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Jazz Jury Requirements

Requirements by Semester

Jazz major students are to work with their private lesson instructors throughout each semester to prepare for their jury requirements. Each semester, undergraduate students will memorize five (5) standard selections, and graduate students will memorize ten (10), as outlined below. The faculty jury panel will randomly select one prepared selection at each jury to be performed from memory. Guitar, bass, and piano jurors will also be asked to comp changes or walk a chorus. Scales should be played at a steady-eighth note tempo, quarter note=120 bpm, not overly fast or “rushed.” Sight-reading skills are also evaluated at each jury.

Additional Keyboard Requirements:

Refer to recent announcement regarding 2025-26 UG Semester 5 and 6 Non-Piano Majors

  • For Jazz Drum Majors – drum jury criteria also include keyboard requirements each semester (details here)
  • For Non–Jazz Piano Majors – semester 3 and 4 undergraduate and semester 3 graduate students have keyboard requirements (details here)

UG Sem-1

  • Perform memorized tune selection: head-in, solo choruses, any comping, head-out
    1. Sonny Moon For Two
    2. So Danco Samba
    3. Misty
    4. Afternoon in Paris
    5. Lester Leaps In
  • Sight-reading assessment
  • Scales and Chords (quarter note=120 bpm):
    • Major scale and derived modes in all keys
    • Basic Blues Scales in all keys
    • Outline Basic 4-note chords in all keys:
      • Maj7, Dom7, min7, min7(b5), o7
  • Jazz Drums Major – Piano: demonstrate scales, chords, and a single tune selection from this semester. See details

UG Sem-2 | Grad Sem-1

    • Perform memorized tune selection: head-in, solo choruses, any comping, head-out
      1. Song For My Father
      2. Oleo
      3. Here’s That Rainy Day
      4. Softly As In A Morning Sunrise
      5. So Long Eric
    • Sight-reading assessment
    • Scales and Chords (quarter note=120 bpm):
      • All scales and chords from previous semesters
      • Dominant 7 Bebop and Maj6 Bebop scales in all keys
    • Jazz Drums Major – Piano: demonstrate scales, chords, and a single tune selection from this semester. See details

UG Sem-3 | Grad Sem-1

  • Perform memorized tune selection: head-in, solo choruses, any comping, head-out
    1. Byrdlike
    2. Corcovado
    3. Good Bait
    4. Lover Man
    5. Bluesette
  • Sight-reading assessment
  • Scales and Chords (quarter note=120 bpm):
    • All scales and chords from previous semesters
    • Harmonic Minor Scales and derived modes in all keys
    • Whole-tone scales in all keys
    • Blues scales w/major 3rd in all keys
    • Outline basic four-note chords in all keys:
      • Maj7(b5), Maj7#5, Maj7(sus4), Maj6; Dom7(b5), Dom7#5, Dom7(sus4)
UG Keyboard Exam for Non-Piano Majors (Part 1)

Refer to Jazz Jury Keyboard Exam for Non-Pianists page for more details

  • Minimum tempo = 85 bpm:
    • Basic Cadences/Turnarounds:
      • II-V-I in Keys C, F, and Bb (3p-R format, minimum)
    • F Blues Progression (3p-R format, minimum)
  • Semester-level MAJOR chord shapes in Keys G, D, and A
  • Perform a memorized standard selection (no soloing) from this semester’s tune list

UG Sem-4 | Grad Sem-2

  • Perform memorized tune selection: head-in, solo choruses, any comping, head-out
    1. A Night In Tunisia
    2. Anthropology
    3. Footprints
    4. My Funny Valentine
    5. Straight No Chaser
  • Sight-reading assessment
  • Scales and Chords (quarter note=120 bpm):
    • All scales and chords from previous semesters
    • Major (1 2 3 5 6), minor (1 2 b3 5 6), and dominant (1 2 3 5 b7) pentatonic scales in all keys
    • Outline basic four-note chords in all keys continued:
      • min(maj7), min6, min7(sus4), min7#5, min(maj7)#5, min7(b5)(sus4), o(maj7)
UG Keyboard Exam for Non-Piano Majors (Part 2)

Refer to Jazz Jury Keyboard Exam for Non-Pianists page for more details

  • Minimum tempo = 85 bpm:
    • Cadences/Turnarounds:
      • I-VI-II-V-I in Keys Eb, Ab, and Db (Ext. Split format)
    • Bb Rhythm changes (Ext. Split format)
  • Semester-level MINOR chord shapes, in Keys Gbm, Bm, and Em
  • Perform a memorized standard selection (no soloing) from this semester’s tune list

UG Sem-5 | Grad Sem-2

    • Perform memorized tune selection: head-in, solo choruses, any comping, head-out
      1. Impressions
      2. Blues For Alice
      3. Cherokee
      4. Confirmation
      5. Body and Soul
    • Sight-reading assessment
    • Scales and Chords (quarter note=120 bpm):
      • All scales and chords from previous semesters
      • Melodic Minor scales and derived modes in all keys
      • Diminished scales (h/w and w/h) in all keys
      • All Bebop scales as derived from Major scales in all keys
    • Jazz Drums Major – Piano: demonstrate scales, chords, and a single tune selection from this semester. See details

UG Sem-6 | Grad Sem-3

    • Perform memorized tune selection: head-in, solo choruses, any comping, head-out
      1. Witch Hunt
      2. Eternal Triangle
      3. Goodbye Porkpie Hat
      4. Donna Lee
      5. Naima
    • Sight-reading assessment
    • Scales and Chords (quarter note=120 bpm):
      • All scales and chords from previous semesters
      • Harmonic Major scale and derived modes in all keys
      • Diminished scales (h/w and w/h) in all keys
      • All Bebop scales as derived from Melodic Minor scales in all keys
    • Jazz Drums Major – Piano: demonstrate scales, chords, and a single tune selection from this semester. See details

UG Sem-7 | Grad Sem-3

    • Perform memorized tune selection: head-in, solo choruses, any comping, head-out
      1. Peggy’s Blue Skylight
      2. Be-Bop
      3. Giant Steps
      4. Inner Urge
      5. ‘Round Midnight
    • Sight-reading assessment
    • Scales and Chords (quarter note=120 bpm):
      • All scales and chords from previous semesters
      • Altered/Modal Pentatonic scales as derived from Major, Harmonic Minor, Melodic Minor, and Harmonic Major scales in all keys.
      • All Bebop scales as derived from Harmonic Minor and Harmonic Major scales
      • Augmented Scale (+2/m2) in all keys
    • Jazz Drum Majors – Piano: demonstrate scales, chords, and a single tune selection from this semester. See details

Grad Sem-3

Grad Keyboard Exam for Non-Piano Majors

Refer to Jazz Jury Keyboard Exam for Non-Pianists page for more details

  • Minimum tempo = 85 bpm:
    • Cadences/Turnarounds:
      • I-VI-II-V-I in Keys C, Eb, Ab, and Db (Ext. Split format)
    • F Blues changes (Ext. Split format)
    • Bb Rhythm changes (Ext. Split format)
  • Basic 4-note chord shapes
    • In C Major: Maj6, Maj7(b5), Maj7+5, Dom7(b5), Dom7(sus4), Dom7+5
    • In C Minor: min+7, min7, min6, min7+5, min+7+5, min7(b5), o+7
  • Perform a memorized standard selection (no soloing) from any Grad jury tune choice