How to get Ready for Your Music Juries
Music Juries are a lot like performance evaluations. It is the time of the semester where you get to show what you learned, and demonstrate your abilities and skills as a musician. Juries may sound scary, especially because they often function as final exams, but with the right preparation and mindset, you will be able to rock it!
The first thing you need to know are your jury requirements. Not every school has the same requirements, and the requirements may change depending on year/class and degree program. If you aren’t sure what the requirements are, ask your private lessons teacher or the head of your department as soon as possible. Although a jury is just one exam in one moment, you want to work on your pieces significantly in advance. Also, try to find a grading rubric. The rubric will tell you all the specifications and details on what and how you will be graded on. Finally, as soon as jury dates are released, mark on your calendar when they are. You need to make sure that you have time free on that day, with flexibility. Depending on your school, juries can last all day for your subject area, or a few hours. Usually, your time slot will be released closer to the day of juries.
Obviously, once you know your requirements, you need to learn your music. This does not mean gather a sense of familiarity. Learn it, perfect it to the best of your abilities, and memorize it. If you are a singer, try to memorize your text separately from the pitch in addition to regular memorization. This will help you have stronger recall. Depending on your school and instrument, you may or may not need to perform your music memorized, but, practicing like you need to perform from memory will strengthen your performance, and your confidence. You do not want to leave the learning and memorizing process to the last second.
It is crucial that if your music requires a collaborative pianist, or another form of accompaniment, that you let those people know pretty much immediately. Your pianist also needs time to practice the music, so they can help you shine! Also, you may want to meet them several times before the date of the jury. Believe it or not, working with accompaniment and a collaborative musician is a skill that you need to learn. Plus, meeting several times in advance will help with your confidence.
In the days leading up to your jury, make sure to eat healthy foods, and also to stay hydrated. Chugging a water bottle five minutes before your jury will not hydrate you, as it takes time for the body to absorb the water. Try your best to get good sleep, and not to worry about the jury.
On the day of your jury, make sure to dress to impress. Although juries are a lot like exams, you should treat them as a performance opportunity. Pretend that you are auditioning for a show, or that this is a fancy job interview. You want to be seen as a professional, and chances are, they might be grading you on presentation as well. I recommend wearing business clothing that is in solid colors, avoiding bright neon colors. I recommend sticking to the basics: black, navy, royal blue, red, turquoise, purple, grey, and white. As for shoes, any dress shoe usually works. If you opt to wear a pair of heels, I would recommend practicing your jury set a few times while wearing them. You might find the sensation of playing your instrument or singing, is slightly different while wearing heels versus the shoes you normally wear. Also, I would try not to wear stilettoes, as comfort is key.
Go out there, and have fun while performing! Even if you make mistakes, keep going! Your panel just wants to see your skills, see if you can recover if needed, and to enjoy your performance. Break a leg!