Students focusing or concentrating in Production will write an argument-driven paper 2,500 words or more in length. In addition, students concentrating in Production will prepare a final comps project; a portfolio of original tracks (30-40 minutes of recorded music) with liner notes for their 20-25 minute senior presentation. Students focusing in Production will take an exam instead of a final comps project.
If a student focusing in production wishes to complete a final comps project, and not take an exam, they must choose to concentrate in production. Alternatively, the student may choose the Music Creation focus, which offers an abridged version of the final comps project.
Senior Comprehensive Project Proposal:
You will be emailed a proposal submission link and directions by October 15 of your junior year and a reminder email on November 15. You must submit your proposal by January 15. If your committee requires you to revise your proposal, your updated documents will be due by the first Monday following spring break. A separate timeline will apply to students graduating earlier or later than usual. Please submit the following:
- Senior Comprehensive Analytic Paper Proposal Annotated Bibliography: Please submit an annotated bibliography that includes ten relevant peer-reviewed scholarly sources that map out the existing literature on your topic. This bibliography should ideally include 2–3 canonical sources that cover a broader background related to your topic, as well as more specific sources relating to your exact argument or methods. Annotations should indicate both the point of view of the author(s), critical evaluation of the source, and the pertinence of the article/chapter/book to your proposed essay. An annotation’s length may range from several sentences to a few paragraphs, depending on the source. These sources should be cited in Chicago style. Submit as a PDF.
- Senior Comprehensive Analytic Paper Proposal: Please submit 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. We highly recommend that you choose a paper topic that intersects with your creative practice. You will need to engage with the ideas of specific authors from your bibliography in your proposal. A central goal of the proposal is to describe the current state of research on this area and articulate how you will do something new that adds to this literature. Your paper must include some musical analysis and you should indicate which repertoire of music will be the focus of your essay. You should propose a project that can be successfully argued within 2,500 words. Please visit this link for essential steps to ensuring a successful proposal, and this link for permissions-restricted access to a few successful previous proposals. Submit as a PDF. This paper is completed in MUSC 490.
- Project Proposal (Concentration only): Describe your album, which should be 30-40 minutes in length. You must outline your album’s concept or themes and how you plan to implement them through your production choices. Please also address the genre and style traditions you will draw from. While 50% of the album should contain material that originates in a class under the supervision of the music faculty, please detail plans for further recording, producing, and mixing/mastering for the project. In your description, please also describe your collaborative components, which must comprise at least 25% of the album (i.e cowriting, recording other musicians, etc.). Note: if you plan to propose a format other than an album, please explain how the project will be a cohesive and audience-facing body of work.
- In-Progress Portfolio (Concentration only): Please submit an in-progress portfolio of at least 15 minutes of recordings. Recordings do not have to be finalized, and can be in different stages of developmen
Senior Comprehensive Project (Concentration Only):
At the beginning of the academic year, students will be assigned a date for their presentations. You will receive a link and directions to submit your materials by February 15. Four weeks before the presentation, students must digitally submit the following for review. Students will receive written feedback on these files within one week of submission.
- Submission of Materials:
a: Portfolio of music: Submit a folder of recorded music totaling 30-40 minutes. Each sound file should represent the final recording, with a title and track listing number. The audio files should be formatted to reflect those titles without unnecessary file extensions like “v2”, “finalMix”, etc.
b: Liner notes, using this document as a template: At the top of the document, students must include a 200-word minimum description, which explains how this album is a coherent body of work. The liner notes should then list and describe each track included in the portfolio, briefly explaining the production techniques and how choices in texture, instrumentation, arrangement, and/or engineering reflect the themes underlying this collection of music. Students may also choose to write about the poetic themes if lyrics are included. Make sure to list any contributing instrumentalists and any collaborating songwriters/producers in your description.
c: Slideshow presentation: A slideshow presentation, totaling 20-25 minutes in length, including a selection of at least four tracks from the album. The presentation will outline the album’s central themes, using audio/visual examples and a track-by-track analysis—drawn from the liner notes—as it relates to the core focus of the portfolio, including relation to particular musical genres, styles, or traditions. Students are required to describe in detail the relevant production techniques applied in each selected recording. If there are lyrics to the songs, the student should include these on the slides when presenting the music.
- Presentation:
a: Students will give a final presentation, totalling 20-25 minutes in length, which selects the most exemplary music from their portfolio to demonstrate the breadth of their work to their faculty and colleagues.
- Assessment:
a: Recordings will be assessed to determine whether the student uses appropriate input levels, stereo imaging, and microphone technique. Audio files will also be assessed according to the commercial standards for mixing and mastering. A passing portfolio must have no weak signal and no clipping at the master or track levels. The loudness at the output stage should peak no higher than -0.1 dB on the master VU meter, and the average loudness should range between -14 and -9 LUFS in the louder moments. Some variations of this rule are allowed, depending on the customary standards of the musical genres covered in the portfolio.
b: Each senior project component is graded Pass with Distinction (PD), Pass (P), or Fail (F). The portfolio is worth 60%, the presentation 10%, the comps paper 20%, and the liner 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.