff-Karpati Hall, was paid for by the further generosity of the Neidorffs.

  Our Board of Trustees continues to fully support MSM. In addition to their annual dues – the average for our public trustees is about $40,000 per year – they are generous with their time and expertise as well as collectively giving millions toward many of our recent construction projects. They also help me and others at MSM to ensure our great institution survives well beyond the time any of us are here. Our Artist Trustees (Terence Blanchard; Anthony Roth Costanzo; Thomas Hampson; Bebe Neuwirth; and Leonard Slatkin) give freely of themselves and their artistry by giving master classes and panel discussions without getting paid, as they too believe in you and your education. Our Faculty Trustees give of their time without pay and also donate money to the School each year. And, even a star like Alec Baldwin donates him time and has never been paid for any of his appearances at MSM.

• I heard that MSM has a large endowment. Is that true?

  Before the pandemic hit, MSM’s endowment was approximately $31 million, the smallest endowment of any of the seven independent conservatories in the United States. On this past Thursday, due to historic stock market losses, our endowment was worth $24 million, a 23% loss from the month before. It will come back at some point, but for now the School has sustained significant losses to its endowment. Many people don’t understand how endowments work. An endowment is kind of like a large savings account and institutions spend about 4-5% of the money in that savings account each year to fund their expenses. Donors who give their money to an endowment most often “restrict” their gift for a specific purpose such as scholarships for a specific instrument or genre of music they love (for example: jazz guitar; musical theatre; clarinet; sopranos; etc.). We recently received word that after her death, our long-time and beloved colleague, Dean Christianne Orto, gave MSM $500,000 of her retirement account to help fund one of the areas she created and ran at MSM for more than 20 years – Distance Learning. Her gift is restricted to that use and that use only. With all of these examples, it is illegal to use a donor’s money or the interest it generates for any other purpose than what the donor intended. Simply, the endowment is not a rainy day fund, but a long-term, institutionally sustaining fund.

• Has MSM lost any money during this crisis?

  Thus far MSM has incurred more than $1.5 million in new expenditures or lost revenue in the last month due to this pandemic. This is on top of the $7 million that we lost in the value of our endowment. This year will be the first year in more than a decade that MSM will incur a deficit.

• Moving forward

  There aren’t sufficient words to express to you how deeply the faculty and staff wish we were all together right now doing what we all do so well: making music and sharing friendship and community.  That being said, the world has pushed us to another place where we are learning new things and in new ways about music and ourselves.  I hope this learning has opened your minds and your hearts to some unexpected adventures that have taken you to new heights in your development as a musician and as a person.

Helpful information about the coronavirus:

• What is a coronavirus?

  Coronaviruses are a large family of viruses that originate in animals but are known to cause respiratory illness in humans, particularly during the fall and winter months.

  In December 2019, a novel (new) coronavirus (COVID-19) was identified with the first cases appearing in Wuhan, China, eventually spreading worldwide.

• What are the symptoms?

  Symptoms of the coronavirus appear within two to 14 days after exposure. These symptoms range from common to severe respiratory illnesses and include:

  • fever
  • cough
  • difficulty breathing

  Many of these symptoms are similar to seasonal influenza. Should you experience these symptoms AND have recently travelled outside the Tri-State Region (NY, NJ and CT), avoid contact with others, and follow-up with your health care professional, or visit urgent care. Advise your health professional in advance of attending the clinic of your symptoms and travel history.

  College students with symptoms who have recently traveled beyond the Tri-State Region should contact the Campus Nurse Office (917-493-4778) or visit urgent care.

• Prevention

  We ask that all community members follow these best practices to keep MSM healthy:

  • Stay home and seek medical attention if you are not feeling well, especially if you are experiencing a fever, cough, shortness of breath, or other flu-like symptoms.
  • Wash your hands often with soap and water (20 seconds of scrubbing) or use alcohol-based hand sanitizer if soap and water are not readily available (be sure to cover all surfaces and rub until dry).
  • Cough/sneeze into a tissue. Dispose of used tissues immediately into a trash can. If you don’t have a tissue, cough/sneeze into the crook of your elbow, not your hands. Then wash your hands or use hand sanitizer.
  • Avoid touching your eyes, nose, and mouth, which accelerates the spread of infections.
  • Avoid close contact with people who are sick.
  • Do not share glasses, eating utensils, water bottles, cigarettes/vapes/JUULs, lipstick/makeup, etc.

  Note: MSM has adopted enhanced measures with regard to campus cleaning and disinfecting, including spraying with disinfectant all high-touch areas such as elevator call buttons and door knobs.

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