Analysis of music special talent exams in Turkey during the COVID-19 global epidemic

Due to the Covid-19 global epidemic, which has spread all over the world and become a pandemic, the education sector has been affected like in many sectors, and the majority of educational institutions have made some changes in their practices and contents in education. This study was carried out within the scope of the measures taken to show if there are any changes in the application forms and content of special talent exams in universities that provide vocational music education in Turkey. In this context, the methods of applying the exams, the content of the exams and the distribution of points given to these contents by the faculties and conservatories that accept students with special talent exam in the 2019-2020 and 2020-2021 academic years are interpreted through the tables. The instructions and guides for the special talent exams were accessed through the websites of the units, and the unit managers were contacted by telephone, online and e-mail in cases where the contents could not be reached. This research is qualitative research. Data were attained by using document analysis and interview method. When the special talent exams administered by 64 faculties, 45 conservatories and 163 departments affiliated to universities providing vocational music education in Turkey in 2019, and 67 faculties, 45 conservatories and 168 departments affiliated to universities providing vocational music education in 2020 were compared, it was seen that the exams which were not done in Student Replacement Exam in 2019 were held online with a of 9% in 2020, but despite this, the face-to-face exams were as high as 41%. Furthermore, compared to 16% of the two-stage exams held in the Student Replacement Exam in 2020, it was concluded that 25% of the single-stage exams were held within the institutions, and that the questions related to musical hearing, melody repetition, rhythm repetition and performance skills, which are among the musical measurement criteria, were higher than the questions related to other skills. Keywords: Covid 19, Music, Conservatory, Fine Arts, Special Talent, Exam