MUSI 3335 Winter 2020

Student Presentation Guide

The presentation component of the research project allows students to share information about their topic
with the rest of the class. The presentation is a collaborative project with a partner and is worth 20% of your
final mark in this course. It is 20 minutes in length, including approximately (not more than) five minutes of
audio as part of the presentation. There is no need to relate the composition to the entire career of the
composer. Keep in mind that many composers go through phases or periods where their focus is on a
particular method, effect, concept, and so on. A number of these composers are very creative and colorful
individuals, so some background information of a biographical nature should be included to provide cultural
and historical context. However, the primary focus of the presentation should be a discussion of the
music itself. Topics of musical interest may include: composition techniques, instrumentation, notational
style, use of technology, programmatic material, use of text/visuals, performance ritual, social message,
your listening experience, etc. The student presentations will take place on November 4, 11, 18, and 25.
The written component due at the end of the term will be an elaboration of your presentation topic. It is
expected that both the presentation (and the related essay) will be your own original work.

Research
Many of the composers/pieces selected have audio recordings available via electronic streaming at the
YorkU library. Others have video recordings that can be found on YouTube. Be sure to select a good
quality audio recording/video performance of the entire piece to study. Students should look for online
books and academic journals with articles that relate to your topic. There may also be online interviews with
composers or reviews of recordings/performances. Some of these composers will have websites with
useful information. Additionally, the SPARK website at YorkU is a valuable resource available to assist
students with many aspects of academic research.
http://www.yorku.ca/spark/

Working with Your Partner

You and your partner are expected to divide your workload and presentation responsibilities equally.
You should plan your presentation so that you and your partner can comfortably cover your subject in
exactly 20 minutes (including audio excerpts). During the presentation, each partner should plan to speak
for a total of about 7 to 8 minutes. It is strongly recommended that partners practice their talk together over
Zoom prior to the in-class presentation to be sure everything runs smoothly and on time. A good rule of
thumb is that it takes most people about two minutes to read one page of double-spaced prose (in a 12-
point font). Please practice beforehand to get the timing right. Presentations that exceed the time limit will
be stopped, and we may miss your conclusion if you have not worked out the pace of your presentation.
Students can choose to give their presentations “live” over Zoom during class or students can make a
recording of their presentation prior to class and then share the recording in class. Regardless of the
delivery method, the presenters are expected to be available answer questions “live” after their
presentations. The collaborative aspect of the presentation is worth 20% of the mark, so you are advised to
coordinate with one another. The remaining 80% of the mark is an assessment of your individual
contribution/performance.

Please note: Occasionally students drop this course, which means you may unexpectedly find yourself
without a presentation partner. If this should happen, students may consult with me about solo presentation
guidelines.
Audience
The Final Exam will include material from the student presentations. Each day, after all the presentations
are completed, there will be a question and answer period (time permitting). This is an opportunity for
students in the audience to demonstrate active participation by sharing their observations and asking
questions of the presenters to clarify anything that they did not understand. Presenters will have an
opportunity to respond and elaborate regarding certain points. As per usual, the entire class meeting will be
recorded and posted.

Presentation References
As part of your presentation assignment, each student must email me a digital copy of all the references,
including URLs, that you accessed for your portion of the presentation (e.g. books, recordings, videos,
articles, websites, interviews, and so on).