1B: Senior Thesis

The completion of a Senior Thesis is one of the requirements for high school students to earn an SOA Credential. To earn a Senior Thesis as a String Major, students must:

• Be a Senior, and enroll in the Fall Senior Thesis Semester Class with Dr. Selby; it can be taken either as a class or independent study. All students are responsible for completing all assignments via Google Classroom. Late assignments will be down graded 5% for each day late. CAUTION: Students taking the class as an independent study must be organized, self-motivated goal oriented students; students who struggle with organization or turning assignments in on time should not
• Be enrolled in the other two major classes, either Chamber 5 or 6 and Symphony. Seniors who have not qualified for Symphony are not eligible to take Senior Thesis.
• Maintain at least a B average for the year in both string major classes and also the Senior Thesis Class. Students will receive regular performance assignments (such as, perform the first half of your solo by ….) and will be graded on their performance and preparation along the way toward their final performance/exam which will be their jury.
• Perform a jury as part of the final exam for the Senior Thesis class. To be eligible to perform on the recital and earn a Senior Thesis, students must perform their solo from memory and earn a score of 90 or above. Students who do not have their solo memorized or who score lower than 90 on their jury, will not perform on the recital and will not receive a Senior Thesis.
• Submit a final draft of their program notes, with a bio and a head shot THREE weeks before the recital. This is also part of the student's final exam grade for Senior Thesis, and students who do not submit their program notes, bio and photo in time for printing in the Senior Thesis Program will not perform on the recital and will not receive a Senior Thesis.
• Perform one solo from memory and at least one ensemble piece (with music) in the January Senior Thesis Recital. This recital is NOT graded, but it is required for earning a Senior Thesis. All solo pieces must be approved by Dr. Selby within the first 10 days of the class. Ensemble Pieces must be approved by September 15.

What music is appropriate for Senior Thesis?

• Music MUST be written for the instrument that the student is studying. (Just because the melody is written in treble clef doesn’t mean it was written for violin.) Example: A two-part invention can be played by a violin and cello, but it was for harpsicord; so, it doesn’t meet the qualification for Senior Thesis as a duet for violin and cello.
• Music must be an appropriate level—at least Grade IV (low HS), but preferably V (average HS) or VI (Upper HS and college). MS music and gig music is not an appropriate level.
• Most of the free music on the internet will not meet the quality standard of a respected publisher or Senior Thesis.

Concerto CompetitionSeniors who would like to perform a concerto with the orchestra must successfully perform their concerto piece at the Senior Thesis Recital. The top three solo thesis performances with orchestral accompaniments available will be selected to perform with the orchestra. If one of the top three soloists declines the opportunity, the next soloist in line will be given the opportunity as long as he or she performed their full concerto movement at the Senior Thesis Recital from memory up to concert tempo accurately without slowing down during technical spots. Concertos will be scheduled during March, April or May concerts at the discretion of the director.