On the Fall of 2019, I organized, created, and performed a Senior Recital as part of my graduation requirements for a Bachelor of Science degree in Music Education at Minnesota State University Mankato. The purpose of this recital was to showcase the skills I have learned as a musician throughout my undergraduate career. It followed a concept which was to demonstrate the power music has on people to make them reflect, act, and create change in the world around them. Thus, it was titled “Sounds of Change.” I created this event as benefit concert in collaboration with For Girls’ Education (ForGE), a local Recognized Student Organization (RSO) at MSU Mankato that aims to advocate and fundraise for the education of girls on a global scale with the knowledge that education is fundamental to making long-lasting, sustainable change. It also featured music collaborations with various vocal and instrumental musicians from the Music Department. 

 

This creative project allowed me to fulfill Levels 1-4 of the Original Research section in the Research competency. I completed this by identifying a creative proposal that extended the practice of my discipline. In this case, it consisted of a 1-hour long music performance showcasing the skills I’ve earned as a musician throughout my undergraduate career: singing by myself or in an ensemble, arranging music, accompanying myself or others, and conducting. It featured vocal literature of various styles (i.e. classical, pop, jazz, musical theatre), time periods (i.e. Classical, 20thCentury), and levels of difficulty (i.e. range, tessitura, instrumentation). I developed this creative proposal by creating flyers, a Facebook event, and YouTube cover videos to promote this event. As part of this project, I completed extensive research to find songs fitting to my voice, the theme of my recital, and that demonstrated all the qualities mentioned above (different styles of music, time periods, and levels of difficulty). I also completed research on each piece’s compositional information and its composers’ biographical information to complete the music program notes. For 11 weeks, I rehearsed approximately 12-15 hours each week both by myself and with the musicians involved in my recital (i.e. voice professor, piano accompanist, combo, duet, trio, and choir members). We performed the full program in front of a faculty board for a Recital Preview and a Dress Rehearsal. Finally, on Friday, November 15th, I performed this recital on the Elias J. Halling Recital Hall at MSU Mankato for an audience of approximately 120 people. This overall experience gave me a deeper understanding of the planning process of s music event, it extended my knowledge of musical compositions and artists of different styles and time periods, and it challenged my musical abilities as a musician, arranger, and performer.

 

Because the planning, promoting, and creation of my recital was a multifaceted, one-person role (for the most part), it pushed me to grow in unimaginable ways as a musician, leader, and researcher. However, it also showed me areas in myself that are still weak and need improvement (i.e. managing stage set up and live sound). These lessons will be valuable when working as a music teacher and creating concerts for my students to showcase their own musical abilities.

 

Below are the Program Notes for my Senior Recital.