Students with a demonstrated ability in instrumental or vocal performance will propose a junior and senior recital, write program notes for each recital, and write an argument-driven paper 2,500 words or more in length (exclusive of title page and bibliography) that addresses analytical and historical issues related to at least one work in their recital.
The Performance Senior Project Proposal requires the following information:
- The proposed repertoire for your Junior and Senior recitals. Include composer name, title of composition, year of composition, instrumentation, and approximate running time for each piece. Submit as a PDF.
- A 250-350 word proposal for an argument-driven academic essay that will engage with and contribute to recent and relevant scholarship in the fields of musicology, ethnomusicology, sound studies, and/or music theory. Your essay must focus on a piece or pieces on your Senior Recital program. Submit as a PDF. This paper is completed in MUSC 490.
- A bibliography for this topic proposal that includes ten relevant scholarly sources. Submit as a PDF.
- The name of your applied instructor. Upon submitting your proposal, the faculty will solicit from your applied instructor confirmation of the proposed repertoire and a confidential evaluation of your skills in light of this repertoire.
You will be emailed a proposal submission link and directions by October 15.
Performance Recital
The repertoire for a junior and a senior recital should represent a range of historical periods and regional or national styles. Recital repertoire is developed in consultation with the student’s applied instructor, their advisor, and the Music faculty. The student must attach the repertoire lists for both recitals to their senior project proposal form. Upon submitting their project proposal, the faculty will solicit from the student’s applied instructor confirmation of the proposed repertoire and a confidential evaluation of the student’s skills in light of this repertoire. At the beginning of the academic year, the Music Department will establish available dates for junior and senior recitals.
A junior recital should contain 20 minutes of music.
A senior recital should contain 45 minutes of music.
The decision about whether repertoire should be performed with a score or from memory will be determined by the student’s applied instructor in consultation with the department’s two Directors, taking into consideration the appropriate performing practice for that repertoire.
Recital Jury
A student presenting a junior or senior recital must perform a jury at least four weeks prior to the recital date to determine the student’s level of preparation for the event. All of the repertoire presented at the jury must be at a level of preparation that indicates that the music will be ready for public performance at the time of the recital. If the jury does not demonstrate adequate preparation, the student will be asked to postpone the recital date or forego the recital altogether (in which case the Senior Comprehensive requirement will be met by taking an exam--see “Comprehensive Requirement” under Courses & Requirements.)
A week before the recital jury, students must digitally submit the following for review (students will receive a link to digitally submit their materials by February 15th).
- Required analytic paper (seniors only)
- A draft of all program notes
- A list of all the repertoire in performance order, including: full titles of all repertoire, movements or sections as appropriate, complete names and dates of all composers, English translations of song texts as needed, names of all performers on the program, and any acknowledgments that you intend to include in the program.
The Music Department provides piano accompanists for all junior and senior recitals, and will print 50 copies of your program for each recital.
Performance Assessment
Each senior project component is graded Pass with Distinction (PD), Pass (P), or Fail (F). The recital is worth 70%, the comps paper 20%, and the program notes 10%. Notwithstanding your comps paper counting for only 20% of your overall comps assessment, you must receive a PD or P on your comps paper in order to receive a PD or P as your final comps grade. In other words, you cannot pass your comps with a failing comps paper. Note, the junior recital does not factor in the comps grade. Passing it is a prerequisite to giving a senior recital.