Certificate of Merit

Certificate of Merit Evaluations 2025 – 2026

Students of MTAC Conejo Valley Branch teachers, participating in the the MTAC Certificate of Merit (CM) Evaluations 2025 -2026, have two options for taking the exam this year, online or in-person at regional testing centers. The following dates apply to both options:

• Online CM Registration Opens:
  September 1, 2025
• Online CM Registration Closes:
  September 30, 2025, 11:59 PM
• Registration Payment Period:
  September 1, 2025 – October 5, 2025, by 11:59 PM
• Deadline to enter Evaluation Repertoire and Convention Applications:
  December 15, 2025. Repertoire can be edited up to five days before a student’s testing period or testing day begins.
• Conejo Valley Branch, South Region 6, CM Online Media Submission Opens:  
  January 27, 2024. Media includes video recordings of repertoire, technique, and the sight reading evaluation, also a completed online theory exam.
• Conejo Valley Branch, South Region 6, CM Online Media Submission Closes:  
  March 6, 2025
• All Evaluation Results, Theory and Performance will be Available  for Teachers, Online:
  March 23, 2026
• All Evaluation Results, Theory and Performance will be Available for CM Participants , Online:
  April 2, 2026
• Conejo Valley Branch CM Honors Recitals:
  April 11, 2026
• MTAC State Convention Application Submission Opens: 
  March 15, 2026
• MTAC State Convention Application Submission Closes: 
  April 15, 2026
• MTAC State Convention: 
  June 26 – June 29, 2026, Hilton Los Angeles Airport Hotel

Established in 1934 by Helen Adele Daun, the Music Teachers’ Association of California’s Certificate of Merit® program (CM) provides an educational framework for the study of piano, violin, viola, cello, flute, clarinet, oboe, saxophone, bassoon, French horn, baritone/euphonium horn, harp, and voice. The CM program focuses on five major aspects of instrumental and vocal training: performance, technique, sight reading and/or sight singing, music theory, and aural skills which increase in difficulty as the student progresses through the program from Levels Preparatory, One through Nine, and finally, Advanced.

Upon successful completion of each CM level, the student is awarded a Certificate and receives a written performance evaluation from an MTAC CM evaluator. A Conejo Valley MTAC student may receive a Branch Honors award for exceptional performance in all areas of the CM exam. Also, an invitation to a Branch Honors Recital is extended to those students who receive Branch Honors and receive an Excellent on all Performance repertoire or a 5+, 5 or 5- on a piece selected for a Convention performance.

CM offers additional performance opportunities to the highly motivated student. Each summer at the MTAC’s Annual State Convention, highly rated CM students can perform at the convention in a Festival Recital, Theme Recital, New Materials Recital, String Recital, Voice Recital, or Wind Recital. At the pinnacle of the Certificate of Merit program are the Advanced Panel Auditions for high school students, grades ten through twelve. Students participating in the Advanced Panel Auditions submit their performance media to a Regional audition, and if selected, the student must submit “newly recorded videos” for evaluation at the State Panel Finals, where they may be selected to perform at the MTAC State Convention in one of two Panel Honors Recitals, at a Convention Master Class, or become a Young Artist Guild (YAG) member. New YAG members are presented at the state convention in a special performance.

In general, CM is designed for the recreational student and successful completion of Level 7 in a student’s senior year of high school is considered a fine achievement. For the dedicated student or the student who has a passion for music, Levels 8, 9, and Advanced provide a microcosm of the challenges a student may face in preparing for a career as a professional musician.

Your Conejo Valley MTAC teacher can provide you with additional information regarding the Music Teachers’ Association of California’s Certificate of Merit® program or visit the MTAC state website at http://www.mtac.org.