Senior Capstone Project
Students who major in Music at William & Mary must complete a senior capstone project. This is a semester-long 1-credit course and can be fulfilled in four ways: Production, Presentation, Performance, or Paper.
Senior projects must be directed by a Music faculty advisor or a team of advisors. Your plan for your senior project, detailed on your Senior Project Form (found on the Resources for Students webpage), must be approved by your project advisor, academic adviser and the Music Department Chair. You must fill out a Senior Project Form by the deadline in the first few weeks of the first semester of your senior year. You will register the date and venue of your performance, presentation, or production with the Scheduling Coordinator. You may change your proposed date/venue by completing a Senior Recital Change of Date/Venue Form found on the Resources for Students webpage and turning it in to the Scheduling Coordinator.
You may fulfill your senior project requirement by completing an Honors Project in Music. Honors projects last a year, and have their own requirements.
Performance
Full-Length Recital
If you wish to perform a full-length senior recital, you must have reached the 300-level of lessons by your junior year. Declare your intent to play a full-recital to their applied lesson instructor by the end of the second semester of your junior year by filling out the Full-Recital Intent Form (found on the Resources for Students webpage). At the end of the second semester of your junior year, you will perform in front of a jury to determine if you are sufficiently prepared to give a full recital. Recital approval will be given by a majority vote of the Jury Committee (composed of 3 applied music instructors and 1 academic faculty member).
At the beginning of the first semester of your senior year, submit a Senior Project Form, listing the repertoire you will perform. You should be taking 400-level lessons by this time. At the end of your first senior semester, you will perform a final double-unit jury, containing repertoire that will be performed at your recital.
A full-recital is usually comprised of 45 minutes of music. If you perform your recital in Ewell Recital Hall and wish to have one of the department's student stage managers present to assist, fill out a Stage Manager Request Form (found on the Resources for Students webpage)and turn it in to Scheduling Coordinator at least one month before your recital. If you plan to use the Steinway in Ewell Recital Hall, you will need to obtain a key to the piano. The Scheduling Coordinator has the Steinway keys.
Sample Programs |
