Resources

Jury Requirements for Brass

Freshman and junior juries will be ten minutes in length. Sophomore barrier, senior, masters, and provisional/probation juries will be fifteen minutes in length.
Students must prepare enough repertoire (solos, etudes, orchestral and band excerpts) to fill the entire ten or fifteen minute jury exam.
Each faculty member will submit a grade and written comments for each jury performance.
The primary teacher has sole responsibility for issuing a grade to a student at any level. Area faculty can only suggest how a grade may be determined. The primary teacher may average the numeric jury grade together with lesson grades as he/she sees fit.
For all barrier juries, the grading system will be PASS/FAIL. Each faculty member will submit a grade of either pass or fail. To pass a barrier jury, a student must have at least 50% passing scores from the jury. Following a passing barrier jury, the primary faculty member may also request that all area faculty submit a numeric grade as well, using a 4.0 scale, to aid in the calculation process of a semester grade for that student.
For brass, the absence of a live keyboard accompanist, when required, will result in a jury grade of fail.
A “Barrier Jury Test Result” form will be completed for all MUS 154 barrier juries and all provisional status juries, and should be turned in to the office of the Associate Dean for Undergraduate Studies by the primary teacher.
For all NON-barrier juries, a number grade will be submitted by all brass jury faculty to the primary teacher, using a 4.0 scale. The teacher may use these grades as he or she sees fit in calculating the final grade for the semester. Any non-barrier jury that results in an average grade below 2.0 will trigger a discussion and vote for a potential move to provisional status for that student for the following semester. (See freshman level information below for specifics on provisional status.)
The primary teacher reserves the right to inform the jury of any critical information about a student, either positive or negative, that may influence the quality of their jury performance and their grade for the semester.
Each performer will be required to bring at least four copies of all planned repertoire to the jury to aid in the grading process.
Each performer must complete four copies of the “Jury Information Sheet” and bring it with them to the jury.
At the discretion of the studio instructor, brass-percussion combined area final auditions for the MSU Honors Concert may substitute for one of the required jury exams.
Please consult with your instructor or another member of the brass and faculty if in doubt on the appropriate attire for the jury exam.

Specific Levels

FRESHMAN music majors will take juries in both the fall and spring semesters. At least one piece must be accompanied by piano on one of these juries.

Any student placed on provisional admission status (as a result of an audition or a jury recommendation) must take a jury at the end of the next semester of study to determine whether they will be allowed to continue applied music lessons on that instrument. To remove the provisional status, a student must earn an averaged jury grade of 2.0 or higher. If the provisional status is not removed, the student will not be allowed to continue enrollment in applied music lessons. Although this decision (if negative) does not remove a student from the College of Music, it does seriously impact his or her ability to obtain any music-related degree at this institution.

SOPHOMORE music majors will take a jury (barrier) only in their second semester of applied study, generally the fourth semester of enrollment at the MUS 154 level. This jury will determine whether or not they may progress to the MUS 354 level of study. At least one substantial piece must be performed with piano accompanist at this jury.

If a student receives a failing grade (as described above) on the barrier jury and is not advanced to the MUS 354 level, he/she must enroll for an additional semester of study at the MUS 154 level, and pass the barrier jury following this extra semester at the MUS 154 level. Failure to score a grade of pass on this second barrier jury will mean that a student can no longer continue in the applied music sequence on the particular instrument.

JUNIOR music majors will take one jury exam, which may occur in either the fall or spring semester. At least one piece must be accompanied by piano on this jury. In consultation with the primary teacher, a junior brass major may elect to perform a full or half solo recital instead of a jury exam, with at least twenty minutes of approved solo repertoire. The primary teacher must agree to attend and approve the recital performance.

For Music Composition majors, the final jury generally takes place at the end of the junior year, following the required four credits of study at the MUS 354 level. A grade of 2.5 or better is needed from the averaged jury grades to complete the applied music course of study.

For Bachelor of Arts in Music majors, the final jury generally takes place at the end of the junior year, following the required four credits of study at the MUS 354 level. A grade of 2.5 or better is needed from the averaged jury grades to complete the applied music course of study. BA in Music majors should consult the undergraduate course handbook for complete details.

SENIOR music majors will take a jury in the spring semester or at the conclusion of their fourth semester of study at the MUS 354 level. At least one substantial work must be performed with piano accompanist at this jury.

Alternatively, a senior brass student who presents a senior recital in his or her final semester, and performs at a satisfactory level, may be allowed to forgo his/her final jury at the discretion of the primary teacher. Performance majors are required to perform a full length solo recital. Music Education brass majors may play a full or half senior recital, with at least twenty minutes of solo repertoire. The primary teacher must agree to attend and approve the recital performance. Please note that the primary teacher has the authority to require a jury even if the student has performed a recital.

MASTERS students taking lessons at the MUS 854 level for either two or three credits must take one jury in the first year of study during either semester. At least one piece must be accompanied by piano at this jury.

Graduate students who are fulfilling the requirements for the Brass Specialist Degree should follow the jury requirements in the Graduate Handbook.

DOCTORAL students will not be required to take any jury exams.