Jazz trumpet course – Level I

Educational objectives

At the end of the studies related to the Level I Academic Diploma in Jazz trumpet, students must have acquired the knowledge of techniques and specific skills to enable them to concretely fulfil their own artistic ideas. To this end, particular emphasis will be placed on the study of the most representative repertoire of the instrument – including ensemble playing – and of related performance practices, also with the aim of developing the student’s ability to interact within differently composed musical groups. These objectives are to be achieved also by favouring the development of the perceptive capacity of hearing and memorisation and with the acquisition of specific knowledge of the organisational, compositional and analytical models of music and their interaction. Specific care must be devoted to the acquisition of appropriate postural and emotional control techniques. At the end of the Three-year course, students must have acquired an in-depth knowledge of the stylistic, historical and general aesthetic aspects related to their specific address. Furthermore, with reference to the specificity of individual courses, the student must possess adequate skills in improvisation. It is also an educational objective of the course to acquire adequate competences in the field of computer music as well as those related to a second European Community language.

 

 

Employment prospects

The course offers the student employment opportunities in the following areas:

  • Jazz and pop solo instrumentalist
  • Instrumentalist in jazz and pop groups
  • Instrumentalist in jazz and pop orchestral ensembles

Three-year school system

Admission Level I

Reserved for students in possession of an upper secondary school diploma or other recognised foreign qualification or, in the case of outstanding ability and aptitude, students who will obtain the qualification by the end of the course of study.

FIRST TEST

  1. Performance of two pieces taken from the list below, one chosen by the candidate and one chosen by the commission (with accompaniment by bass/double bass, drums and any other instruments).
  2. Performance of a standard of the candidate’s choice (1 Ballad) for solo instrument or voice (in this case accompanied by another instrument).
  3. Performance of a complex piece at first sight. For harmonic instruments: with melody and chord symbols to be harmonised. For monodic instruments: reading of melody and possible interpretation of chord symbols.
  4. Assessment of technical skills (scales, arpeggios, etc.), pentatonic triads, major scale modes.

The commission reserves the right to interrupt the test at any time.

The examination is graded in hundredths. Candidates with a mark of not less than 60/100 will be considered suitable.

SECOND TEST

All successful candidates in the practical test of the Admission Examinations will have to take the following further tests.

Rhythmic Theory and Musical Perception

Programme

  • Auditory recognition of short modulating rhythmic-melodic fragments.
  • Reading of a piece in the violin key, either original or taken from the repertoire.
  • Sight reading of a piece in the ancient keys original or taken from the repertoire.
  • Vocal reading of a piece of medium difficulty original or taken from the repertoire.
  • Vocal reading of a piece transposed within the limits of one tone below or one tone above.
  • Discussion on fundamental aspects of theory.

Elements harmony

Programme

FIRST TEST: Harmonize a numbered bass in four parts.

SECOND TEST: Questions on the studied material, covering the following topics:

  • Harmony topics: Ancient and modern scales
  • Intervals
  • Consonant harmony
  • Three-note chords (Triads) on all degrees of the major and minor scales
  • Positions of triads, classification, numeric
  • Voice leading, forbidden successions (real and hidden fifths and octaves)
  • Inversions of three-note chords, numeric classification
  • Cadences
  • Dissonant harmony
  • Diminished fifth chords
  • Four-note chords (Seventh chords, classification, inversions, numeric)
  • Dominant seventh chord (first inversion)
  • Second inversion seventh chord on the II major degree
  • Third inversion seventh chord on the II minor degree
  • Fourth inversion seventh chord on the first and fourth degrees of the major mode
  • Traditional rule of the octave.

The assessment of “Rhythmic Theory and Musical Perception” is scored out of one hundred. Candidates with a score not lower than 60/100 will be able to access Level I without any obligations by developing a study plan of up to 60 ECTS credits. Those who, in the aforementioned test, receive a score between 59 and 50 will be able to access Level I with a mild educational debt (81 hours of lessons) to be completed obligatorily within one academic year. Candidates with a score between 49 and 40 may potentially access Level I with a substantial educational debt, obligatorily to be completed within two academic years (81 hours of lessons per year). Scores below the mentioned range are not admitted. It will be possible to undergo a new registration procedure for the Propaedeutic Course Admission test, only in case of available slots, following the opening of any supplementary call for the extraordinary autumn session (the notice will be published only after the closure of the admission exams for the summer session).

The ‘Elements of Harmony’ skills test is assessed by aptitude only. Failure to qualify will result in admission with educational debt (40h of lessons) to Year 1 only for candidates who have received a positive assessment or one-year educational debt at the TRPM test (Theory, Rhythm and Musical Perception, in Italian ‘TRPM’). On the other hand, the educational debt will only be entered in Year 2 for students who have received a substantial two-year TRPM debt.

Students entering Level I with an educational debt, at the time of enrollment, must prepare a study plan ranging from a minimum of 24 to a maximum of 30 ECTS credits. Only after overcoming the debt will it be possible to prepare a study plan exceeding 30 ECTS credits. It is clarified that priority will be given to the inclusion of practical/individual courses only, thus avoiding overlap with debt courses (TRPM and Harmony Elements), which take precedence. It will be mandatory for all students to settle their debts within the specified deadlines (1 academic year for mild debt and 2 academic years for substantial debt) under penalty of forfeiture of studies.

Internal students of the Propaedeutic and Pre-Academic courses, in order to participate in the admission tests for Level I, must compulsorily submit a new admission application within the deadlines like all external candidates to the Conservatoire. They are required to take the theoretical assessment tests in case they do not obtain the certifications in the previous study path.

Exemptions from the theoretical tests are exclusively provided for candidates who have certifications obtained from AFAM institutions.

For information on admissions, please visit the “Registration” page

The detailed timetable for the admission examinations will be published in a separate notice.

Enrolment

For information on enrolment, please visit the “Registration” page

For information on enrolment, please visit “International > Foreign Students“

For information on enrolment, please visit the “Enrolment” page

For information on enrolment, please visit the “Fees” page

Enrolment in years following the first

For information on enrolment renewal, please visit the “Registration” page

The suspension and reactivation of studies is provided for Level I and II courses only, no later than 31 July of each calendar year. Students who have not exceeded 5 academic years of suspension may request the reactivation of their career. Career reactivation cannot be requested for students who have exceeded the aforementioned number of years (the academic credits obtained will be declared obsolete and no longer valid). Career reactivation is only possible if a place is available for the current academic year.

With regard to academic career reactivation fees, please refer to the Fees and Contributions Regulations for the current academic year.

For information on enrolment, please visit the “Enrolment” page

For information on enrolment, please visit the “Fees” page

Lessons

The Academic Year begins on 1 November of each year and ends on 31 October of the following year. The academic calendar is issued by the Director, by resolution of the Academic Council, normally by 31 May.

Each training activity may entail different methods of conduct and interaction between students and lecturers. In particular, there may be individual face-to-face lessons, collective face-to-face lessons, practice lectures, laboratories, practical, distance and intensive activities, training courses, seminars, projects, artistic productions, reports and production of texts and hypertexts, including multimedia, guided or autonomous individual study activities, tutoring, self-assessment and other activities.

Examinations

There are three sessions per academic year: summer, autumn and extraordinary.

Students are obliged to book by the deadlines indicated by the Registrar’s Office.

Final Examinations

In order to obtain the qualification for Level I and Level II courses, students who have acquired the required credits must pass the final examination consisting in the writing of the dissertation (Thesis) and the practical test useful to ascertain the achievement of the qualifying educational objectives of the course of study.
Booking the final examination must be made compulsorily on one’s ISIDATA profile under the heading ‘Examinations’.
At the same time it will be compulsory to pay the ‘Graduation fee’ (by means of Pagopa service) of €30.00 by generating the payment by MAV through the ISIDATA platform under the heading ‘Fees’.

Bookings must be received in accordance with the following deadlines:
– 31 May (summer session);
– 31 August (autumn session);
– 31 January (winter session).

Students must have completed their studies at least 10 days before the final examination.

It is compulsory to submit 1 hard copy and 1 PDF/A file of the Diploma Thesis to the secretary’s office no later than 10 days before the date of the final examination. Further hard copies (tot. 4 copies) must be handed in to the commission on the day of the final examination.
Specific provisions can be found in the “Thesis Regulations”.