Rubric - Synth/Keyboard Audition Rubric

A traditional 4-level, 100-point synth and keyboard audition rubric scoring keyboard technique, part accuracy and patch management, timing and sequencing, sound design and dynamics, and arranging sense.
4 - Exceeds Expectation 3 - Meets Expectation 2 - Approaching Expectation 1 - Below Expectation
Prepared Parts, Patch Changes, Sounds & Play-Along
100%
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Keyboard Technique & Touch
20%
20 Points
Fully controlled technique with expert use of velocity, aftertouch, mod wheel and pitch bend as expressive tools....
15 Points
Solid technique with good use of controllers; expression is effective if less nuanced....
10 Points
Technique is uneven and controllers are used sparingly or clumsily....
0 Points
Technique and controller use are not established; playing is uncontrolled....
Part Accuracy & Patch/Program Management
20%
20 Points
Every part is correct and every patch change is silent, on time and correctly mapped across splits and layers....
15 Points
Accurate parts and reliable patch changes with minor timing lapses....
10 Points
Wrong notes recur and patch changes are late, noisy, or incorrectly assigned....
0 Points
Parts cannot be executed and patch management fails during the performance....
Time, Groove & Sequencing Accuracy
20%
20 Points
Locks to the click and to sequenced material perfectly; arpeggiator and tempo-synced elements are always correctly aligned....
15 Points
Steady time with sequenced material; slight drift at section changes....
10 Points
Time fluctuates against the click and sequenced elements fall out of alignment....
0 Points
Cannot play in time with a click or sequence; the performance does not align....
Sound Design, Layering & Dynamic Control
20%
20 Points
Sounds are selected and shaped expertly; filters, envelopes and layers are used with real craft and wide dynamic control....
15 Points
Appropriate sound choices and effective layering; dynamic contrast is clear....
10 Points
Sound choices are unsuited to the material and layering muddies the mix; dynamics stay flat....
0 Points
No usable sound selection or dynamic control; the sound does not serve the music....
Style, Arranging Sense & Performance
20%
20 Points
Makes outstanding arranging decisions across styles, filling the right space in the mix with a compelling stage presence....
15 Points
Tasteful, stylistically appropriate choices that support the arrangement; presence is confident....
10 Points
Choices crowd or thin the arrangement; stylistic understanding and presence are inconsistent....
0 Points
No arranging judgment, stylistic grounding, or performance presence....