Sophomores must play scales and arpeggios from memory and at the required sophomore jury tempo. Orchestral and Band Excerpts - The study of orchestral and band excerpts is mandatory for performance majors. For all other majors, orchestral and band excerpts are elective. The study of excerpts is to prepare a student for performance in, and auditions for, a professional band or orchestra. Preparing for an audition or performance in a band or orchestra requires the student to master and demonstrate special and unique skills.
Excerpts are perhaps the most rigorous and disciplined playing required of a musician.
Upon receiving an excerpt from the instructor for lesson preparation, the student is required to listen with great attention to detail to the excerpt performed by at least three recordings by major orchestras or bands. Examinations - A jury before the entire brass faculty is required of the student upon completion of two semesters of study at each level. Freshman and junior juries consist of the student playing an accompanied solo with piano and are ten minutes in length. The sophomore jury is a comprehensive examination where the students plays an accompanied solo with piano, two contrasting etudes, memorized major, harmonic and melodic scales and arpeggios, and sight reading. The sophomore jury is twenty- minutes in length.