Advanced Placement and Credit by Examination
A maximum of 24 semester hours of credit earned at this institution or elsewhere may be applied toward the bachelor's degree. A maximum of 36 credit hours for all non-traditional forms of education may be counted toward fulfilling undergraduate degree requirements. Such credit is not included in determining grade point averages and has certain restrictions (see the UNT undergraduate catalog.
Freshmen, transfer students and graduate students with undergraduate deficiencies must either take or test out of all core jazz courses. University policy prohibits testing out of a course which has already been taken for credit. If a student doesn't a grade of A or B (required in all core jazz courses), he or she must retake the course in question to raise the grade. Specific information concerning these exams may be found below.
Aural Skills Proficiency (also serves as MUJS 1361 Barrier Exam)
The Aural Skills Proficiency covers:
intervals within the octave
7th chords played in typical jazz voicings
Short melodies based on modes of the major scale
Major and minor blues scale melodies
Pentatonic scale melodies
Chord progressions
Modulations from one major key to another
Rhythmic transcription
Melodic transcription
Final Improvisation Proficiency Exam
Instrumental
All instrumental jazz performance majors must pass the Final Improvisation Proficiency Exam (FIPE) before they will be allowed to play a senior recital.
The exam will take place each semester during finals week and be adjudicated by no fewer than five members of the jazz faculty. Each student must demonstrate competency in the art of jazz improvisation on repertoire drawn from the UNT course of study in jazz improvisation. (MUJS 2360, 2370, 3360, 3370)
It is recommended but not required that students take the FIPE at the end of the semester in which they are enrolled in MUJS 3370. A student may attempt the FIPE one time without being enrolled in MUJS 3370, after which he/she must enroll in 3370 before attempting the FIPE again.
Students are expected to perform their senior recital in the semester following successful completion of the FIPE. If the recital is not completed within one year the student will be required to retake the FIPE.
Vocal
The Exit Examination in MUJS 4120 Vocal Jazz Styles serves as the FIPE for vocalists.
Improvisation Continuation Exam (ICE)
All undergraduate jazz majors must pass the Improvisation Continuation Exam (ICE) before they will be admitted to MUJS 3360 (Advanced Jazz Improvisation), MUJS 4610 (Advanced Jazz Arranging), or MUJS 4120 (Vocal Jazz Styles). The exam will take place each semester during finals week and be adjudicated by no fewer than five members of the jazz faculty. Each student must demonstrate competency in the art of jazz improvisation on repertoire drawn from the UNT course of study in jazz improvisation. (MUJS 2360 and 2370).
It is recommended but not required that students take the ICE at the end of the semester in which they are enrolled in MUJS 2370. A student may attempt the ICE one time without being enrolled in MUJS 2370, after which he/she must enroll in 2370 before attempting the ICE again.
Jazz Arranging Proficiency Exams
Jazz Fundamentals Proficiency Exam
MUJS 1360 Proficiency Exam
A true/false and multiple choice exam covering chapters 1 through 7 of "The Jazz Language" by Dan Haerle which is the text for the course.
MUJS 1370 Proficiency Exam
A true/false and multiple choice exam covering chapters 7 through 14 of "The Jazz Language" by Dan Haerle which is the text for the course.
University policy prohibits attempting to test out of a course already taken for credit.
The exam schedule is posted during the week before the start of classes.
Jazz Keyboard Proficiency
In order to be exempted from MUJS 1371 (Jazz Keyboard Fundamentals), you must demonstrate your proficiency by comping through a variety of common jazz progressions using the following voicing structures:
- Rooted voicings: with 2 notes, 3 notes, and 4 notes
- Rootless voicings: with 2 notes and 3 notes onlyYou must also be able to play all major, minor, augmented, and diminished root position triads and their inversions, as well as all root position seventh chords (major, minor, dominant, half diminished, fully diminished).
The textbook for MUJS 1371, “Jazz Keyboard Harmony” by Phil DeGreg, is the most helpful tool in preparing for this exam.
- First, consult pages 1-18 to review keyboard fundamentals and learn about effective practice strategies for internalizing voicings at the keyboard.
- Then, study, memorize and internalize the voicings from Chapters 1-4 (pages 22-99). Use Appendices A and B (pages 225-230) to practice the voicings through a variety of common jazz chord progressions. Be sure to practice minor ii-V-I’s, dominant cycles, major cycles, and the diminished/tri-tone sub pattern…do not simply learn major ii-V-I’s.
- In the exam, which takes about 10 minutes, you will be asked to play through randomly selected progressions found in Appendix B (pages 227-230) at approximately 88-100 bpm, using randomly selected voicing structures from Chapters 1-4. You can expect to play through a variety of progressions: major ii-V-I’s, minor ii-V-i’s, dominant cycles, major cycles, and diminished/tri-tone sub progressions.
- You are allowed to miss up to four chords in any progression. If you miss a chord, simply keep going in tempo…do not stop and try to correct yourself. Play the exercise as if it were a real-world performance situation.
- If you miss more than four chords, you will be asked to stop the exercise. You will be given an extra minute to practice the progression and then you may try again. If you fail the exercise again, you may be asked to take MUJS 1371.The instructor reserves the right to make final placement decisions based on overall performance in the exam.
Aim to become generally proficient with these voicings rather than memorizing a single exercise.