Once the sophomore audition has been completed successfully, students are required to take a juried performance evaluation in each subsequent semester of lesson enrollment. 

Repertoire guidelines for the jury evaluation:

Vocalists: A program of three songs or arias of contrasting languages and style periods. All repertoire must be memorized.

Instrumentalists: A program of two pieces of contrasting style periods. (Pianists only: all repertoire must be memorized.)

Students need not take a jury during the semester of the senior recital, but are required to perform a recital hearing approximately one month before the performance date.

Juries are evaluated with the same ratings used for the sophomore audition: pass, pass with reservation, or fail. The committee will continue to evaluate the student as s/he progresses, in keeping with the criteria used at the sophomore audition, and will provide comments to inform the student of evaluated strengths or weaknesses. It is the student’s responsibility to remain aware of his/her progress through each evaluation.

A student who receives the evaluation of “pass with reservation” is considered to be on probationary status within the major, and must pay special attention to the directions of the committee in their jury commentary. A student may not receive an evaluation of “pass with reservation” for more than one semester; therefore, the next jury performance must earn the evaluation of “pass” in order for the student to remain in the program.

A student who fails his/her jury may only appeal with the approval of the individual instructor. With this approval, a student who wishes to appeal must contact the department chair no later than the last day of finals week to communicate the intent to appeal. The appeal process will include repeating the jury performance by no later than the first two weeks of the following semester. The student must also complete an appeal form stating his/her case and submit that form to the committee at the time of the performance. A student who successfully appeals will have her record changed to “pass, with reservation” and is considered to be on a probationary status in the major. An unsuccessful appeal will result in retention of the original evaluation of “fail.”

A failing jury evaluation will be grounds for dismissal from the major.