Culminating Experience

Culminating Experience Guidelines | Live Music Production and Design

The Culminating Experience (CE) Defense for Live Music Production and Design is a comprehensive evaluation process aimed at assessing scholars' skills and capabilities in live event production and design. This defense consists of three critical components:

1. Designer Showcase:

  • The Designer Showcase functions as a live, marketed portfolio representing the scholar as a designer.
  • It features a curated selection of work highlighting the scholar's strengths, creativity, and innovation in live event production and design.
  • This showcase includes past works and contributions to the live event produced as part of the CE, serving as a marketing tool for potential employers and collaborators.
  • Industry professionals attend to view scholars' work, providing networking and career advancement opportunities.

2. Defense Presentation:

  • Scholars articulate and defend their work in front of a panel of faculty and industry professionals.
  • The presentation covers aspects such as conceptualization, execution, challenges faced, and problem-solving approaches.
  • Scholars showcase their creative and technical decision-making processes, demonstrating problem-solving skills and innovation.

3. Production (Physical / Paper):

  • This component involves exhibiting the actual live event produced, serving as a practical assessment of the scholar's skills.
  • Scholars can choose between a physical production or a comprehensive paper proposal, depending on the readiness and quality of their proposal selected by the faculty.
  • For physical productions, scholars must work in teams of two or three collaborators, demonstrating their ability to manage live interactions and audience engagement.
  • Paper proposals include vision and conceptualization, mood board creation, full plans for production, press packet preparation, and reflective pieces.

Together, these components form a comprehensive framework for evaluating scholars' competencies and achievements in the Live Music Production and Design Culminating Experience. They provide a platform for scholars to exhibit their talents, articulate their vision, and demonstrate readiness for the professional world of live event production and design.

Defense Process:

  • The defense is a 30-minute session comprising a 12-minute presentation and an 18-minute Q&A session with the panel.
  • Scholars must submit all required videos and documents to the Live Music Production and Design culminating experience archive one day before defense.
  • Coproducers for physical productions must present individual defenses with original presentations.

By adhering to these requirements, scholars demonstrate their thorough understanding of live event production and their readiness for successful careers in the industry.