The University of Iowa course “Recital Attendance” gives music and non-music majors the opportunity to attend musical recitals for academic credit.

For music majors, this course is mandatory yet still enjoyable, some students say.

“You spend a lot of time alone with your thoughts at [these recitals] and for me that’s helpful. They allow me to think about things going on in my life in general,” UI music student Sam Greiner said. “You also get exposure to different cultures.”

Greiner, who took the class for music majors in the Fall 2023 semester, enjoyed seeing new and different types of musical expression through the recitals. For example, one performance he went to see included Indiana prayer songs, as well as jazz music. The fusion was unique to Greiner, as he had never heard anything like it before.

His biggest advice for music majors taking the course would be to not wait until the last second to attend performances. Pushing them until the last moment could cause unneeded stress and anxiety before finals season.

“If you wait too long, you limit the options of things you can go to,” Greiner said. “Personally, I don’t want to go to seven classical woodwind recitals in a row. So, I think it really helps if you plan and look at the whole schedule for the semester. Just pick out as many that sound interesting as possible.”

If students find themselves in a time crunch, Greiner recommends attending a jazz performance, as many of them are both entertaining and are under an hour long — making for a low time commitment for attendees.

Finding recitals to go to is simple as well. When looking through courses on MyUI, students simply have to go onto the recital attendance course page to find a link to a list of future performances on the School of Music’s website.

“Being exposed to great music — and even world-renowned performance through Hancher — is a great benefit for [students] who attend,” UI School of Music professor Volkan Orhon said.

Orhon enjoys the fact that students are exposed to recital etiquette through this course. He also believes it is important for students to attend performances that are headlined by current music majors, as well as UI faculty.

In regard to current student performers, there are also degree recitals included on the course calendar. These recitals are for senior music majors who have this performance included as part of their degree. Students who decide to attend these recitals can show support for fellow creatives.

“I think students like the class. And even outside of that class setting, we have other opportunities that we offer in the School of Music,” Orhon said. “I’m a performer, so I know it is important to walk on stage and see an entire audience as opposed to five people.