Exit Exam for the Masters Degree In Performance

Every Masters Degree candidate in performance must, by regulation of the National Association of Schools of Music (NASM), have an exit exam in the major field. This exam may be written or oral, or a combination of both, and must be administered by the department of the major area. The exam should determine if the candidate has an appropriate and adequate grasp of historical, stylistic, and instrumental materials relative to his/her area of expertise.

The String Department offers the following guidelines for its students in preparation for this exam:

1. The exam will be held in conjunction with the Masters Degree recital hearing. It will be an oral exam.
2. The exam will immediately commence upon successful completion (passing) of the recital hearing (at the same time and place). Should the candidate not pass the recital hearing, there will be no exam given.
3. Hearings are normally 20 minutes; therefore all Masters candidate’s hearings will automatically be scheduled for 30 minutes to accommodate the oral exit exam in the major field.
4. The faculty panel will consist of five string faculty members, at least one of whom must be from the candidate’s major area (i.e., violin, viola, cello, or double bass).
5. The chair of the hearing committee will lead the questioning, and poll the other members by secret ballot about the candidate’s passing or not passing the exam. The exam will be passed by a simple positive majority.
6. Should the candidate not pass the exit exam, he/she can try again before the end of the semester in which the hearing takes place, and will be responsible for the same type of questions as in the original exam (see below).
7. If the candidate fails the exit exam the second time, there will be only one more chance to pass the exam, and that must be done within the following semester.

GUIDELINES FOR THE QUESTIONS:

1. Candidates will be asked questions specific to all the works programmed on their Master’s recital, even though the candidate may not have performed all of them for the hearing panel during the course of the recital hearing itself.
2. Questions from the panel should focus on specific historic details of the compositions, their importance in the repertoire of the instrument, how they compare with other compositions of like genre, etc. Questions may also inquire of the technical details of performance and presentation of the works.
3. Even though the questions will deal specifically with the works presented on the recital, the panel must get some sense that the candidate has a broad-based musical and stylistic knowledge appropriate to a graduate student majoring in performance from the IU School of Music.