Graduate Placement Information

The purpose of this exam is to determine your level at the keyboard and advise you of your options in preparing for the keyboard proficiency exam. Please explore this site to familiarize yourself with the keyboard proficiency requirements for your degree program.

Information about the Keyboard proficiency can be found in the Bulletin, on this site, at MA283, and in the Graduate Office. Feel free to stop by MA283 during office hours with any questions about the exam. Secondary Piano faculty will be more than happy to advise you about where your level is with respect to proficiency requirements at any time.

At placement, you were advised of what deficits exist in your keyboard playing, and the areas that merit special attention as you prepare for the keyboard proficiency exam. Please be aware that, even if you were informed that you need to work on one or two elements, you still must complete the entire exam at scheduled examination times.

To prepare for the exam, the School recommends taking piano lessons, as MUS-P 700 <2–4 CR>. This course is taught by instructors familiar with the proficiency requirements, and supervised by faculty who administer the exam.

You also may choose to work on your own, or to find a private instructor—-registration for piano lessons is not mandatory for graduate students.

Please start correcting any deficiencies immediately. Try to pass the exam as soon as the end of your first semester or year at IU. This time scale is realistic for most incoming graduate students.

Procrastinating preparation for this exam paves the way for the very real possibility that failure to complete the exam might prevent you from graduating. The Secondary Piano Program would very much like to assist you in making sure this doesn’t happen. Our goal is for people to complete the exam as soon as they possibly can.

The keyboard proficiency exam is offered on four Fridays at the end of each semester. In the Fall, this is during weeks 11, 12, 14, and 15 (but not in Thanksgiving or Finals week). In the spring, this is during weeks 13, 14, 15 and Finals Week. In the Summer, the exam is offered on the last two Fridays of Summer Session II.

Signup for each exam is at MA283 the Monday prior (starting first thing in the morning). You must sign up by 5pm on that Monday, or you will not be guaranteed an exam time. A proxy may sign you up on your behalf. You would collect any 48-hour materials the following Wednesday during posted hours, and then take the exam on the next Friday at the time for which you signed.

You may repeat the exam as many times as necessary to pass. However, you must be ready to make a good-faith attempt at the entire exam. Assuming you do make such a good-faith attempt, you would only be required to repeat any items you did not previously pass. You may not, however, plan to simply come and complete the exam one or two items at a time. Students who attend without the entire exam legitimately prepared will be asked to repeat the entire exam when they are ready.

Feel free to visit MA283 earlier in the semester for advice as to your readiness for the exam.