Graduation with Honors
This recognition is for exceptionally qualified students in the Petrie School of Music and is separate from the Nisbet Honors program and its requirements. The plan enables them to pursue additional independent and intensive work in their major. Recognition will be predicted on a superior quality and greater quantity of work than is normally required for the degree. No student with a GPA below 3.0 will be admitted into the program. Students may apply for Honors in Field only in their major area of study (e.g., only students pursuing the Bachelor of Music in Performance may apply for Honors in Performance; only students pursuing the Bachelor of Music in Music Education may apply for Honors in Music Education, etc.)
Students will submit a written application, using the form available in the Music Office, to their advisor for permission to pursue honors. If this application is approved by the advisor, it is forwarded to the Music Honors Program Coordinator, after which it will be forwarded to the Music Curriculum Committee. Applications must be sent to the Committee no later than February 1 of the student’s junior year. The Committee will examine the proposal and the applicant’s general scholarship. If this and other conditions are satisfactory, the Committee will present the name of the applicant to the Music Faculty for action. The Director of the Petrie School of Music, in consultation with the Music Curriculum Committee and the student’s advisor, will appoint a three-member ad hoc Music Honors Committee and its Chair. The Chair of the ad hoc Music Honors Committee will notify the student of the faculty’s decision by March 15.
Students approved by the faculty will begin the honors program without credit during the third term of the junior year and continue it through the senior year. A written outline of the thesis contents (for students pursuing Music Education or Therapy) or the recital material and a topic
for a supporting paper (for students pursuing performance or composition) must be submitted to the Music Honors Committee for approval by January 31 of the senior year. A written outline of the honors paper must be approved by the ad hoc Music Honors Committee by the end of the January Term of the senior year. The Chair shall report to the Music Faculty on the status of the Honors Program by February 15 of the senior year. It shall be the duty of the major teacher to supervise the entire program of honors and to maintain high standards of work.
When the student has met all the requirements for Graduation with Honors, the Advisor will submit a written report to the ad hoc Music Honors Committee. This report will describe the work done by the student, will include a recommendation, and will be accompanied by three copies of the research paper. The report must be completed and submitted to the committee before Exam Week of the student’s senior year. To ensure completion by this date, the first draft of the research paper must be in the hands of the Committee by April 1. In case of correction or suggestions made by the Committee, only one additional reading of the paper may be expected, with necessary corrections to be completed by April 25. The final paper will be due by May 5.
After the Committee has made a study of the report, a recommendation will be made to the Music Faculty for final action. To keep the Honors Program on a superior level, the committee may refuse to accept the final report whenever circumstances justify it.
Three bound copies of the Honors Thesis or the supporting research paper and a recording of the Honors in Performance Recital must be submitted to the Chair of the ad hoc Music Honors Committee after the Honors Program is approved as completed. The recording and one paper will be kept in the Music Library, one paper in the Music Office, and one paper returned to the student. For information on format of honors these and papers, the student should consult with their advisor.
The honors work will carry six semester hours of music elective in performance areas or three semester hours of music elective credit in other areas. This credit will be granted upon completion of the Honors Program. No credit will be given unless the entire project is completed.
The student may voluntarily withdraw from the Music Honors Program at any time and may be advised to do so by the department or area. No exception from regular class attendance will be granted to the honors candidate.
Music Honors Program
Before beginning the Honors Program, please consider the following:
- It is recommended that students writing theses as part of the Music Honors program pursue enrolling in MUH 603: Bibliography.
- Performance and Composition candidates: It is advised that the Senior Recital be performed in the Fall of the senior year, and the Honors Recital and Honors Ensemble Recital be performed in the Spring.
Although students will be advised by their Honors Program Advisor, students will be responsible that all deadlines pertaining to their Honors Program are met.
Schedule
Junior Year
- February 1: Application to advisor and Music Curriculum Committee for entry to the Honors Program
- March 15: Chair of Music Honors Committee notifies the student of the faculty’s decision.
Senior Year
- January 31: Honors Recital, Ensemble, Thesis Topic, Independent study materials submitted to the Head of the Music Honors Program for approval.
- February 15: Committee chair reports to Music Faculty on status of Honors Program.
- April 1: Completed paper to the ad hoc Music Honors Committee.
- April 10: Paper returned to student for corrections, if any.
- April 25: Corrected copy to Committee
- May 5: Final copy to ad hoc Music Honors Committee for presentation to the Music Faculty for approval.
- Exam Week: Thesis or the recording with three copies of the supporting paper to Chair of the Committee. After the paper is signed by committee members, it must be delivered to the library for binding, along with a check from the student to pay for the binding.
All communications submitted to the Committee should be typed or laser-printed on standard-sized paper.
Undergraduate Honors Thesis in Music History or Music Theory
The student may receive one term of informal advisement before the term of registration for Thesis. The thesis advisor will be the student’s major teacher, or another faculty member appointed by the Director in consultation with the Faculty of Musicology and Composition. The proposed thesis topic, in the form of a preface and bibliography indicating the subject and general approach, must be approved by the ad hoc Music Honors Committee before the Thesis course is taken. The proposed topic must be submitted to the ad hoc Music Honors Committee during the term preceding the one in which the student is to graduate.
Deadline for the first draft of the Thesis is November 14 or April 1, depending on the term in which the student is to graduate. First drafts submitted subsequent to those dates will not be accepted. The final draft must be submitted to all three members of the ad hoc Music Honors Committee no later than Monday of the penultimate week of classes. After any alterations of the final draft are made, three clear copies, each with an approval sheet signed by the committee members, must be submitted to the Music Librarian for binding by the first day of final examinations. Originals or photocopies are permissible, providing that twenty-pound bond is used. The library must certify that the approved copies have been submitted for binding by the final working day of the term.
Format and Preparation
All theses and honors papers submitted in the Petrie School of Music must follow specific guidelines. The goal and spirit behind the guidelines is to help the student submit a thesis or paper which has the appearance of a professionally typeset document in the student’s area of expertise. A form (Appendix B) detailing the specifications and format for such papers is available in the Music Office.
Honors in Performance
Only students in the Bachelor of Music in Performance may apply for Honors in Performance. The recommended performance requirements, over and above the required senior recital, are as follows:
The Recital
- A full 50–60-minute honors recital, with a mandated pre-hearing no more than two weeks before scheduled performance.
- This program, consisting of material not performed on the senior recital, shall include an independently prepared piece. At least ten minutes of the material presented for the Honors Recital shall be prepared by a student as an independent project without any assistance whatsoever from the faculty. A research paper of approximately 1,000 words dealing with this work should indicate a thorough understanding of the composition. The paper will be evaluated by the ad hoc Music Honors Committee and the major professor. The student will give a list of prepared works to each examiner.
- Memorization requirements shall be the same as for the senior recital
- Repertoire for the Honors Recital must be approved by the relevant performance area.
The Ensemble
Fulfillment of some ensemble requirement, to be outlined by each department. Example: For pianists, the equivalent of accompanying a junior recital, or a recital appearance in an instrumental sonata or chamber work.
Graduation with Distinction in Performance or Distinction in Composition
Senior music majors whose recital is judged exceptional by all faculty jurors may earn “Distinction in Performance” or “Distinction in Composition,” and will be so recognized at Commencement. Students whose opera performance is deemed exceptional by the music faculty may earn “Distinction in Opera Performance,” and will be so recognized at Commencement.