Graduation Requirements

• Soft Skill
• Ethics Training
• English Requirement
• Comprehensive/Qualifying Exams
• Recitals
• Publication
• Work-Study Trip
• Information for MM Thematic Paper
  

Comprehensive/Qualifying Exams

Program Requirements

Master’s Level Comprehensive Exam Requirements

* Only for students that study in Plan B.

Doctoral Level Qualifying Exam Requirements

Comprehensive Exam Definition

           The Comprehensive Exam is for Master’s level students to demonstrate that they are knowledgeable in various fields essential to their area of study. It is necessary to demonstrate this knowledge in order to complete the next step of the degree program, the Final Document.

Qualifying Exam Definition

           The Qualifying Exam is for Doctoral students to demonstrate that they are ready to write the Doctoral Dissertation, a book-length research document. The Qualifying Exam will test students in using research skills necessary to successfully complete the Dissertation in their field of study.

Exam Components

           Both the Comprehensive Exam and Qualifying Exam have the following parts.

1. Written examination or submitted papers (depends on program and major). 2. Oral Defense of the written examination or submitted papers.

Note: Written examination or submitted papers need to have “Pass” result in order to have the Oral Defense.

Exam Results

           For each section of the Comprehensive/Qualifying Exam, the following two grades can be given.

   Pass – if students “Pass” all parts of the exam, an oral defense is required.
   Fail – the students fails any part of the exam, they must retake the entire exam in a later round.

The Oral Defense has two grades, as follows:

   Pass – the student passes the Comprehensive/Qualifying Exam.
   Fail – the student fails Oral Defense and must retake the oral defense in a later round.

Note:
1. Students are only able to take the Comprehensive Exam 3 times (only 2 times for Qualifying Exam, the 2^nd time must be within 6 months). If a student fails the exam 3 times (2 times for Qualifying Exam, he or she will be expelled from the program.                
2. With regard to students in international programs such as Master of Music and Doctor of Music, all portions of the comprehensive exams must be written in English only. If not, the exams will be considered void.

Specific Exam Procedures for the Written Exam
MA Comprehensive Exam

MM Comprehensive Exam

PhD Qualifying Exam

DM Qualifying Exam

Recitals

Program Requirements

Recitals are required only for the MM program and DM Program. The requirements are as follows.

* These are approximate amounts.

** The Lecture Recital consists of approximately 25 minutes of lecture and 25 minutes of music performance.

DM Recitals

Performance Major

           The two Solo Recitals should consist of graduate level repertoire of approximately 50 minutes. The recital can contain chamber music in addition to solo music, but not for more than 1/3 of the total minutes, or approximately 15-20 minutes of music. Any chamber repertoire must feature the student in a prominent role. The student is responsible for finding collaborative musicians (if necessary) and for the quality of the other performers.

Music Composition Major

           The two Composition Recitals should consist of repertoire for approximately 30 minutes. All of the music must have been composed during study in the program. It must also be written for a variety of different instruments and different sizes, under the discretion of the student’s private instructor. Students are required to conduct at least one piece on each program. Students will also be responsible for finding performers and for the quality of the performers. For the second recital, at least one piece must be written for large ensemble (it will be performed by one of the COM ensembles). All scores must be given to the committee before the recital and must be of professional quality.

Conducting Major

           The two Conducting Recitals should consist of repertoire for conducted ensemble of approximately 50 minutes. The recital should contain music for various sizes of ensembles and, depending upon the programming concept, various styles of music. The student should discuss the ensembles with the chair of the Conducting Department.

Jazz

            The two Solo Recitals should consist of advance level jazz repertoire of approximately 50 minutes. The recital should contain rearranged and/or students’ original composition in addition to original version. The student is responsible for finding performers and for the quality of the performers. Each recital must have prior approval from the jazz department committee.

DM Lecture Recital
Performance Major

           The Lecture-Recital is a project that demonstrates the student’s research, lecture, and performance skills. The topic of the Lecture-Recital must be an original topic and can be related to literature, performance practice, or pedagogy, among others. The topic of the Lecture-Recital must be approved by the student’s private instructor. The times of the lecture and recital portions should be approximately 25 minutes each. The lecture part of the Lecture-Recital must use PowerPoint and a handout must be prepared for the committee. Finally, the student is responsible for finding the collaborative musicians (if necessary) and for the quality of the performers.

Music Composition Major

           The Lecture-Recital is a project that demonstrates the student’s ability to formally present a newly composed piece. The piece or pieces should be approximately 20 minutes of music and the lecture should be 25 minutes. The topics of the lecture should include a discussion of the piece(s), for example origin of ideas, philosophy, musical analysis, expressive goals, or composition techniques, among others. The topic of the Lecture-Recital must approved by the student’s private instructor. The lecture part of the lecture recital must use PowerPoint and a handout must be prepared for the committee. Finally, the student is responsible for finding the musicians to form the ensembles and for the quality of the performers.

Conducting Major

           The Lecture-Recital is a project that demonstrates the student’s research, lecture, and conducting skills. The topic of the Lecture-Recital must be an original topic and can be related to literature or performance practice, among others. The topic of the Lecture-Recital must approved by the student’s private instructor. The times of the lecture and recital portions must be approximately 25 minutes each. The lecture part of the lecture recital must use PowerPoint and a handout must be prepared for the committee. The student must conduct the ensemble(s) in the performance part. Finally, the student is responsible for finding the musicians to form the ensembles and for the quality of the performers.

Jazz

             The Lecture-Recital is a project that demonstrates the student’s research, lecture, and performance skills. The topic of the Lecture-Recital must be an original topic and can be related to literature, performance practice, or pedagogy, among others. The topic of the Lecture-Recital must be approved by the student’s advisor. The times of the lecture and recital portions should be approximately 25 minutes each. The student should prepare to demonstrate the presentation on screen and a handout must be prepared for the committee and audience. Finally, the student is responsible for finding the collaborative performers and for the quality of the performers.

Publication

Program Requirements

Master’s Plan A Publication Description

           The purpose of a publication requirement is to ensure that the Master’s Thesis is a quality research document. The publication for Plan A Master’s programs consists of a summary of the research of the Thesis, and can be published in an academic journal. The publication in a journal must be at the national level. The journal must listed in the Thai-Journal Citation Index (TCI), at a national or international level. This database can be found on the TCI website, but the website is only in Thai. The database has separate lists for national and international level journals.

Doctoral Plan A Publication Description

           The purpose of a publication requirement is to ensure that the Doctoral Dissertation is a quality research document. The publication for Plan A (2) Doctoral programs consists of a summary of the research of the Dissertation, and must be published in an academic journal at an international level. Doctoral Students cannot meet this requirement by presenting their research at an academic conference.

When publishing in an academic journal, follow FGS Regulations of Thesis Publishing for Graduation in a Doctoral Degree Program B.E. 2557

Publication Timeframe

           Academic journal publication can be done any time after the final defense has been approved. Following final submission of the MA Thesis or PhD/DM Dissertation, the student will have 2 years to complete the requirement. During this time the student will not need to pay registration fees, but will not receive their degree until the requirement is met. If the requirement is not met within 2 years, the student will be retired from the program.

Journal Publication Procedure (MA, PhD and DM Programs)

Students need to do the following:

1. Check the available journals and their submission schedules.

2. Send the Final Document summary paper to the journal for consideration by the scheduled deadline.

3. Wait for comments from the journal about corrections to the paper.

4. Send a new edition with corrections to the journal (sometimes there are many rounds).

5. Receive a confirmation letter of publication with the publication details (edition, date, etc.). 6. Send a copy of the confirmation letter and a copy of the summary paper (not yet published) to both the Registrar’s Office and the FGS.

Work-Study Trip

Program Requirements

Only MA and PhD programs at the College of Music have an international work-study trip requirement.

Work-Study Trip Definition

           The international work-study trip was created to give students the experience of attending an international academic event. It can be an academic event of any type, for example a workshop, conference, congress, exhibition, concert series, or performance event, among others. There is no minimum or maximum length of the event. There is no minimum or maximum number of students that can attend an event, but every trip must be accompanied by at least 1 full-time faculty member of the College of Music who teaches in the student’s major area of study.

Work-Study Trip Procedure

1. Students find a suitable event by searching online and talking to their instructors and Program Chair.

2. The instructor planning the trip needs to fill in the proposal form (International Work-Study Trip Proposal), sign it and give it to the Registrar’s Office.

3. The Registrar’s office will get the remaining approval signatures on the form (Associate Dean of Academic Affairs, Associate Dean of Academic Services, Associate Dean of Finance, and the Dean).

4. After all the signatures are acquired, the Registrar’s Office prepares the official budget and sends it with the proposal form to FGS for approval.

5. Following FGS approval of the event, the Registrar’s Office prepares a request for the specified funds.

6. The instructor planning the trip makes all trip arrangements.

7. The trip funds are transferred directly to the account of the instructor. This cannot be done prior to 15 days before the trip, except in the case to buy airline tickets. In this case, only the funds for the airline tickets will be transferred prior to 15 days before the trip.

8. The trip is taken as planned. The instructor keeps receipts and other evidence from the trip (boarding passes, conference proceedings, event tickets, etc.)

9. Following return from the trip, the instructor submits all receipts and evidence to the Registrar’s Office.

10. The Registrar’s Office compares the receipts with the original budget. Any funds that are not used on the trip must be returned to the College.

Note:   1. The only way to get credit for using trip funds is to have a receipt. Keep those receipts!

Information for MM Thematic Paper

Additional Description for MM Thematic Paper

Performance and Pedagogy, Conducting, and Piano Collaborative majors

Performance and Pedagogy, Conducting, and Piano Collaborative majors may choose to do a study on pieces they are to perform in their Master’s Recital. The work must conform to the guideline discussed below.

Title

          The thematic paper must not have a generic title such as Trombone Graduate Recital, Voice Graduate Recital Document, or the like. It should be specific and effectively represent the major contents of the study, for example, The Performance Guide and Cultural Contexts of Selected Arias by Mozart, Rossini, and Verdi.     

Organization

          The organization may vary, which depends on how the thesis advisor and the student want to present the contents. Basically, the writing should consist of introduction, literature review, methodology, the body of the study (where selected pieces are discussed in separate chapters), conclusion, and bibliography. Aside from these, if the student wants to write about their performance, they may add a section on it in the appendix.  

Chapter 1: Introduction

           Here, the student is required to discuss general backgrounds and ideas of how the recital is formed. The introduction should include, but not limited to, a brief discussion on the significance of the selected pieces and why they are chosen to be performed, the main concepts of the recital, the scope of the study, and the organization of the recital document.  Objectives of the study must be thoughtfully formulated and clearly stated in the first chapter.     

Chapter 2: Literature review or Review of Consulted Sources

           The content in this chapter depends on the nature of the selected pieces. Significant works by prominent composers such as Bach, Mozart, Beethoven, Brahms, Liszt, Stravinsky, and Schoenberg have received considerable scholarly attention, and there are a great number of academic works on them. Therefore, if the student is writing about, for example, one of Beethoven’s piano sonatas, he/she should review a number of important writings on this subject. His/her chapter II should also deal with the present state of the scholarship on it as well. On the other hand, if the selected piece was composed by a lesser-known composer. The student may instead write a review on related textbooks, articles, and theses that are used as references. Past performances and recording can also be discussed here. 

Chapter 3: Methodology

           In this chapter, the student is to thoroughly describe the methodology of the work. It should deal with, for instance, how the theoretical analyses are conducted, what analytical approaches the student is to apply, how performance considerations are made. Basically, the chapter must answer every question related to how each issue in the pieces is to be investigated. 

From Chapter 4 onward: Body

           After chapter 3 the student is to tackle with different aspects of the pieces. He/she may discuss each of the chosen works in a separate chapter. The contents from chapter 4 onward must address the following issues:

1. Brief biographical information of the composer and historical background of the piece
2. Compositional/theoretical analyses
3. Pedagogical aspects and performance considerations (stylistic analysis, and interpretation)

The student should deal with each issue differently. For example, while it is necessary to provide a full biography of a lesser-known composer, it may be needless to repeat that of a composer like Bach or Mozart. Rather, the student, in this case, should investigate in depth the period where the composer was working on the piece.

In addition to the above issues, the student must write another section that goes beyond practical aspects of the piece. This section may be related to social, cultural aspects of the piece or anything that reflects the student’s deeper understanding of the composition. The student will need to consult with the advisors in order to come up with a workable issue. The requirements in this chapter require students who choose to the conduct this type of study to be more careful and selective with choosing .   

Last Chapter: Conclusion

The last chapter contains the following sections:

1. Conclusion – discusses the results of the research, including implications and interesting points.
2. Recommendations – contains ideas for how to apply the research and also ideas for follow-up research projects.

Bibliography

           The bibliography presents the details of all references used for information in the Final Document such as books, journal articles, dissertations, and audiovisual material.

Alternate Formats

          As mentioned above, the format may vary. However, the contents must still cover all aspects previously mentioned. The following is a sample of an alternate format in which everything is put in one chapter:

Chapter                                                                                                         Page

     I    STRING QUARTET Op. 33, No.1 in B Minor………………………………          1

          Introduction…………………………………………………………………  …        2

          Literature Review……………………………………………………………..       3

          Methodology…………………………………………………………………..        4

          Historical Background…………………………………………………………     5

          Theoretical Analyses………………………………………………………….      6

          Performance and Pedagogical Issues………………………………………….        7

          What Does Haydn Mean by “Written in an Entirely New Manner?”……………  8

Jazz Thematic Paper: with focus on the student’s recital

           In completing a jazz recital document, the student must demonstrate how his/her final Master Recital is planned, prepared, rehearsed, organized, and performed.  The paper should at least contain the student’s overall idea behind the recital, theoretical analysis required for the recital preparation, the performance issues (e.g. practice strategies, aesthetic consideration, etc), and issues related to the composition and arranging for the concert (if any), and others.

Suggested Structure of Final Jazz Recital Document

           Structures of the Final Jazz Recital Document may vary according to the nature of the master recital, which may focus on different aspects such as composition/arranging, ensemble, individual performance, demonstration of a selected artist’s improvisational style, and/or others.  However, it is recommended that the overall structure of the document follow the following guideline to ensure that most key areas in jazz performance are covered.

Chapter 1: Introduction

           Firstly, this chapter explains how the recital is initially conceptualized.   In accordance with the initial concept of the recital, the chapter would explain how the songs and musicians are selected and how the processes are planned. Several parts of the chapter may include;

1.1.     Introduction and Background

• Rationale: This section may include the inspirations and foundations to the making of this recital.  For example, in case of the recital that feature the performances in the style of a selected artist, the paper may include the importance of the selected artist in the evolution of several styles of Jazz, as well as in his/her own musical development.
• From the above rationale, identify the main concepts that this recital will be organized around.
• What is this recital going to feature: In preparing a jazz recital and the recital document, the student may find him/herself overwhelmed with musical and academic details since an unplanned jazz recital may include numerous aspects for studies, including improvisational/instrumental performance, composition, harmony, ensemble, emotion, and countless others, a main focus of the recital should be clearly identified from the beginning of the process.

1.2.     Selection of Repertoire for Performance: This section should be consistent with the basic foundation given in the previous section.  The topic should explain that according to the above concepts,;

• Why and/or how the repertoire was selected and ordered.  The objective of the selection and the arrangement of the repertoire should well serve both the purposes of studies, as well as the artistic and aesthetic purposes from the viewpoints of the audiences. 
• For example, the student may who chooses to do a recital that feature an improvisational style of John Coltrane from his prime years (1958 – 1963) may arrange the recital set list and include a table as follows;

No.      Song    Composer      Style   Remark for the Original Version

1        You Say You Care      Leo Robin, Jule Styne Medium Up Swing      From Trane’s early days as a leader.  The rhythm section of Red Garland, Paul Chambers, and Art Taylor from those days made the music sound “relatively” traditional (compared with his music during the latter times).

2        Village Blues   John Coltrane Medium Swing Demonstrate Trane’s early interest in modal harmony.  The presence of McCoy Tyner in this song resulted in the extensive use of quartal harmony in Jazz, which was quite a new concept at the time.

3        (Original Composition) Student         Straight 8th     The student’s own composition influenced from Trane’s Like Sonny

4        Giant Steps     John Coltrane Fast Swing      An uptempo swing featuring a complex and fast chord progression in three keys, which is later known as “Coltrane Changes”.

5        Naima  John Coltrane Ballad  A ballad which appears on the album “Giant Steps”, featuring the uses of modal harmony.  Another theoretical studies that needs to be done for the playing of this song is the “Slash Chord” harmony.

6        Impression      John Coltrane Fast Swing      An extreme example of the modal harmony.  To master in improvising this song, the student need to learn not only the Jazz improvisation in a theoretical point of view, but also Coltrane’s language through transcriptions.

• The student should also be able to explain the principal behind the set list.
• Type of accompanist /or combination (What type of ensemble (trio, quartet, quintet), selection of the sidemen, and the reason behind such accompanist selection.

1.3.     Statement of purpose: The statement of purpose explains;

• The objectives of the recital:  What kind of skills/knowledge does the student wish to achieve?
• Scope of work study:  What is the scope of the study?  Is there any limitation of the study?  For example, the study related to a recital may be limited to the instrumental performance and improvisation of [a selected jazz artist], [in a particular album or from the given period].  Hence, it is understood that the study will not focus too much on other areas such as the artist’s composition style, the ensemble.

1.4.     Methodology /or Procedures

• This section explains how the recital will be accomplished and particularly what will have to be done to accomplish the purpose of the recital.  The working steps must be specified, which may include;
  • Conceptualization: identify what the student is going to play in the recital. 
  • Identify the repertoire and the ensemble
  • Music design: This consists of laying down the charts for all musicians.  The issues for the music design include rearranging/reharmonizing and composing the music, specifying song form and solo order, and composing any special intro/outro/interlude (if any), etc.  The final outcome for this step may be the chart (lead sheet) and the audio files for all band members to facilitate the music rehearsal.
  • Personal Practice: how the student practice in order to achieve his/her objectives.
  • Band Rehearsal: including the ensemble study/analysis needed to be done, rehearsal plan (how many rehearsal will be done? What to expect from each of the rehearsal? Etc)
  • Concert Organization: (This is not the main point of the paper but need to be mentioned as well.)
  • It is advised that the timeline for the completion of the steps be specified.
• Explain how the paper will be organized, any focus or foci to be represented in the paper
• What specific source materials will be consulted?

Chapter 2: Review of Related Literature

           This chapter gives some historical information and reviews some past performances and literatures related to the materials performed by the student.  For example, student who wishes to play a traditional-styled Jazz piano trio recital may have to review and study some of the concerts by such pianists as Oscar Peterson, Monty Alexander, and/or Benny Green to gather some useful information for recital preparation (e.g. how the rhythm section works, arrangement of the heads and interludes, the piano performances, etc.).

Meanwhile, the student may also read and study some related academic works (scholarly works, researches, theses, textbooks, etc) to review the current state of scholarship of the related issues.

Chapter 3: Theoretical Analysis

           This chapter includes any theoretical analysis required for the preparation of the performance.  The content of this chapter can vary depending on the nature of the recital.  For example, the chapter may include composition/arranging theoretical issue (in case the student does his/her own composition/arranging, for example), solo transcription analysis (in case the performance mainly presents the student’s performance/improvisation skills, and/or rhythmic issue (for the recital that features modern complex Jazz music with non-traditional rhythm). 

Chapter 4: Performance Issues

           This chapter focuses on how the performance preparation is planned (or has actually been done), both individually and as a group.  Therefore, the content of the chapter may include practice strategies (e.g. improvisational practices for the songs included in the recital), technical issues (specific techniques for his/her particular instrument), rhythmic practice (for the performance of some rhythmically complex music such as tune with odd time signatures, polyrhythmic, or very fast tempo) band rehearsal issue (issues which may arise during the band rehearsal such as how to achieve the dynamic balance, how the band members interact during the performance).  In addition to presenting the planned practice/rehearsal strategies, this chapter may include some interesting practice/rehearsal/performance issues that actually happen during the session.

Chapter 5: The Recital

This chapter presents the recital information, which is the outcome of all the works that have been done as explained throughout the previous chapters.  Contents may include:

• Detailed information about the recital, including recital name, place, date and time, musicians, and the names of the committee and advisors, for example.
• Technical Information (as appropriate): number of seat, stage plan, list of instruments and equipment.
• Explanation (or information, or liner note, etc) on the attached audio and video recording.
• programme note.

Chapter 6: Conclusion

This chapter concludes how the performance actually turns out, both from the view point of the performers and the audiences.  Also included are the problems which occurred during the recital as well as some suggested solutions/preventions. 

This chapter also concludes any suggestion and feedback from all related parties, i.e. committee members, instructors, and the audience, which have been gathered from (in case of the committee’ suggestion);

• the proposal defense (1st defense)
• the thesis defense (2nd defense)
• the hearing
• the final recital   

Also included are actions taken in response to the suggestions and how those actions actually resulted.

The conclusion of the recital should cover the areas such as;

• The student’s performance (instrumental, improvisation, and accompaniment (in case of chordal instrument) skills.
• The ensemble
• The management
• The performer’s role on stage, appearance, leadership, and problem solving skills
• Sound and balance

Appendices

• All lead sheets, charts, and parts (as appropriate)
• copyright document (if any)
• Comments and suggestions from the committee members/advisors
• Recital materials, including audio/video recording, programme note, poster, etc