THE FUTURE OF CLASSICAL MUSIC IN AMERICA?: A SYMPOSIUM

This symposium is the primary focus of our class this semester and a series of activities and deadlines will lead up to the afternoon meeting.

Project Components

To hone its hypothesis, each team will interview one or two people who work in the area of their research (such as composers, audience members, arts administrators, educators, musicians, etc.) The group should decide who to interview and make arrangements. Interview questions should be drawn up in advance and the interview should be recorded. I recommend that at least two team members be present at each interview. Probe your source about the challenges facing their work and the solutions that have been tried or should be tried. Be sure to be courteous and send your subject a thank you note. Your subject may be invited to our symposium and can be nominated as one of the featured panelists, if you feel their contribution merits further exploration.

The results of your interview should be presented to the class and major points should be summarized and illustrated with quotations on a handout to be given to each member of the class.

Each team will develop a questionnaire study to explore the issues and problems identified through their interviews. We will prepare a draft of this questionnaire and test it in class, discussing results and potential problems. Your project should be tight and focused, using a questionnaire not to exceed one page in length. Use the study of gay choral groups in your coursepack (CP6) as a model for how such a study might work. Bring sufficient copies of your questionnaire to the class so that you may test two and, in addition, distribute one copy to each member of the class.

Each team should collect a minimum of 40 responses (or ten per team member) to their questionnaire. This data should be assembled, analyzed and presented in graphic form (when appropriate) for presentation to the class in a handout. The team should explore the implications of their study and present their observations to the class.

This is a trial presentation and discussion in preparation for the symposium. Each team should develop a set of proposals to address the issues and problems addressed by their questionnaire study. The presentation should include a draft of the handout that will be distributed to the panelists and audience at the symposium. Presentations should be no longer than 15 minutes and will be followed by 15 minutes of discussion.

The symposium will take place on December 9 in the rehearsal hall, time tba. A subcommittee from the class will handle the arrangements, including the invitations for panelists and the structure of the event. Presentations should be concise and allow time for question and answer.

A major portion of your grade will be based on the evaluation of your work by your fellow team members. This is done to assure that everyone fulfills his or her responsibility to the group and that the overall grade received reflects the contribution of the individual receiving credit. An evaluation form will be handed out after each presentation and should be completed by the next class. Please do not confer with other team members about your evaluation. Although all evaluations will be signed, they will be seen only by the professor. Peer evaluation is an important responsibility and should not reflect personal likes and dislikes, but an unbiased assessment of the quality and quantity of work contributed by an individual.