TUNES Pitch Time Tone Shape Performance

Distinction ● Highly accurate notes and ● Fluent, with flexibility where ● Well projected ● Expressive, idiomatic musical ● Assured
27–30 intonation appropriate ● Confident use of jazz tonal shaping in the Head ● Fully committed
● Solo has stylish and inventive ● Rhythmic character and feel qualities ● Solo has authentic detail ● Vivid communication of
note choices well conveyed throughout character and style
● Improvisation shows ● Convincing groove in the ● Idiomatic embellishment
harmonic awareness improvisation

Merit ● Largely accurate notes and ● Sustained, effective tempo ● Mainly controlled and ● Clear musical shaping in the ● Positive
24–26 intonation and groove consistent Head ● Carrying musical conviction
● Solo has controlled note ● Good sense of rhythm and ● Good jazz tonal awareness ● Solo has some expressive ● Character and style
choices feel throughout variety communicated
● Coherent improvisation ● Controlled rhythmic ● Effective embellishment
placement in the
improvisation

Pass ● Generally correct notes and ● Suitable tempo ● Generally reliable ● Some realisation of musical ● Generally secure, prompt
20–23 intonation ● Overall rhythmic accuracy ● Adequate jazz tonal shape and/or detail recovery from any slips
● Solo has some contour and correct feel awareness ● Some musical involvement
● Generally stable placement ● Embellishment attempted
in the Solo

Below Pass ● Frequent note errors and/or
17–19 unreliable intonation
● Solo lacks contour
● Unsuitable and/or
uncontrolled tempo
● Irregular pulse and groove
● Inaccurate rhythm and/or
incorrect feel
● Uneven and/or unreliable
● Inadequate jazz tonal
awareness
● Insufficient musical shaping
● Insecure, inadequate
recovery from any slips
● Insufficient musical
involvement
● Ineffective or no
embellishment

13–16 ● Largely inaccurate notes and/ ● Erratic tempo and/or rhythm ● Serious lack of tonal control ● Musical shaping largely ● Lacking continuity
or intonation ● Groove and feel not unrealised ● No musical involvement
● Solo lacks coherence established

10–12 ● Highly inaccurate notes and/ ● Incoherent tempo and/or ● No tonal control ● No shape ● Unable to continue for more
or intonation pulse than a short section
● Solo very incoherent or ● Groove and feel absent
absent

0 ● No work offered ● No work offered ● No work offered ● No work offered ● No work offered

Jazz Criteria from January 2017

 Scales and arpeggios Quick study Aural tests
Distinction ●● Highly accurate notes/pitch ●● Highly accurate given material Distinction ●● Accurate throughout
19–21 ●● Fluent and rhythmic ●● Improvised answer in keeping with style 17–18 ●● Musically perceptive
●● Straight/swing feel consistently realised ●● Well-balanced and confident presentation ●● Confident response
●● Musically shaped
●● Confident response

Merit ●● Largely accurate notes ●● Broadly accurate given material Merit ●● Strengths significantly outweigh weaknesses
17–18 ●● Mostly regular flow ●● Controlled improvised answer 15–16 ●● Musically aware
●● Straight/swing feel realised ●● Largely secure presentation ●● Secure response
●● Mainly even tone
●● Secure response

Pass ●● Generally correct notes/pitch, despite errors ●● Outline of given material in place Pass ●● Strengths just outweigh weaknesses
14–16 ●● Continuity generally maintained ●● Improvised answer has basic contour 12–14 ●● Cautious response
●● Straight/swing feel attempted ●● Cautious presentation
●● Generally reliable tone
●● Cautious response

Below Pass ●● Frequent errors in notes and/or pitch ●● Given material not sufficiently realised Below Pass ●● Weaknesses outweigh strengths
11–13 ●● Lacking continuity and/or some items ●● Improvised answer lacking coherence 9–11 ●● Uncertain response
incomplete ●● Insecure presentation
●● Straight/swing feel not realised
●● Unreliable tone
●● Uncertain response and/or some items not
attempted

7–10 ●● Very approximate notes and/or pitch ●● Very approximate given material 6–8 ●● Inaccuracy throughout
●● Sporadic and/or frequently incomplete ●● Improvised answer incoherent or absent ●● Vague response
●● Serious lack of tonal control ●● Very uncertain presentation
●● Very uncertain response and/or several items
not attempted

0 ●● No work offered ●● No work offered 0 ●● No work offered

Jazz Criteria from January 2017