Decision on jury work for artistic level performance examinations at Sibelius Academy

Published 22.10.2024 | Updated 11.11.2024

Composition of committees

In annual committee decisions, heads of department/degree programme directors appoint persons eligible to serve on level performance assessment committees as well as committee chairs and vice chairs. Committee decisions are made before the beginning of the academic year for one academic year at a time, and they are posted in Students’ Uniarts. A head of the subject/degree programme director may amend or supplement their committee decision during the academic year or delegate this task. The committee decision contains provisions on the minimum and maximum size of different committees. However, this is done so that committees will have 1-3 members in addition to the chair. When assembling a committee, the principles of equality and non-discrimination at Uniarts Helsinki are taken into account.

Committee members are primarily teachers in an employment relationship with the Sibelius Academy. One of the committee members may be the student’s own instrument teacher. At the discretion of the head of department/degree programme director, the committee may also appoint Sibelius Academy postgraduate students, (if necessary) persons from outside Sibelius Academy or teachers other than those of the instrument/subject in question.

The head of department/director of the degree programme is responsible for ensuring that those appointed as committee members have sufficient expertise and familiarity with performing the committee tasks. If necessary, the head of department/director of the degree programme can serve as a member or chair in all the artistic level performance examinations of their own department/degree programme. In urgent cases, the chair of the committee may also supplement the committee with a person they consider suitable. In this case, the chair is responsible for ensuring that the person has sufficient expertise and knowledge to perform committee duties.

Disqualification

The disqualification provisions of the Administrative Procedure Act shall apply to the work of the committee. Committees are composed in such a way that they will not, as a rule, include any disqualified members. However, if there is a disqualified member on the committee, this member may not participate in the assessment of the level performance examination or be present when it is being conducted.

A committee member is disqualified when their ability to make an impartial decision is compromised or appears to be compromised when assessed objectively. In other words, the member is disqualified when they may experience a particular gain or loss from the outcome of an assessment.

A committee member is disqualified when, for example,

• artistic level performance examination is performed by a relative of the member (e.g. child, son-in-law/daughter-in-law, child of a sibling, sibling of the spouse and their child),
• the level performance examination is performed by a person who is otherwise close to the member (e.g. a close friend or their child),
• the relationship between the committee member and the person performing the level performance examination is particularly bad (e.g. due to a public dispute).

A disqualified committee member must inform the chair of their disqualification. If any suspicion of disqualification is discovered during committee work, the committee must resolve the situation under the direction of its chair.

Committee participation and remuneration

The Study Services employee/coordinating teacher appointed by a degree programme assembles the assessment committee and sends out invitations in accordance with committee decisions. In order to ensure that the committee performs its work, the committee members invited to the committee must confirm their arrival both to the committee chair and the person who sent the invitation.

If a full-time Sibelius Academy teacher invited to the committee is prevented from participating on the committee, they are obligated to arrange a substitute for themselves in accordance with a committee decision and notify the committee chair and the person who sent the invitation of the substitute.

Hourly-paid teachers invited to the committee and specialists not belonging to the Sibelius Academy staff must notify both the committee chair and the person who sent to the invitation of any impediments to participation. In such cases, the chair of the committee/degree programme-appointed coordinating teacher is responsible for arranging a substitute.

Committee work is one of the duties to be performed by a full-time Sibelius Academy teacher. This is taken into account in the total working time plan in advance. Therefore, a full-time teacher will not be remunerated separately for their work on the committee.

The head of department/degree programme director agrees separately with an hourly-paid teacher, adjunct professor or specialist who is not part of the Sibelius Academy staff on their participation in committee work. The remuneration to be paid is determined on the basis of the Uniarts decision concerning remuneration. The committee chair enters the information related to the level performance examination, the total duration of the level performance examination (including the assessment section) and the committee members in attendance on the online level performance examination form.

Tasks and responsibilities of different roles

Vice Dean for teaching

• decides on the committee work policies

Head of department/degree programme director

• oversees the committee work of their department/degree programme;
• appoints members eligible to serve on committees and defines the committee composition in annual committee decisions;
• leads a total working time process in their department/degree programme, in which resources are allocated to committee work;
• drafts the committee decision for their department/degree programme;
• decides on the scheduling of level performance examinations (based on the proposal for level performance examinations made by Production Services)

Committee chair

• is responsible for ensuring that the composition of the committee is in accordance with the committee decision;
• if the level performance examination is performed with an instrument that has no prescribed examination dates or if the level performance examination is performed outside the official examination dates, the chair is responsible for assembly of the committee. The chair reports the committee composition to a Study Services employee for the purpose of sending an invitation confirmation;
• is responsible for arranging a substitute when an hourly-paid teacher or an external specialist is prevented from participating on the committee;
• resolves any issues relating to the composition and functioning of the committee;
• is responsible for ensuring that the committee knows and complies with the level performance evaluation criteria and grading scale;
• is responsible for entering key factors affecting the assessment and issuing a grade on the committee’s online level performance examination form;
• is responsible for allowing the student to perform the repertoire they have prepared without disruption;
• is responsible for ensuring that a sufficient amount of time is reserved for giving feedback

Jazz degree programme level performance coordinating teacher

• is responsible for ensuring that the composition of the committee is in accordance with the committee decision;
• resolves any issues relating to the composition and functioning of the committee;
• is responsible for arranging a substitute when an hourly-paid/University arts teacher or an external specialist is prevented from participating on the committee;

Vice-chair

• serves as committee chair when the chair is prevented from participating in the committee work

Study Services

• is responsible for assembling and convening the level performance committee for general and instrument-specific level performance examination days in accordance with the decision of the committee (in jazz and global music degree programmes, the coordinating teacher);
• is responsible for paying remuneration to committee members (excluding those receiving a monthly salary);
• enters the grades given to students

Production Services (level performance examinations held in halls)

• confirms registration for level performance examinations and reserves the facilities for level performance examinations and hall rehearsals;
• prepares a schedule of examination dates or assists the department/degree programme in doing so;
• is responsible for announcing public level performance concerts and for performing production-related tasks

Coordinator of the level performance examination (folk music degree programme)

A level performance examination coordinator is appointed for each student performing a level performance examination. The coordinator participates in the level performance concert and feedback discussion and prepares the teacher’s statement at the beginning of the feedback period.

Student

The guideline for a student’s level performance examination can be found in its entirety in Students’ Uniarts. Read the level performance examination instructions.

Organising a level performance examination

Production Services prepares a plan for the official and extra level performance examination days and reserves the halls. Decisions on examination dates are made by the end of the previous academic term and posted in Students’ Uniarts. As a rule, level performance examinations take place on official examination dates.

Instruments without pre-booked general level performance examination dates: The student agrees on the level performance examination date with the committee chair. Registration is done as in the case of general level performance examination days. Production Services is responsible for booking facilities.

Students register for a level performance examination using an online registration form. The committees are formed by a Study Services employee/coordinating teacher appointed by a degree programme, who sends the invitation to committee members no later than two weeks before the level performance examination. In addition to the invitation, the information filled in by the student on the online registration form and the attachments provided by the student are submitted to the committee.  Students are not allowed to participate in the assembly of the committee.

Course of the level performance examination

1. The chair declares the composition of the committee to be in accordance with the decision of the committee and gives the student permission to start.
2. Level performance concert
3. The chair opens and closes the evaluation discussion and chairs the discussion, after which the committee evaluates the performance. The student’s own instrument teacher may participate in the evaluation discussion.
4. The committee holds a feedback discussion with the student. A student may decide whether people other than committee members and the student’s teacher may be present during the feedback discussion. The student has the right to record the feedback received.
5. If it is not possible to receive feedback immediately in connection with the performance, the student must receive feedback as soon as possible after its completion.
6. The committee chair records the details of the level performance examination and makes a brief verbal evaluation of the performance on the committee’s online level performance examination form.
7. At the student’s request, the feedback is also submitted in writing.

Grading scales for level performance examinations  

The methods for completing a level performance examination and the grading scale to be used are recorded in the curriculum in the level performance course descriptions. A partial performance is graded on a scale of 0-5, where 0 is Fail, or on a Pass/Fail basis.

The level performance examinations designated for grading on a scale of 0 to 5 are evaluated so that the overall grade of the level performance examination is the integer closest to the average of all grades given by the committee members. If the average falls between two integers, the grade is rounded up to the higher value.

Level performance examination in one part

Each committee member gives a grade of 0-5. The chair shall record the grade given by each committee member on the online level performance examination form. A performance will be considered a Fail if at least half of the committee members give a grade of 0 or Fail.

Level performance examination in multiple parts

Each committee member gives a grade of 0-5 or Pass/Fail to the partial performance. Grades are marked on the form. Each partial performance must be approved separately. A partial performance will be considered a Fail if at least half of the committee members give a grade of 0 or Fail. When all parts are completed, a final grade is given to the level performance examination.

The overall grade for the study unit is the integer closest to the average of all grades given by the committee members If the average falls between two integers, the grade is rounded up to the higher value.

The student has the right to submit a written request for rectification of the grade given. Learn how to request rectification.

Cancelling and retaking a level performance examination

A student may only postpone or cancel their level performance examination for reasons other than illness six weeks before the level performance examination date. There is no limit to the number of times a failed level performance examination or its partial performance may be retaken.