What do you want?
A). Traditional Recital Norms and Expectations
The first step to realizing a vision for a non-traditional senior recital is understanding the circumstances that have established the dichotomy of 'traditional' vs 'non-traditional' senior recitals in the first place. Here, I will briefly explain the conventions and expectations surrounding the production of for-credit senior recitals in music schools.
Senior recitals are a graduation requirement for performance majors at virtually every conservatory and music school in the United States. Because of this universality, music students typically end up witnessing many of their peers plan and perform senior recitals before they have to begin any planning of their own. This situation is extraordinarily helpful for students in the production of their recitals, but also creates a feedback loop wherein the same conventions and structures are often replicated by class after class. Seeing peer after peer perform similarly structured senior recitals, with similarly traditional repertoire in a similarly formal setting, undoubtedly influences what seems plausible for student musicians new to conservatory.
Similarly, music students typically work with one primary instructor during their time at school. Students spend countless hours working in one-on-one lessons and studio classes with this instructor, and therefore tend to internalize many of their musical preferences and expectations. And since many of these instructors have had considerable success within the inherently conservative world of classical music, they often end up pushing students to internalize more traditionally-minded expectations for the direction of their recitals.
This surely isn't malicious; at the end of the day, these instructors want their students to succeed. The truth is that many of the professional ensembles holding auditions today are seeking musicians to play classical music, and to play it as it is expected to be played. In the world of classical music, conventions and traditions are important. Successfully internalizing them can mean the difference between a winning or losing an audition. It only makes sense that many professors of music stress them with such vigor.
It must be noted however that this re-enforcement of convention in music school is not merely a passive process, limited to the behavior of professors or older students influencing the decisions of their younger peers, nor is it always helpful to the job prospects of graduating students. Some music schools have explicit repertoire requirements that senior recitals must follow in order to be given academic credit. These requirements can include stipulations discouraging or even banning the performance of commissioned work, or of contemporary pieces which employ things like improvisation or the use of technology like amplifiers or pedalboards. (NOTE: I have not been able to find explicit policies of this nature through my research, but countless friends of mine at music schools around the country have expressed their belief that such restrictions are enforced through convention if not overt policy. Regardless, these sorts of restrictive conditions do exist, and are a problem, even if such explicit policies are harder to find.)
With symphony orchestras across the country struggling with attendance and national funding for arts programs continuing to decline, student musicians must be prepared to enter an industry that looks totally different than it did when their instructors left college. This changing landscape makes it more important than ever for student musicians to have the opportunity to learn the necessary skills for success in the music industry of today; where jobs in stable ensembles are fleeting, and even jobs in major symphony orchestras are no longer guarantees of long-term economic security. Many of these skills, like interdisciplinary collaboration, management of finances and personnel, and complex logistical problem solving, can be learned if students are able to produce non-traditional and boundary pushing senior recitals.
B). Taking the Plunge
The process of beginning work on my senior recital concept was, luckily, unhindered by university policy. SMTD has no explicit guidelines for senior recital content, so long as the instructor overseeing the recital vouches for its credibility. However, even when there are no explicit policies standing in your way, pitching a non-traditional senior recital to ones instructor can be a daunting task. Here are some tips for the first step of the process, namely, figuring out what you want to do, and getting your primary instructor on board with it.
1). Get inspired: No artist works in a vacuum! We are all inspired by other art, whether it is in our practiced medium or not. One of the great things about non-traditional senior recitals is that they provide the flexibility to be truly multi-disciplinary, and to create something sourced from all of your talents. For example, I knew that I wanted my recital to demonstrate my passions for theatrical performance. From here, I realized I wanted to structure the performance more as a theatre piece than a concert, and that I wanted to include projected visual elements to accompany the music. These visuals would allow me to explore thematic concepts and narrative elements with more depth. At the same time, I was inspired by the music of David Berman, a songwriter known for his work in the bands Silver Jews and Purple Mountains. The thematic material of his work gave the narrative conceptions I had for my own project much more clarity.
Overall, you should determine what aspects of yourself as an artist would be lost to the audience if you were to put on a traditional recital. Start planning there.
i). The song "Margaritas at the Mall" by Purple Mountains provided the initial inspiration for the themes of my recital, which would eventually go on to be named after a line from the song: "...how long must the world go on with no new word from God?"
ii). Leading up to my senior year at the University of Michigan, my passion for theatrical performance and improvisation led me to produce and perform in a series of completely improvised musicals in my backyard, with friends as collaborators. These same passions were important forces which pushed me to experiment with the format of my senior recital.
2). Make a plan: Especially if you think your instructor might be resistant to your ideas, it is crucial to have a well thought out plan for realizing your goals. Your instructor knows that simply learning the music for a senior recital is hard enough, and that adding additional elements can distract from your ability to demonstrate the musicianship you have spent four years honing. You need an airtight plan to quell these concerns, as well as to prove to your instructor that you have thought out the commitment you are undertaking. This step is as much for you as your instructor, however. Although doing something out of the ordinary for your recital is self-actualizing and fun, the logistics of it can be a lot of work. Think big, but think smart. Once you know what direction you want to go in, ask yourself what resources you have to get to your destination. What music will you play? If you want to commission music or other elements, who are you asking? Do you have money to pay them, or are there grant programs at the school to help? What venues are open to you? You should plan this all out at least six months before your proposed recital date (believe me, you'll need this time to prepare, and the foresight will impress your instructor.)
i). Initial thematic brainstorming for plot/narrative of recital
ii). Mapping commissioned composers to sections of planned recital narrative
(left)
iii). Early list of collaborators and technical questions/concerns.
(right)
iv). More developed narrative structure based on initial brainstorm.
3). Be open to suggestions, and to changing your plans: One of the most humbling parts of the experience working on my recital was how often I was forced to abandon my initial ideas. If you are doing something new to you and taking risks you have to be especially prepared to rethink your initial ideas as you work on your project. Your instructor is a particularly useful sounding board for ideas; they have experience with your university, and with putting on performances in general. Professor Lyman's input was foundational to how I handled the process of commissioning music for my recital, as well as planning its logistics (both of which will be explored in detail in the coming sections of this site.) Of course, if you are collaborating with other artists or with technical staff, their input will force you to change course occasionally as well. Don't let their advice diminish your creative voice or put arbitrary limits on what you can do, but do trust their expertise and desire to help you achieve your goals.
i). Initial structure for performance, including eventually scrapped plan to walk across the entire stage over the course of the recital (to mirror linear progression of time, which was important to my narrative.) This staging concept was scrapped after conversations with Duderstadt Video Studio staff and Professor Lyman where logistical concerns were raised.
ii). Written plan for revised structure, featuring new plan for three 'sets' of action on stage: a central pedestal for solo works, with two distinct music setups on either side. This plan was devised after taking suggestions from conversations about the plan shown above.
iii). Picture of final plan for staging, using the written notes above as a guide.
4). At the end of the day, do what you must to graduate. Although there are many reasons to pursue the production of your dream recital, you might have to compromise. This is especially true if you go to a school with rigid recital guidelines, or have an instructor who is particularly uncomfortable with unconventional recitals by their students. If the steps above aren't enough to convince your instructor that your proposed recital should be accepted for credit, remember these points.
Even if your plans for a non-traditional recital are not accepted for credit, you can still enact them in tandem with a more traditional recital. I have a number of friends at prestigious music schools who have expressed frustration with their universities recital policies by putting on multiple senior year recitals; earning their degree on the one hand while creating something of their own on the other. This is a lot of work, but it is an option no matter where you are. You can always do it yourself!
If some of your ideas are deemed outside the scope of your degree by your instructor, or refused for any other reason, discuss with them how much experimentation they will permit. Professor Lyman expressed concern over my original plan to have much of my senior recital be improvised. After all, I am not an improvisation major, nor is he a improvisation professor. Eventually we agreed that my recital could involve some improvisation, but that most of the performed music should be fully pre-composed. In practice, this compromise ended up being realized by only one of the pieces on my recital utilizing improvisatory elements.