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Music Management – a guide to the work to be submitted for assessment

Students will set up a music management project over the course of the module in line with their background and interests. This is a ‘real-world’ project to be pursued in a professional manner and informed by academic theory. Projects are likely to involve students in presenting their own artistic practice, but they may also work with other students or with external partners, subject to discussion and agreement with the module tutor. In any case, students will be required to submit a project proposal in order that the module tutor can approve their project.

The portfolio assessment will comprise two parts of c.3,000 words in total, plus supporting documentation.

NOTE: The project does not need to be complete before writing up your reflective report and documentation. It does, however, need to go beyond initial planning to involve or engage other people – partners, performers, potential audiences, and so on, in order that you gain at least a ‘minimal difference’ from your idea. Of course, the further developed your project is, the greater are the opportunities to learn. Your submission must reflect learning that can only be achieved through the process of undertaking the project, not only from research on the ‘blank piece of paper’. It is the ability to demonstrate learning through undertaking a  project on which submissions are assessed, not on the outcome(s) of the project as such.

Projects can take place within the University, but students are strongly encouraged to take their work outside of the University where at all possible, to be closer to the ‘real-world’ conditions faced after graduation.

Project Principles

Any project that students wish to undertake could by definition be managed outside of the context of a postgraduate course of study. The emphasis here, then, is on the difference that a research context can provide. These are summarised as:

· Ask ‘Why?’ – This is an opportunity to act and think critically, to be curious and to interrogate and investigate why and how work similar to that you are planning is carried out, what the nature or essence of your work is about, and so on. Remember, there is no such thing as a ‘blank sheet of paper’ – you must first unpack your assumptions.

· Take time – In professional life, pressure is applied to ‘get things done’, to ‘be efficient’ and to focus on ‘outputs’. This is an opportunity for you to reflect, to think, and to try things out: to be curious.

· Take a risk – You will be assessed on your ability to demonstrate what you have learned through the process of working on your project, not specifically on the project’s ‘success’ or ‘failure’. This is not the same as being slapdash or ill prepared, but it is an invitation to experiment and be creative in your approach, to relieve yourself of any anxiety about project outcomes so that you can pay full attention to the journey of the project itself.

The two parts of the submission

Your submission will consist of two parts:

(i) a reflective report on this project of c.3,000 words. For a detailed guide on this, see below.

(ii) documentation of your project, which may take various forms and use different media – from audio files to screenshots, diaries to statistical data.

Documentation should be relevant to the learning articulated in the reflective report. It is impossible to capture all information and data on what happens in your work, so focus on gathering that evidence which relates to your learning goal. Think of it like an addition to scholarly references that may cite as part of the research for your project, and refer to it in your reflective report using appropriate reference standards (e.g. ‘see Appendix 2B for photos illustrating the working process’).

Hints and Tips for Commentary

What are we looking for – GENERAL MARKING CRITERIA for MA level

Relevant issues clearly identified

An extensive range of sources used, and use of those sources demonstrating sustained academic inquiry and critical evaluation of pertinent debates and strategies

Language, expressions and communication is fluent, and essay is convincingly structured

Standards of presentation and documentation are excellent

Golden Rules for this specific assessment

No 1. This should be deeply analytical and critically aware, not merely descriptive

No 2. This should reference extensively (throughout) existing theory/literature and examples of real world strategies/practice

A guide to ‘Experiential’ and ‘Double Loop’ Learning Styles, and Critically Reflective Writing

What is critical reflection and why is it useful?

Critical reflection Is a form of personal response to experiences, situations, events or new information – or in this case, the process of research and/or creative work.  It is the process of analysing, reconsidering and questioning within a broad context of issues.

It is a ‘processing’ phase, which allows you to recognise the valuable knowledge you have brought to or gained from a specific situation or experience.  It is particularly useful in this practice-led model of teaching.

Joining the dots…

The context in most Higher Education learning is that what you learn at university builds on your prior knowledge, whether it is formal (e.g. education) or informal (e.g. gained through experience).  Reflection helps join the dots between theory and practice.  That is, the process of critical reflection helps you to develop and articulate connections between what you already know and what you are learning, between theory and practice, and between what you are doing and how (your methodology) and why (your rationale) you do it.

Awareness of mistakes and successes…

In Music, we often work in a way called ‘experiential learning’.  Reflecting on mistakes can help you avoid repeating them.  At the same time, reflecting on your discoveries helps identify successful principles to use again.  Creative practice is often indefinable in clear‐cut success or failure terms but nonetheless, like all creative endeavour, is part of an experiential cycle.

Lifelong learning…

Experiential learning and reflection encourages you to consider and comment on your learning experiences - not only WHAT you’ve learned, but HOW you did so. It also helps clarify your new questions and next steps. By understanding how you learn, when leaving university you will hopefully be fully equipped to lead your own learning and development into your professional practice.

Learning styles we want to develop (or ‘What am I reflecting upon exactly?!)

A basic ‘single loop’ learning cycle might look like this:

It is argued that single loop learning of this kind only allows for:

· change within the framework that you operate;

· improved performance;

· recognition of how to produce a desired outcome; and

· repeated attempts at the problem or goal, in the same model.

So perhaps this next learning cycle provides a slightly more constructive route for us as postgraduate learners:

The processes of abstract conceptualization and active experimentation are two stages in this cycle where questions can be asked of the very methods themselves, and innovation can be found.

Perhaps an even more useful way to express this (in the original terms) is in the ‘double loop learning’ model:

Double loop learning allows for:

· change of the framework itself;

· reflection on why you produce the desired outcome as well as how;

· opportunities to change the outcomes and methodology midway; and

· the process as well as the outcome to be creative and innovative.

How do I go about constructing a critically reflective commentary on my work?

Possible useful content to consider when writing a reflection on any (you may well not use all of them – but consider what is appropriate for your piece of work).

· The project or outcome, a brief description;

· Your creative aims or conceptual goals;

· Your inspirations, influences, creative stimuli or starting strategies;

· Your methodology or process (how you did it);

· Your rationale for that process (why you did it the way you did it);

· Comparisons and connections between your work and:

o your prior knowledge and experience;

o your prior assumptions and preconceptions;

o existing work in the field;

· Experiences, ideas and observations you have had, and how they relate to the course or topic;

· What you found confusing, inspiring, difficult, interesting and why;

· How you solved a problem, reached a conclusion, found an answer or reached a point of understanding;

· Alternative interpretations or different perspectives on what you have done, your own and with reference to other artists and scholarship;

· Questions you have and conclusions you have drawn.

And the ‘style’?

As it concerns your critical response to your own work and processes, the style will be to some extent subjective. So in addition to being logical and systematic as you would be in other forms of academic writing, you can be also personal and hypothetical.

· Reflective writing is an activity that includes description (what, when, who) and analysis (how, why, what if). It is an explorative tool often resulting in more questions than answers, but this doesn’t mean you shouldn’t offer a summary. A reflective task may allow you to use different modes of writing and language:

o descriptive (outlining what something is or how something was done);

o explanatory (explaining why or how it is like that); and

o expressive (I think, I feel, I believe).

· You can use personal pronouns like ‘I’, ‘my’ or ‘we’ BUT…keep colloquial language and tone OUT (e.g. kid, bloke, stuff) and as much as possible keep to an academic style (not forgetting about appropriate tone, referencing, bibliographies, etc).

· Always contextualize your work. You can and should be commenting based on your own experience and process BUT…the usual sorts of evidence such as case studies, and contextual theory and practice in the field are also extremely valuable.

NOTE! Reflective writing is not:

· Just conveying information, instruction or argument;

· Pure description;

· Straightforward decision or judgment (e.g. about whether something is right or wrong, good or bad); or

· Overly anecdotal – base your discussion in existing practice and scholarship.