Western Carolina University

Juries
All music students must perform a jury at the end of each semester of individual lessons.  This jury is a sort of “final exam” for the semester of lessons, and is performed before a small panel of faculty with expertise in your performance area.  Juries typically are scheduled during the Final Exam week for the university. 

Instrumental juries typically include:

• Prepared solo (selected in consultation with your studio teacher)
• Jury Etude (distributed by your studio teacher one week prior to the jury)
• Scales (for freshmen, all major scales; for sophomores, all major and minor scales)
• Sight-reading

Individual studios may modify these requirements, so check with your studio teacher.  Students may elect to substitute a significant public recital for the jury; this option must be approved in advance by the studio teacher and the faculty panel who will evaluate the performance.

Follow this link for Jury Requirements common to all voice studios.

Freshman and Sophomore Examinations
The juries at the end of the second semester of freshman-level lessons (MUS 107) and of sophomore-level lessons (MUS 207) serve, respectively, serve as the Freshman and Sophomore Examinations.  The Sophomore Examination typically requires preparation of more music than the Freshman Examination.  On the basis of these examinations, you will either progress to the next level of lessons or, if the faculty panel judges the examination to be unsatisfactory, be required to take an additional semester of the current level of lessons.  If an additional semester of lessons is required, another Freshman or Sophomore Exam is given at the end of the third semester of the current level of lessons.  If the second Examination is also judged unsatisfactory, you will no longer be allowed to continue as a music major.  This decision may be appealed in writing to your studio teacher and the Director of the School of Music.

Follow this link for Freshman and Sophomore Examination requirements common to all voice studios.

Public Recital
Every music student must perform and pass a public recital in the final semester of lessons.  The repertoire must be approved in advance, and the recital is graded by a small panel of music faculty.  General requirements for the public recital are shown in the table below.  For specific requirements, consult with your studio teacher.  Some studios also require more frequent public performances in studio recitals or on the student recital series.

Degree	Typical length	When performed	Course #
B.A., including Music Industry Option	15-25 minutes	Last semester of MUS 207	N/A
B.M., Commercial & Electronic Music	25-35 minutes	Last semester of MUS 407	N/A
B.M./B.S.Ed. Music Education	25-35 minutes	Last semester of MUS 407	N/A
B.M., Performance	45-60 minutes	Last semester of MUS 307	MUS 305
		Last semester of MUS 407	MUS 405

Follow this link for Recital Requirements common to all voice studios.

Recording:  all student recitals performed during the regularly scheduled student recital hours (typically, Fridays at 2:30pm) are recorded.  Recitals performed at other times may be recorded if arrangments are made in advance through Dr. Eldred Spell.  A direct-to-CD recording device is also available backstage; if you wish to use this equipment, be sure you or your stage manager knows how to use it (instructions are posted in the equipment cabinet backstage). 

For further information, please use the following links:

• Scheduling your recital
• Securing an Accompanist