Honors

The Honors program provides an opportunity for work of greater scope and depth than the music department's standard course offerings. Honors projects entail independent work, undertaken over at least two terms, supervised by one or more members of the music faculty. Honors projects may take any of the following forms:

• Written Honors thesis
• Honors recital and supporting paper
• Honors creative project and supporting paper

A written Honors thesis should reflect original research and demonstrate artistic, analytical, and research skills substantially beyond those required for a term paper.

A paper submitted in support of an Honors recital or an Honors creative project should be regarded as the equivalent of a term paper or artistic statement, with an analytical, historical, or interpretive focus related to the performance or project.

Grading will be based on writing craft and style as well as content. Students should consult The Chicago Manual of Style, Writing about Music, Sources, and other reference works to ensure that their papers follow accepted style for punctuation, citation, bibliography, formatting, and use of music terminology.

Junior Spring or Senior Fall

Formulate a topic in consultation with your faculty advisor(s). Please note that the faculty advisor for your proposed Honors project does not need to be the same as the faculty advisor for your music major. 

Consult with the Music and Performing Arts Librarian (during thesis drop-in hours or a separate appointment) to discuss research tools and methods, citation management, and other topics. 

Senior Fall

No later than October 14, submit an Honors Project Proposal with all required additional materials as a PDF via email to the Department Administrator.

Senior Winter

Winter term will normally provide the principal working time for Honors projects, and students are expected to turn in draft chapters of their thesis or supporting paper on a regular basis. No later than the end of winter term, all Honors candidates should meet with their advisors to review the status of work to date. At this point, students should reserve a time and date for the public presentation of their work in April or May of the spring term. Presentations are typically held in Faulkner Recital Hall; students should speak with the Department Administrator or Administrative Assistant to schedule their presentation.

Senior Spring

No later than April 1, Honors candidates must submit a completed first draft of their thesis, creative project, and/or supporting paper. Failure to meet this deadline will disqualify the project from consideration for Honors. During April, students will finalize revisions to their work on the basis of comments from advisor(s) and other readers.

No later than May 1, each Honors candidate must submit a revised draft of any written work, including creative projects. Failure to meet this deadline will disqualify the project from consideration for Honors.

During May, drafts of written work will be available for review by all music department faculty. Each project will be evaluated by at least two members of the faculty who were not involved in advising the project. Any faculty member may suggest or request modifications ranging from style editing to conceptual rethinking. By May 15, each Honors candidate will receive music department faculty feedback to the revised draft of their written work. Each student will be expected to incorporate these modifications into the final draft of their work.

Final versions of Honors projects, incorporating the modifications suggested by music department faculty, will be due May 31. 

In early June, Honors candidates will be notified whether their project earns Honors, High Honors, or no honors. Honors and High Honors recipients then must send final versions of their written work (including creative projects) to Gnomon Copy for printing and binding so that projects may be physically deposited in Dartmouth Library collections.