- 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 enrolled in the Master of Music Performance program in the following concentrations
- classical solo instrument/chamber music
- traditional Nordic folk music accompaniment
- chamber music for classical pianists
The master project is a performative project that should demonstrate students' independence and artistic maturity in musical performance. The project should concentrate on a limited topic and focus on a defined artistic issue.
Learning objectives
On completion of this course, the student is expected to
- have developed a clear profile
- demonstrate artistic integrity and maturity in musical performance
- be able to articulate and discuss artistic questions
- be able to initiate and execute their own artistic projects
- be able to use material from artistic development work and research
Overview
During the Master's project, the student will complete an independent artistic project. The project should concentrate on a limited topic and focus on a defined artistic question. The repertoire in the course Master's Project I should normally last 30 minutes, of which at least 15 minutes should be performed in public. All or parts of the repertoire may be performed as part of an ensemble.
The main elements of the master project involve
- the development, execution and management of the student’s own artistic project
- learning and interpreting the repertoire covered within the Master's project
- giving public performances of the master project
- using relevant material from artistic development and research
Structure
Most of the course involves independent work on the master project and on developing and finalising the project description. The students are responsible for their progression and should make regular appointments with their tutor(s).
Supervision
During the first year of studies, the students initiate and develop their master projects under the supervision of their teacher in the course Artistic Specialisation I, and in cooperation with the leader of the Master's Forum. In the second year of study, each student is assigned a principal supervisor. The supervisor will usually be the student’s teacher in the subject Artistic Specialisation I – Main Instrument. An alternative supervisor may be considered if the nature of the project dictates it. The supervisor(s) should give the student advice and feedback on artistic decisions and otherwise help the student develop and complete the master project. An alternative principal supervisor may only be appointed subject to a justified application. The application should be submitted alongside the submission of the project description by 1 December in the first semester of the programme. It will be considered by the head(s) of the department(s) and programme coordinator.
Project description
The student should prepare a project description for the master project comprising 1,200–2,000 words (3–5 pages), including a title, topic, topic research question, reasoning and progress plan. For more information, see the guidelines on project descriptions. The project description may be amended along the way. Amendments must be approved by the supervisor and reported to the programme coordinator.
Supervision agreement
As a general rule the students supervisor will be the main instrument teacher, and if so a supervision agreement will not be necessary. If there is a documented need for an alternative supervision, the student can apply for a co-supervisor. If the student is assigned more than one supervisors a supervision agreement must be entered into by the student, supervisor, any co-supervisors and the Norwegian Academy of Music. The supervision agreement should indicate which and how supervisors should contribute to the master project and how the overall supervisory resources should be distributed between different supervisors. The supervision agreement describes the student’s rights and obligations as well as the supervisor’s rights and obligations. The agreement should be amended in the event of any changes that will affect the planned progress of the master project. Download the supervision agreement here.
Students have registered automatically for instruction/supervision and assessment in the course in accordance with the study progress requirements set out in the individual education plan.
Course requirements
Project description and supervision agreement
The student should submit the project description and supervision agreement (if applicable) no later than 1 December in the first semester of studies.
Public performances
The student should perform a repertoire lasting at least 15 minutes.
The performance(s) should be documented in the form of audio or video recordings which should be made accessible to the examiners electronically on the reporting form in relation to the final assessments in the course Master's Project II.
Deadline for course requirements
1 December in the first semester: The project description with preliminary repertoire must be submitted
15 May in the second semester: Completed public performances of at least 15 minutes of the repertoire included in the Master's project.
Course requirements relating to public performances will, as a main rule, be assessed by the main supervisor. The project description will be assessed by the respective leader of the Master's Forum, which the student is associated with.
Final assessment
All course requirements must be met and approved in order for the student to be enrolled for the final assessment.
The student will be assessed on the basis of the learning objectives for the course 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 by the supervisor based on each student’s level of achievement throughout the course period.
New assessment
In the case of re-assessment, the same procedures apply.