1

HONORS EXPERIENTIAL LEARNING PROJECT PROPOSAL FORM

Complete this proposal prior to your projects start date and upload it in the UHP Database
(https://webapps.uc.edu/uchonorsstudent). Create a project (Add a new record) in the Tracking Project tab and then
upload your proposal document as an attachment. The deadline for submitting proposals is on the 5th of each month.
While the quality of the proposal is most important, strong proposals are typically 3-4 pages in length (single-spaced).
Please maintain the proposal format.
Basic Information
Full Name: Eric Sheppard
UC Email: Sheppaer@mail.uc.edu
College: CCM
Major: Composition
Title of Project: Curtis Institute Summerfest
Thematic Area (choose only one): Creative Arts
Expected Project Start Date: July 19, 2015
Expected Project End Date: August 8, 2015
Project Information
1. Provide a detailed abstract of your proposed honors experiential learning project.
To further my skills as a composer and musician, I plan to attend the Curtis Institute Summerfest Young Artist Summer
Program in the area of Composition. This is a three week program for young musicians ages 14-22 at the world renowned
Curtis Institute in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. This program offers an intense Program that will enhance my ability to
write for specific instruments or voice. I will be able to work with a high caliber of musicians my age to create new music
in an environment that is designed specifically for this purpose. I will also be able to work individually with instrumental
and vocal teachers to discuss the playability and effectiveness of my music when played on their particular instrument.
This is an extremely valuable aspect of this program because I do not have this opportunity at CCM. The elements of the
curriculum in the area of Composition include the following:

Daily seminar class featuring discussions about the past and future of composition; advice from performers about
how to write for their instruments; and conversations about commissions, competitions, publishing, and other
issues composers face today.
Private lessons weekly, with the opportunity to hear your works in progress.
A performance and recording of one of your works by Curtis musicians-unique to this program.

In preparation for this experience, I will have to submit an application including a personal statement of my musical goals
and a list of my accomplishments, a recommendation letter from my private teacher, digital recordings of my work, as
well as a list of works composed. I will also need to compose a piece of new music for submission. The program will last
from July 19 to August 8 2015 and the full schedule can be found here: http://summerfest.curtis.edu/wpcontent/uploads/2014/10/YASP_2014_Schedule_Web1.pdf
I will allot thirty minutes per night to journaling and will create a holistic presentation after the program has finished.
Clearly and thoroughly address how each of the following elements will be exhibited in your work:
2. Connection to Learning Outcomes within the Honors Thematic Area (identified above)

Acquires or further develops competencies within a particular creative domain.

This program will develop my competencies in writing for particular instruments within the Compositional field. I plan
to use this program to write a piece with instrumentation that I have not yet written for.
Possess a well-developed awareness of theories and methods in the field.
By speaking and learning from both Composition faculty and Instrumental faculty I will learn of new techniques and
methods that I have not yet been exposed to as a young composer. Every composer has a different methodology, and
leaning as many as I can through private lessons will increase my awareness of the musical landscape and theoretically
improve the quality of my music. Instrumental faculty will inform me of techniques on their respective instruments
that I may choose to incorporate in my music.

Possesses ability to think innovatively.

Being in a community of ambitious young musicians (especially composers) will inspire me to exist on the cutting edge
of my field. With so many young creative thinkers about, the environment will be extremely conducive to innovative
thought.

3. Connection to Goals and Academic Theories (include reference list, as appropriate)

A. This program will provide excellent professional resources for me in the future. The opportunity to have
an original piece performed and recorded by musicians of the caliber of those at Curtis Institute is very
rare, and will boost my resume considerably. Good recordings are very important for a composer looking
for work. Also meeting other musicians my age and at the faculty level will result in professional
contacts that I can use in the future for recommendations, commissions (paid composition projects),
performances, ect.
B. I plan to read and study Walter Pistons Orchestration textbook in order to understand the roles and
abilities of certain instruments. With a basic grasp of these concepts, I will be more able to speak at a
deep level with instrumental faculty about techniques and roles of their instruments. I also plan to study
composition through the book Understanding Post Tonal Music by Miguel Roig-Francoli in order to
increase my level of knowledge of compositional techniques so that I can focus on craft during my
lessons with composition faculty instead of theory and technique.

4. Initiative, Independence, and/or Creativity

I hope to bring a creative and skilled compositional mind to Curtis. My level of expertise and knowledge may be
considerably higher than some applicants considering I attend one of the finest music institutions in the country.
The fact that I was accepted into CCM proves my diligence and natural ability. These are the same qualities that
should set me apart from my colleagues at Curtis.

5. Reflection
I plan to create extensive journal entries for each day that I attend the program that outline the connections that I have
made, the people that I have worked with, the things that I have learned relating to compositional craft, and details
regarding where I am in the creative process of the piece that I am writing.

6. Dissemination
I plan to create a presentation for student groups that will involve a detail description of my experience with teachers,
other young musicians, as well as the opportunities I capitalized on while at Curtis. I plan to provide samples of the
score of the piece that I wrote, along with a full audio recording of its performance. The presentation will include
photographs and videos if possible.

7. Project Advisor(s)
Mara Helmuth, Professor of Composition, University of Cincinnati