Updated: March 2026
General Examination Guidelines:
- Upon arriving at the exam, you must fulfill all specified requirements.
- All pieces must be performed by heart (from memory).
- Songs must be diverse in character (e.g., not solely ballads, or vice versa).
- Songs that have not been approved by the vocal coach and the répétiteur will not be heard.
- Amplification: Only the singer will be amplified. Part of the repertoire will be performed without amplification (or using a headset/neck mic), as specified in the song breakdown.
- Starting from Year 3, the singer may self-accompany on only one song per exam, subject to prior approval from both the teacher and the répétiteur.
- Students who wish to do so are permitted to record their exam on a personal recording device. We request that you inform us of this upon entering the exam and place the device on our table.
- Recording by the faculty staff is for documentation purposes only and will not be provided to students.
- An accompanying musician who is not the designated répétiteur must be approved by both the teacher and the répétiteur.
- The same piece may not be performed in more than one exam (excluding the Year 4 Recital).
- Year 1: A hearing will take place at the end of Semester A, and only one formal exam will be held at the end of the year.
- Year 4: No Semester A exam will be held, unless there is a need for a retake (Moed B) of the Half-Recital from Year 3.
Musical Theatre Track Exam Regulations:
- The theatrical component (acting the song) carries significant weight in the grading. For musical theatre songs, the original key must be maintained and cannot be changed.
- During only one semester throughout the degree, students may replace one of the musical theatre exams with an equivalent exam from the Multidisciplinary Vocal Performance track (e.g., Israeli Rock/Pop Classics, Jazz Standard, Up-Tempo/On-Time, Personal Choice–Electronic Arrangement, Folk Song, Original Song). This requires special approval from the individual instructor and the Head of the Track.
Exam Requirements by Academic Year:
Please read the requirements for each semester carefully.
Year 1
Semester A – Hearing:
At the end of Semester A, a hearing will be held for Year 1 students. This is not an exam; its purpose is to provide constructive feedback for continued work. Each student will be asked to perform only one musical theatre song before the faculty panel. The type of microphone used is at the discretion of the teacher and the student.
Semester B:
You must prepare three pieces:
- 12-Bar Blues – transcription or a personal choice song [Dynamic Microphone]
- Character Song or a Disney Song
- Broadway Standard
[One of the musical theatre songs must be performed without a microphone, and the second with a headset/neck mic]
Year 2
Semester A:
You must prepare three pieces:
- A musical theatre song in a legit or contemporary legit style, in Hebrew or English [Without a microphone]
- A musical theatre song in Hebrew (Israeli or translated) [Headset/Neck Mic]
- Classic Hebrew Art Song (Zemer Ivri Classi) – A song composed by one of the following composers: Sasha Argov, Moshe Wilensky, David Zehavi, Mordechai Zeira, Matityahu Shelem, Yedidia Admon, Daniel Sambursky, Emanuel Zamir, Nachum Nardi, or Sara Levi-Tanai. [Dynamic Mic]
- Other options not written by the aforementioned composers may be submitted subject to the approval of the Head of the Department.
- The student must remain faithful to the song, maintaining the original melodic line.
Semester B:
You must prepare three pieces:
- The Beatles – A performance featuring an interpretation of a song by The Beatles or by former band members post-breakup.
- Modern or Contemporary Musical Theatre Song (Post-1980, e.g., Waitress, Dear Evan Hansen, Wicked, Mega-Musicals).
- Rock Musical Theatre Song (e.g., Hair, Rent, Spring Awakening, Next to Normal, Jesus Christ Superstar).
* One of the two musical theatre songs must be presented as a staged performance – solo or duet (including movement in space, props, costume, or choreography).
[One of the musical theatre songs must be performed without a microphone, and the second with a headset/neck mic]
Year 3
Semester A:
You must prepare three pieces:
- Musically Challenging Musical Theatre (e.g., Michael John LaChiusa, William Finn, Adam Guettel, Stephen Sondheim).
- Theatre Song, Cabaret, or Chanson (e.g., Jacques Brel, Édith Piaf, Hanoch Levin, Kurt Weill, Lorca). [One of the musical theatre songs will be performed without a microphone and the second with one, depending on the character of the song]
- English Pop-Rock Ballad – from the 70s, 80s, or 90s (e.g., Carole King, Joni Mitchell, Simon & Garfunkel, Sting, Annie Lennox, Queen, Elton John, David Bowie, etc.) OR Israeli Rock/Pop Classic – songs from the 70s, 80s, and 90s (e.g., Shalom Hanoch, Chava Alberstein, Matti Caspi, Yehudit Ravitz, Boaz Sharabi, Zohar Argov, Nurit Galron, Corinne Allal, etc.).
Semester B: Half-Recital
A grade above 90 is required to be eligible for the recital.
You must prepare five pieces within the Musical Theatre focus track (at least three out of the five pieces must be from this track):
- At least one song must be presented within the dramatic context of its play (staged, or integrating text, movement, prop work, or an additional actor/actress).
- It is mandatory to choose songs representing at least two different styles from the materials you have been tested on so far.
- The use of backing tracks (playbacks) in the recital is permitted by special approval only.
Year 4
Graduation Examination:
Graduation Production and Graduation Recital.
Graduation Production
Full participation in rehearsals and performances of the graduation production in the role to which you are cast.
Graduation Recital
Students authorized to perform a graduation recital are required to participate in the department's public concerts or the Academy's public concerts in which the department takes part—in accordance with departmental needs. A student who does not fulfill this commitment will not be permitted to hold their recital.
Recital Hearings
Students eligible for a recital will be asked to prepare 2–3 pieces from their planned recital and present them to the examination panel approximately two months prior to the recital date, during a special session scheduled by the Faculty Secretariat. The pieces performed at the hearing must be at a high level of finish in terms of arrangement and execution. Following the hearing, feedback and guidance will be provided regarding further work on the recital, as well as authorization to hold the recital. Students who are not ready by their scheduled hearing date will not be able to hold their recital and will be evaluated via a graduation examination as detailed above.
- The selection of songs for the recital must reflect a rationale that you will be asked to explain to the examination committee during the hearing.
- In a recital composed of original songs by the department student, there must be at least one cover (students whose recital is a complete, self-contained concept piece, such as an original musical, may request an exemption from this requirement).
- One song must be accompanied by a single instrument.
- At least one song must be in Hebrew.
- Approval must be obtained from the private instructor and the répétiteur for the entire recital program.
- The accompanying ensemble for the entire recital may consist of up to six musicians (excluding the singer).
- Three songs from the recital may be played by an ensemble of up to eight musicians (excluding the singer).
- The total number of musicians participating throughout the entire recital, excluding the singer, shall not exceed 12 (a backing vocals section will be counted as a single musician).
- The examinee will prepare a program booklet or a list of pieces for the examination panel at the recital.
- The examinee is permitted to prepare a poster (according to the guidelines published in the recital regulations) and must obtain approval from the Head of the Department for it.
- The examinee must strictly ensure not to exceed the 45-minute time limit for the recital under any circumstances, including spoken introductions and thank-yous.
- Any request for a change in the exam/recital requirements must be addressed to the Head of the Department.
