Student and Program Assessment

Monitoring Student Progress

The DMA program at CIM employs continuous student assessment to enhance the educational experience and to ensure ongoing improvement of the program. The DMA Coordinator is responsible for assessment of the DMA program and, through consultation with the major applied area teacher, CIM theory faculty, CWRU music history faculty, and the DMA Committee, maintains ongoing oversight of each student’s progress. Areas of concern are brought to the student’s attention in a timely fashion so that additional attention may be given.

Program Effectiveness

DMA students are encouraged to develop leadership qualities and work with senior faculty and administration in the total quality improvement of their own program. The DMA Coordinator meets regularly with the DMA students, both to offer feedback to students as a group, and to garner suggestions for change. Student participation in the quality management of CIM’s DMA program is valued highly.

Recitals

DMA recitals play a substantial role in assessing student learning. The highest performance standards are expected of performance majors, along with clear evidence that mature and informed stylistic and aesthetic considerations are brought to bear upon recital programs. Performance majors are expected to demonstrate unequivocal musical growth from recital to recital.

Each DMA recital is evaluated by the major applied area teacher and the applied area department head. Other graduate faculty, both from CIM and CWRU, may participate as evaluators. Examining committee evaluation forms are collated by the Registrar. If the recital is passed unanimously, a grade of P (Pass) is entered in the student’s record. A vital component of the assessment process includes comments offered by the examining committee. They are passed to the major applied area teacher to consider, synthesize, and pass along in synopsis form to the student.

DMA students:

• Perform three (3) recitals; and
• Prepare either a lecture-recital or a research document. A lecture-recital can be given before or after the last recital.

Document and Lecture-recital

The DMA document contributes to several individual and program assessment goals:

• The research expected for recital preparation at the doctoral level is given a consistent platform on which to be conducted.
• The formal and stylistic aspects of current repertoire are examined acutely;
• Problems of analysis and historical context are dealt with at a high level.
• Matters of professional scholarly presentation, including document format and content, appropriate source citation, and bibliographic representation, are emphasized.
• A scholarly and distinctive writing style is fostered.

Although final approval of the document is chiefly within the purview of the document advisor, comments from the major applied area teacher contribute to ensuring that the document is of a quality consistent with the standards of the degree. Furthermore, the comments provide the student with a broad critical evaluation from different musical and scholarly perspectives.

The Lecture-recital has a shorter written component but still includes scholarly research. In addition, students demonstrate their ability to effectively communicate their information combined with musical illustration.

Students should not register for their documents/lecture-recitals until they are going to write them. However, if they go to part time status after completing their course work, they must pay the part-time credit hour fee, which will be more expensive.

When students do register, they must meet with their advisors and discuss how they will proceed. They must then produce work during both semesters in which they are receiving hours of credit.

DMA Composition students present a one-hour chamber recital, then a subsequent composer seminar in place of a lecture recital. The composer seminar is done after the composer has recordings from the chamber recital.

Final Composition Thesis (MUCP 752)

The symphonic composition required of DMA composition majors is a substantial assessment component. While the actual performance is not subject to evaluative scrutiny, the composition of the work, the preparation of a professional-quality score utilizing computer technology, and the generation of a complete set of professional-quality parts, are evaluated. The successful completion of the composition presumes a close and effective working relationship between the student and the major composition teacher. Once the teacher has approved the draft version of the thesis, the student prepares the performance score, utilizing music-notation technology. The final score and parts are submitted to the major teacher and the DMA Coordinator before a final grade is assigned by the major teacher. A deposit copy of the score must be given to the CIM Library. The Library has the score professionally bound; students should consult with library staff for precise specifications.

The DMA Committee

The DMA Committee at The Cleveland Institute of Music functions in several key roles within the program. It is a monitoring group assessing the progress

of each student in the program and serves as an advisory group to the DMA Coordinator. Composed of graduate faculty from both CIM and CWRU—four applied, one music theory, and two musicology—plus CIM’s Registrar and the DMA Coordinator, the DMA Committee has several responsibilities:

• Reviewing each student's progress through his or her first and probationary year
• Making recommendations for elevation to, or withholding of, full academic standing
• Serving as a judicial body to address petitions and appeals from students enrolled in the program
• Making recommendations to the Dean for change based upon assessment data.