"The time is out of joint"

 Quick tips for all brass students performing end of year juries:

--Remember that your jury is a performance. You probably shouldn't come in shorts, flip flops, and a t-shirt. You don't need to wear a tux, but please make at least a little effort to acknowledge that this is a more formal event than the frisbee game you just played.

--Remember that your jury is a performance. You don't get multiple do-overs if you splat something or don't like the way that it sounded. You should start at the top left corner of your music and keep on playing until you get to the bottom right corner. No interruptions in the meantime unless we say so.

--Remember that your jury is a performance. You wouldn't get up on stage after an ensemble concert and explain to the audience why it was that you missed each note that went wrong (and why it wasn't actually your fault) so please don't attempt that to your committee. We're already not thrilled that we're doing jury duty. We'd rather be playing frisbee too.

--There is a fantastic invention that fits in your pocket called a metronome. If you practice with it it will correct any errors of steady rhythm that you might be committing. These errors matter in a jury.

--There is another fantastic invention called a tuner that can do the same for your intonation. 

--It's a bad idea to do very little practicing all semester and then to practice for four hours straight before your jury on any instrument, but it's an especially bad idea on a brass instrument for what should be obvious reasons.

--It would be wise to do the ten seconds of preparation involved in learning how to pronounce your composer's name. You could do this by looking up the phonetic spelling on their Wikipedia page, by doing a Youtube search to listen to other musicians talking about this composer, or (easiest option) listening at any point to how your teacher pronounces the name over the course of the 13 lessons you had this semester.

MOST IMPORTANTLY OF ALL

--Remember to actually sign up for your jury. If you forget to sign up for your jury you will have to repeat the entire class and won't be able to graduate and will keep on needing to do juries for years and years. 

EDIT

--Also remember to bring your music. Seriously, kids...