Bill Evans Piano Academy Diploma
The Bill Evans Piano Academy delivers its own diploma. Students wishing to sit the BEPA diploma exam must submit their applications before the end of May. Exams are held at end June. The one-day exam comprises 5 parts:
– Solo transcription: candidates are given 2 hours to transcribe a solo in a room equipped with a piano and Hi-FI system, then asked to play the transcription simultaneously with, and respecting the touch and style of, the recording in question.
– Transposition at sight: chord chart and theme of standards.
– Sight reading a 4-part or 5-part score (quartet or quintet).
– Practical exam. Candidates are required to prepare three pieces beforehand, be able to interpret them in several formats (solo, duo and trio) and propose interesting ideas in terms of phrasing, harmony, rhythm and interplay. Accompaniment skills will be judged during the duo session with a soloist.
– Composition and arrangement. Candidates will be asked to write a composition and arrange a standard based on a rhythmic pattern given three weeks before the exam.
French Federation of National Schools of Jazz &
Contemporary Music (FNEIJMA) Certificate
As a member of the French Federation of National Schools of Jazz and Contemporary Music (Fédération Nationale des Ecoles d’Influence Jazz et Musiques Actuelles – FNEIJMA), the Bill Evans Piano Academy offers students the opportunity to be certified by the MIMA (Musicien interprète des musiques actuelles), the Contemporary Music Interpreter certificate delivered by the French Federation of National Schools of Jazz and Contemporary Music and officially recognized by Ministerial Decree dated February 6, 2008 by the National Directory of Professional Certification (RNCP).
Part 1 : Sight-reading / Transcription
Part 2: Practical exam
Part 3: Written paper