Rubric - Vocal (Jazz) Audition Rubric

A traditional 4-level, 100-point audition rubric for jazz vocalists, scoring jazz vocal technique, harmonic accuracy, swing feel, timbral range, and improvisation.
4 - Exceeds Expectation 3 - Meets Expectation 2 - Approaching Expectation 1 - Below Expectation
Standard, Blues & Improvised Chorus
100%
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Vocal Tone & Jazz Technique
20%
20 Points
Warm, flexible, well-supported jazz tone; vibrato, straight tone and inflection are all controlled and idiomatic....
15 Points
Attractive tone with solid support; vibrato and inflection are appropriate but less varied....
10 Points
Tone is inconsistent and support wavers; inflection sounds generic or classically transplanted....
0 Points
Tone is unsupported or unfocused, with no idiomatic jazz vocal technique....
Pitch, Harmony & Melodic Accuracy
20%
20 Points
Impeccable pitch and complete harmonic awareness; alterations and guide tones are heard and sung accurately....
15 Points
Accurate pitch and clear awareness of the changes; a few uncertain moments on altered harmony....
10 Points
Pitch and harmonic orientation slip on chromatic or altered passages; the melody is approximated....
0 Points
Pitch and harmony are not secure; the entrant cannot locate the melody within the changes....
Swing Feel & Rhythmic Placement
20%
20 Points
Deep, authentic swing feel with masterful phrase placement and complete rhythmic independence from the rhythm section....
15 Points
Convincing swing feel and secure time; placement is idiomatic but somewhat on the beat....
10 Points
Swing feel is stiff or inconsistent; phrases are placed squarely and time wanders....
0 Points
No swing feel; rhythmic placement is unrelated to the pulse of the ensemble....
Range, Dynamics & Timbral Variety
20%
20 Points
Full range used artistically, with a broad dynamic palette and a wide range of expressive vocal colors....
15 Points
Good range, clear dynamic contrast and some timbral variety....
10 Points
Limited range and dynamics; tone color stays essentially uniform....
0 Points
Range and dynamics cannot serve the material and timbre never varies....
Improvisation, Scat & Interpretation
20%
20 Points
Inventive, harmonically grounded improvisation and scat vocabulary; the lyric is reinterpreted with real artistry....
15 Points
Competent, musical improvisation and personal interpretation of the lyric; ideas are somewhat formulaic....
10 Points
Improvisation is tentative and largely scalar; interpretation stays close to the written melody....
0 Points
No usable improvisation and no interpretive choices beyond reading the melody as written....