Trombone/euphonium students will be graded according to their ability to meet the expectations stated in the Philosophy and according to: jury grade and studio grade, which includes participation in student recitals, guest artist and faculty recitals and presentations.

JURY GRADE - 50% of semester grade

Everyone enrolled at the 141 level or higher is required to give a jury performance at the conclusion of each semester of study. This requirement may be waived if the student gives a recital or other major performance as described in the ODU Student Handbook. The jury will also grant or deny degree recital approval and recommend each student either advance to the next level of study or stay at the present level, or possibly regress to a lower level. The jury examination:

a. holds the student accountable for all materials and techniques covered in the course.

b. requires the student to draw together all musical and educational experiences to date into a representative performance sample of achievement and understanding.

c. provides the means for evaluating the student's progress in light of the objective of the course.

At the discretion of the instructor, the jury performance will consist of:

a. Two contrasting solos with accompaniment if an accompaniment part exists, and/or etude material to demonstrate the student's ability to project a musical experience at the current level as determined by MUSA course number.

b. Performance of orchestral excerpts that have been studied during the term.

c. Performance majors must perform one of these selections from memory.

d. Performance of scales, arpeggios, sequences or tunes by ear.

Jury performances are 15 minutes long.

STUDIO GRADE - 50% of semester grade

Each student will develop an individualized daily routine in consultation with Prof. Hall. The goal of this routine is acquisition of technical skills, range, endurance, strength training and maintenance. Students are expected to develop mastery in these areas and to alter their routine to acquire new skills. The following basic format is recommended:

20% Long tones + mouthpiece buzzing + dynamics

20% Slow slurs + dynamics

10% Flexibility + dynamics

10% Tonguing: single, double, triple

8% Long, low, slow, loud playing

20% Scales and arpeggios

10% Range/endurance

2% Warm down

Daily Routines by David Vining is the required text. But students may consult the following resources for daily routine material, and/or generate their own material.

Apivor. 24 Exercises for Tenor Trombone (scale/arpeggio etudes).
Arban/Alessi/Bowman. Method.
Clarke. Technical Studies.
Colin. Advanced Lip Flexibilities.
Davies. 20 Etudes in Changing Meters.
Edwards, Brad. Any of his pedagogical materials.
Fox. The Art of Doodle Tonguing.
Gane. Circuit Training for Trombone.
Gay. Trombone Studies for Legato and Slide Technique.
Hall. Gym.
Handrow. Einblasübungen für Posaune.
Johnson. Progressive Studies for the High Register.
Kopprasch. Sixty Selected Studies.
Maxted. 20 Studies.
Marsteller. Basic Routines. Advanced Slide Technique.
McChesney. Doodle Studies and Etudes.
McDunn. Trombone Master Studies.
Mueller. Technical Studies Vols. 1 and 2
Nightingale. The Warm-up Book.
Ostrander. 20 minute warm-up.
Pares. Scales.
Reift. Warm-ups for Trombone.
Remington. Warm-Up Exercis. ed. D. Hunsberger.
Salvo. 241 Double and Triple Tonguing Exercises.
Schlossberg. Daily Drills & Technical Studies.
Slokar. Daily Drills.
Slokar/Reift. Double and Triple Tonguing, The Scales, vol. I and II.
Uber. Trombone Warm-Up Procedure.
Vining. Daily Routines.
Waits. Advanced Flexibility Studies.
Wilson/Viola. Chord Studies for Trombone

Technical Skills Exam

Each student will master 13 exercises during their time at ODU. They are not the only technical exercises to be studied, but they are the ones the instructor will use to measure technical mastery of your instrument. Technique will be tested three times each year: 1) during a lesson in Sept., 2) during a lesson in late Nov. or early Dec., 3) during a lesson in late March or early April. Steady progress is expected on these exercises; they are to be practiced as part of the daily routine. There are 930 possible points. Each student must achieve a gain of around 100 points each year to advance to the next level of study.

Weekly Lessons - 70% of Studio Grade

Weekly performance of etudes, solos, ensemble excerpts, clefs, etc. are graded in a more subjective way, as is necessary. A letter grade will be given each week relative to progress displayed from week to week. The student is expected to assimilate the basic philosophies of the playing systems presented and display a progressively developing command of the systems in performance and instructional situations, and is also expected to cultivate and maintain a cooperative and positive attitude.

Each week’s lesson assignments will be recorded on a Lesson Assignment Sheet in Microsoft OneNote and emailed to the student; satisfactory completion of the assignments will be noted. Consistent and continual development of the student's overall playing ability and musicianship is expected and will be reflected in the Studio Grade.

Various conflicts will arise with scheduled lesson appointments. Students are expected to notify Prof. Hall in advance if they are to miss a lesson; a voice-mail message or email will suffice. A missed lesson without notice or legitimate excuse will result in a grade of "F" for that lesson and will not be made up. If the student has a legitimate excuse, illness, emergency, university sponsored activity,  and provides advance notice, or if the conflict originates with the instructor, the instructor will make-up the lesson. Whether the conflict originates with instructor or student, it is the responsibility of the student to reschedule the lesson in a timely manner. Lessons that are preempted because of university-wide holidays or ensemble tours are not figured into the semester studio grade.

Students are generally expected to engage in one hour per day of individual practice for each credit of applied music they are taking. Students taking two credit lessons should practice a minimum of two hours per day, the volume of practice assumed by this course. This time does not include ensemble rehearsals or other performance activities. The student must therefore learn to manage their time efficiently and pace practice with performance.

Studio Class/Special Presentations - 30% of Studio Grade

All trombone/euphonium students taking hour lessons are required to participate in weekly studio classes. Participation is also required for all faculty and guest artist brass events on campus. These classes and events are just as important as lessons. Failure to participate in a brass event - for any reason - can never be made up. Notable exceptions to your participation in these events are unavoidable class conflicts, and in the case of graduate students, vocation conflicts.

Performance Requirement

All trombone/euphonium students taking hour lessons are required to perform in studio class or Student Performance Hour a minimum of once each semester, performance majors twice each semester. Performers are to select and prepare a suitable piece with help from the instructor, and should be prepared to discuss any musical, technical or formal aspects of the piece and be knowledgeable about the composer. Failure to perform during the semester cannot be made up and will lower the final Applied Music grade to C or lower as described in the ODU Student Handbook.

The final semester grade is reckoned this way:

50%: Jury Grade - the average of letter grades given by each jury member.

50%: Studio Grade

• 70% - the average of letter grades given for each lesson.
• 30% - the pass/fail average earned for participation in studio class and brass events.
• In addition, you must earn a minimum of about 100 technique points each year to advance to the next level of study; this does not figure into grade averages.

Adjustments: failure to perform in studio class and or Student Performance Hour lowers the final Applied Music grade to C or lower. On the other hand, fine performances, noteworthy participation, and solid effort can enhance your Studio Grade.

A semester grade of "Incomplete" will only be given under the most extreme circumstances. If it is given, the very next lessons taken by the student, no matter when they are scheduled, will serve to resolve the incomplete grade. The student is responsible to make up lessons that count towards a grade of "I" in a timely manner.

Attendance

As per university policy, students are expected to attend classes. Students missing more than 15% of class meetings may fail. According to the Undergraduate Student Handbook, any student missing five or more lessons in one semester will fail applied music that semester.

Withdrawal

A syllabus constitutes a contract between the student and the course instructor. Participation in this course indicates your acceptance of its teaching focus, requirements, and policies. Please review the syllabus and the course requirements as soon as possible. If you believe that the nature of this course does not meet your interests, needs or expectations, if you are not prepared for the amount of work involved or if you anticipate that the class meetings, assignment deadlines or abiding by the course policies will constitute an unacceptable hardship for you, you should drop the class by the drop/add deadline, which is located in the ODU Schedule of Classes. A grade of 'incomplete' will only be given under the most extraordinary circumstance.

Classroom Conduct

Appropriate conduct by students is an absolute requirement in the college and distance education classroom and the university must operate with a policy of zero tolerance for any disruptive behavior. The term “disruptive behavior” means any behavior that substantially interferes with the conduct of a class. Disruptive behavior may interfere with an instructor’s teaching, with other students’ learning, or both. Disruptive behavior may include but is not limited to:

• Persistent late arrivals or leaving early in a manner that disrupts the regular flow of the class.
• Talking while the instructor is talking.
• Speaking in class without first obtaining recognition and permission to speak.
• Use of electronic equipment such as cell phones, computers, MP3 players, etc. in a manner that disrupts the class.
• A student who becomes belligerent or verbally abusive when confronted as a result of his/her inappropriate behavior.

Students do not have the right to engage in behavior that is disruptive in the classroom. The instructor of record has the authority to maintain appropriate classroom behavior in all courses offered by Old Dominion University, whether in traditional or distance modes. I have the authority to deny you entry to the classroom should you arrive late; to ask you to cease any disruptive activities; and to ask you to leave. A student’s failure to comply with the University’s classroom conduct policy may result in the Office of Student Conduct and Academic Integrity pursuing disciplinary action under the Student Disciplinary Policies and Procedures. For more information, please refer to the Office of Student Conduct & Academic Integrity.

Academic Integrity

All students are expected to understand and to abide by the University Honor Code:

“We, the students of Old Dominion University, aspire to be honest and forthright in our academic endeavors. Therefore, we will practice honesty and integrity and be guided by the tenets of the Monarch Creed. We will meet the challenges to be beyond reproach in our actions and our words. We will conduct ourselves in a manner that commands the dignity and respect that we also give to others."

You should understand your rights and obligations, what constitutes a violation of the honor code and academic integrity, what disciplinary procedures and sanctions you may face, and what options I have should I suspect a violation.  The College of Arts & Letters’ web page includes information on plagiarism as well as a tutorial on how to avoid plagiarism; see A&L Resources. If you are unfamiliar with the honor code and disciplinary procedures, I suggest you refer to the Code of Student Conduct, Sanctions, and Disciplinary Procedures in the Old Dominion University Undergraduate Catalog.

Students with Disabilities

Students are encouraged to self-disclose disabilities that have been verified by the Office of Educational Accessibility by providing Accommodation Letters to their instructors early in the semester in order to start receiving accommodations. Accommodations will not be made until the Accommodation Letters are provided to instructors each semester. In accordance with the University’s policies and procedures, I will work to accommodate students with disabilities. If you require such accommodations, please contact me by email, phone or during office hours as early in the semester as possible. See Office of Educational Accessibility.

Sexual Harassment

It is the policy of Old Dominion University to provide students and employees with an environment for learning and working that is free of sexual harassment, whether by members of the same sex or the opposite sex, which is prohibited by Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972 and Title VII of the 1964 Civil Rights Act. I expect all students to understand and abide by the University’s sexual harassment policy and procedures.

Course Evaluation

The syllabus is a contract between the professor and students regarding course requirements, expectations, and assessment, which establishes my obligations to you in teaching this class. I also take this contract to include your obligation to evaluate the course at the end of the semester. Student evaluations provide important feedback for me, and they are essential for measuring teaching effectiveness in the profession. Directors and Deans see course evaluations every year in reviewing faculty performance. Committees at all levels of the University rely on these evaluations in making decisions regarding faculty retention, promotion and tenure. ODU takes your input seriously and a high rate of student response is necessary for a meaningful assessment of teaching effectiveness. Therefore, I ask you to commit yourself to filling out the online course evaluation when prompted at the end of the semester.