By Shannon Neu, Staff Writer

Published in print Apr. 22, 2015

If one walks into the music building during this time of year, they will likely hear sounds of students devotedly practicing for their upcoming performance juries.

Music students who partake in at least two credit hours of private lessons on their primary instruments during a semester are required to perform an end-of-semester jury.

During a performance jury, students demonstrate their improvement over the course of the semester by performing in front of a panel of two or more faculty members and graduate students.

Students discuss with their private lesson instructors beforehand what their requirements are in terms of procedures and repertoire requirements.

Though the general concept of a performance jury is relatively overarching for all UNCG music students, no two people have the same experience. The requirements, level of difficulty and individual experiences of juries depend on a variety of factors.

Aspects that affect one’s jury experience include: their specific studio requirements, major, year in school and what music they worked on throughout the semester.

Voice students are not only required to learn pieces of music, but they must also be able to provide word-for-word translations of portions of their songs.

Many people within the music school bubble are involved in the end-of-semester jury process.

Of course, the performers are essential to the jury process. They perform their required material in an allotted amount of time in front of a panel of jurors.

Students spend an entire semester preparing for this one performance exam, which often determines a large part of their performance studies grade. It is an intense process that all comes together during the jury.

Joe Barker, a tuba player pursuing a Bachelor of Arts in General Music, explained that his jury requirements for the semester include scales, etudes and orchestral excerpts.

They’re stressful. There’s no way they’re not stressful,” Barker said, describing his experiences thus far with juries. “You can be as prepared as possible, and you still have that feeling of doom.”

Juries are beneficial because they help students review the work they have completed over the course of the semester. Not only are they required to be able to play in certain performance styles, but they also must gain an understanding of which situations they are expected to play in these styles.

“The jury helps you go over all of that at once. Even if you’re rusty on some of it, you go back over it and it helps refresh everything,” Barker explained.

“I think the most challenging part is not the music. It’s the actual performance of it,” Barker reflected.

Music students often feel a significant amount of pressure when playing in front of a large panel of judges.

“They’re the ones who decide what bands you get into, the ones who decide what your life is like,” Barker continued, “That’s scary.”

Julia Van Patter explained that as a piano performance major, she is required to perform four memorized pieces from different time periods for her end-of-semester juries.

“It’s a little scary presenting music to a group of professors who are so knowledgeable on the subject,” Van Patter reflected. “But it’s also a great way to finish up the semester. It gives me something to work towards.”

“I usually start a new batch of music every semester, and prepare with my teacher through weekly lessons and daily practice,” Van Patter continued, describing how she prepares for a jury.

“It’s rewarding to have the opportunity to present the result of hours of practice to a group of professors who know what they’re talking about and are able to really appreciate the amount of work that went into putting together the repertoire.”

Not only does Van Patter participate in her own juries as a performer, but she also plays an important role as an accompanist in other people’s juries.

An accompanist’s job is to play musical accompaniment for instrumentalists and vocalists. Van Patter provides accompaniment on both piano and harp.

“Accompanying for juries is pretty low key. The professors aren’t really listening to me that much—I’m mostly there to provide support for the instrumentalist,” Van Patter explained.

“It’s always really rewarding for me to play with other people. This is an entirely different experience than solo playing— it’s not about me in this situation,” Van Patter added.

“It’s always a lot of fun for me to work with different people and create music together.”

Professors and graduate students also play an important role in the jury process, of course, as members of the jury panel.

They must listen to the student performers objectively, judge whether or not they have improved in their playing abilities over the course of the semester and provide useful feedback to help them continue to improve.

Though the jury process is demanding, it aids everyone involved as they continue to grow into successful musicians and lifelong learners.