- Year of study: First year of study, two semesters.
- Final assessment: Assessment from the course instructor.
- Prerequisites: Admission to Master in music performance.
- Language of instruction: Norwegian/English.
Course description
This course is for students in the Master of Music in Performance degree programme in the following concentrations:
- Improvised Music/Jazz
- Individual concentration
The Master's Project is an individual independent project with a clear artistic focus.
Learning objectives
On completion of the course, the student is expected to
- show artistic integrity and maturity in the musical presentation of their Master's Project
- have developed a clear artistic profile
- be able to initiate, develop, manage and complete an artistic project
- be able to reflect critically on processes and issues concerning their creative project
- contribute to new ideas and innovative production through their role as a musician
- have knowledge of and be able to use material from artistic development work and research in their work
Overview
In the Master's Project, the student develops and completes an independent artistic performance project. The project must have coherency as an independent work. The student chooses an area of concentration from a broad range, and the project plan is developed in close dialogue with the principal supervisor.
Most of the Master's Project is comprised of the student's work with
- developing a Project Description for the Master's Project
- implementing and managing their own artistic project
- planning, rehearsing and implementing four-concert projects (total playing time for Master's projects I and II: 135 minutes)
- developing and preparing public presentations of their own Master's Project
- relevant literature (including material from artistic development work and research)
- keeping a log of various processes involved in the project
- writing a reflection paper on the Master's Project
Structure
Each student/ensemble is assigned a principal supervisor, normally a member of the Academy's faculty. The principal supervisor provides individual academic and artistic advice and feedback throughout the study programme. Supervisory resources (set down by the Academy in advance) are made available to the principal supervisor. In addition, the distribution of the student's project resources is determined in the dialogue between student and supervisor.
It is each individual student's responsibility to ensure their study progress. The student must take administrative charge of scheduling regular appointments with the principal supervisor and (if applicable) co-supervisors in order to ensure the expected course progression. The student is normally expected to present parts of their Master's Project at internal concerts, forums, etc. The Master's Project demands a high degree of artistic/academic independence from the student.
Structure and recommended scope of instruction are further outlined (under Organisation) in the programme curriculum.
Students have registered automatically for instruction/supervision and assessment in the course, in accordance with the study progress requirements set out in the individual programme plan.
Course requirements
1. Submission of Project Description and Supervision Agreement
The student develops a Project Description of approximately 3 000 words, containing details of the following: chosen focus area; project material and content; a progress plan; project supervisor(s). Find more information in the Project Proposal Guidelines. It is the student's responsibility to contact their supervisor(s) for appointments.
Deadline: 1 December in the first semester of the programme is the deadline for submitting the Project Description to the respective leader of the Master's Forum the student is associated with.
The Supervision Agreement is a contract between the student, supervisor and the Academy, which outlines the student's responsibilities and rights, as well as the duties and responsibilities of the supervisor.
Any changes in Project Description during the progress of the study programme must be approved by the principal supervisor. If any such changes affect the progress plan, a new Supervision Agreement must be made and submitted.
2. Submission of a detailed plan for each of the subprojects relating to the Master's Project
The plan must contain a description of the practical planning and execution of the various projects included in the Master's Project. The plan must be submitted to the principal supervisor prior to the semester in which the projects will be completed.
Deadline: The plan must be submitted to the principal supervisor no later than 1 December for the subsequent spring semester.
Final assessment
All course requirements must be fulfilled and approved before the student is given a final assessment.
The student will be assessed as described in this course description in the paragraph for Learning objectives. The final assessment will be given as a pass/fail mark, which will be determined on the basis of documented public performances and assessed by the principal supervisor.
Public performances
Public performances of the Master's Project of at least 20-30 minutes in duration. The performance(s) are usually held at an external location and must be completed no later than 1 June in the second semester of studies. The choice of the form of presentation should be appropriate for the self-selected topic or repertoire area—examples of presentation forms: concert, media production, web project, performance, etc.
The performance(s) must be documented with an audio or video recording. The students are responsible for choosing the form of documentation and the format. The student is also responsible for organising the practical aspects of the performance(s) as well as for the recording and promotion costs (posters, programmes, etc.) and other costs related to the presentation(s). Within four weeks of the performance, the student must
- submit the audio/video recording to the principal supervisor
- submit a repertoire report (form) documenting that the performance has been completed
The forms must be signed by the student and the internal examiner who has assessed the recording.
New assessment
In the case of re-assessment, the same procedures apply.