Evaluations

During Westminster Conservatory’s Spring Evaluation Week, HMP students are evaluated in the area of their major. Three members of the faculty provide written feedback on instrumentalists’ and vocalists’ performances, or on composers’ compositions. Works for the Evaluation are selected by the student and their private teacher, who prepare them together during the course of the year.

Scheduling the Evaluation

Students who are registered for private lessons at the Conservatory’s Princeton location attend their evaluation during Evaluation Week around the time of their private lesson. The teacher will inform the student of the exact time.

HMP students who study privately with teachers outside the Conservatory and students who study at a Conservatory Extension site are usually scheduled for their evaluation on the Saturday of Evaluation Week. Students’ Evaluation schedules will be emailed to them. HMP Instrumental and Vocal students studying outside of the Conservatory must bring a completed Evaluation Cover Sheet to their scheduled Evaluation.

Make Up Evaluations

Any student who is unable to perform the full Evaluation requirements at their evaluation must email the Program Assistant at hmpassistant@rider.edu to request a Make Up Evaluation. A Make Up Evaluation must be completed during the summer no later than August 15th and a $50 fee will be charged. It is the family’s responsibility to follow up with the staff until the evaluation is scheduled and completed. 

Evaluation Guidelines

Instrumentalists:

  1. Perform two contrasting pieces, by memory
  2. Perform one etude
  3. Perform scales and arpeggios that correspond to the keys of their pieces
  4. Sight read a selection or two, selected by their private teacher or a member of the panel.

Vocal Development Majors: 

  1. Prepare using the following Vocal Curriculum guidelines
  2. Perform three contrasting pieces, all performed by memory
  3. Answer general questions pertaining to each piece they perform, including: the key, composer, and time period, or markings in the score.

Composition Majors

Composition students and their teacher should prepare for Evaluations using the following Portfolio Requirements. Two weeks prior to Evaluations, each composition student must submit their portfolio to Dr. Levesque at clevesque@rider.edu either electronically or in hard copy. A faculty panel will review the portfolio after which the composition student will attend a 15 minute Evaluation with a faculty panel.

Performance Curriculum

HMP students and their teachers may use the following curriculum as a guide to assigning level appropriate works