Submission Deadline: 12 Noon Mountain Time on Tuesday, November 29, 2022
The College Music Society (CMS) is pleased to announce its 66th National Conference in Miami, Florida, October 26–28, 2023, in conjunction with the 2023 National Conference of the Association for Technology in Music Instruction (ATMI).
The College Music Society National Conference’s 2023 theme is “The World Becomes What We Teach: Innovative, Inclusive, Empathetic, and Joyful.” The College Music Society's commitment to leading change is revolutionizing conversations across music in higher education about the ways in which we might better prepare musicians for the challenges and opportunities faced when living, learning, teaching, and performing music amidst a rapidly evolving globalized society.
The Program Committee of The College Music Society welcomes proposals for lecture-recitals, performances, and showcase performances. The Committee solicits the broadest representation of our profession and its interests and welcomes submissions from all, including those (a) in academia (full-time and adjunct faculty, students, and retired faculty), (b) in the music industry, and (c) active as independent musicians and scholars.
CMS encourages and will give priority to proposals that:
1. Explore music’s historical role in connecting people across diverse experiences and backgrounds, igniting change in the face of social injustice, and inspiring communities to be more curious, creative, and collaborative.
2. Unpack educational models that embrace high-impact practices, inclusive pedagogies, and transdisciplinary studies as we together shape new ways of teaching and learning music in the 21st century.
3. Promote ethical scholarship, performance, and teaching musical cultures of marginalized populations, particularly Indigenous, Black, and trans/non-binary peoples.
4. Celebrate globally diverse musical traditions, with special attention to the cultural and musical heritage of the South Florida region.
5. Welcome new voices into CMS conversations, including those from the fields of music therapy and musical theatre.
6. Elevate presentational formats designed to engage audiences through participation, playfulness, and music-making.
Performances are intended to present live music and therefore speaking is generally limited to brief introductory comments. Please plan for your introductory comments for a performance to be no more than 20% of the total performance (i.e., 5 minutes of speaking in the duration of a 25-minute performance program). While performances can feature new music, this is not the appropriate submission venue for works by CMS composers. Two types of performances are possible:
1. Stand-alone Performance: A 25-minute program from a single performer or ensemble may be proposed that features music by one or more composers. The time limit includes set-up and tear-down.
2. Showcase Performance: Brief performances of 10 minutes or less may be proposed, which will be included in a larger concert organized by the Program Committee. The time limit includes set-up and tear-down.
Lecture-recitals are limited to 25 minutes each, inclusive of delivery, discussion, and/or questions as appropriate. Lecture-recitals present scholarship in combination with a live performance component. Lecture-recitals differ from performances in that a minimum of 50% (12.5 minutes) of the presentation time must be dedicated to speaking.
The same topic may not be submitted as both a lecture-recital and performance.
Please note:
- Proposals related to the use, study, or impact of technology on music in higher education, or which primarily focus on music software, technological trends, and/or products designed to enhance the musical experience will not be considered by CMS. Instead, please submit such proposals to the Association for Technology in Music Instruction (ATMI).
CONSIDERATIONS
- If the program must be moved from an in-person to an online venue for any reason, the Program Committee reserves the right to request that presenters alter the duration and structure of their presentations to better accommodate the virtual format.
- Prior to submission, proposers must communicate with all co-presenters regarding their interest and availability. Proposals not listing all participants will be deemed incomplete and will not be considered.
- All persons whose work is selected for inclusion on the program are expected to register for and attend the full conference. If the proposal is accepted, proposers will be asked to communicate with all participants in the presentation to ensure their registration by early summer 2023. At its discretion, the Program Committee may exempt from the registration and membership requirements specific individuals, such as non-music professionals. It is the responsibility of the individual who submits the proposal to, upon acceptance, make conference planners aware of any non-music professionals involved in their presentation and to request such an exemption.
- Performers must provide their own instruments, including all percussion (except piano, which will be provided). Presentations requiring two pianos will not be considered; however, single piano works for 4- hands are welcome. Pianos may not be prepared or altered in any way, including the insertion of objects into or onto the strings.
- The College Music Society does not fund travel expenses of accepted presenters.
- Proposers must submit their own work and may not submit proposals on behalf of their students or others.
- Proposals of a commercial nature that promote products and services will not be considered.
ELIGIBILITY
- The Primary proposer must be a current member of The College Music Society. Persons interested in submitting a proposal should check their membership status well in advance of the submission deadline. Please note the processing time for membership applications and/or renewals is 1–2 business days.
- It is not necessary for the co-facilitator(s) to be a current member of CMS at the time of submission; however, if invited to the program, they must join the organization.
PROPOSAL SUBMISSION & PARTICIPATION POLICY
- Each member may submit only ONE proposal in response to this Call.
- Each member is limited to TWO submissions to all calls for this conference (e.g., one performance + one paper).
- If a member submits more than one proposal to the conference, each submission should be unique and content may not be duplicated, either in response to this Call or any other Calls for this conference, including proposals submitted to ATMI.
- Each member may be added by others as a co-presenter (e.g., panelist or accompanist) to a maximum of TWO proposals.
- The maximum number of presentations in which a member may be involved on the conference program is TWO. If more than two proposals involving the same member are accepted – regardless of whether the member submitted the proposal or was added to another member’s proposal – the individual in question must choose in which two presentations they will participate.
- Submitters may not send the same or very similar proposals to both CMS and ATMI.
PREPARATION OF MATERIALS
- Electronic submissions are required. Proposals sent by mail will not be considered.
- To support the anonymous review process, the name(s) and/or affiliation(s) of anyone involved in the presentation, including the ensemble, performers, dedications or commissioners (if applicable), should not appear in the title, abstract, or program notes, nor in the file names or body of submitted supplementary materials. Submissions are evaluated anonymously and proposals identifying the proposer or co-presenters will be disqualified. Names and affiliations may appear in the “Collaborators” section of the proposal and in submitted biographies, however, as the review committee will not have access to this information.
- The College Music Society's conference submission process is powered by Submittable. To submit a proposal, please (1) log in to the CMS members-only website using your user name and password and then (2) click the ‘Submit’ button at the bottom of this call. You will be directed to Submittable to complete your proposal. If you don't already have a Submittable account, you will be prompted to establish one. (Click here for help using Submittable and to view a list of Frequently Asked Questions.)
- A complete proposal includes:
1. The proposal’s title and format.
2. Abstract / Program Notes
a. Lecture-recital proposals require an abstract of 250 words or less.
Preparing an Abstract—The Program Committee chooses presentations based primarily on the abstract as submitted, so it is important to write an abstract that the Committee will understand and can evaluate fairly. The purpose of the abstract is to convey to the reader what will be said in the presentation. Do not merely describe the subject or list the topics to be covered. Rather, state the main point of the presentation, outline the subsidiary points, and summarize the evidence offered, so that someone who has not heard the presentation can know in brief what it will say and can evaluate its contribution to our knowledge and understanding of music. The abstract, like the presentation itself, should be clear to an audience of musicians and music educators of all kinds, not just to those with a narrow specialty. While it may be necessary to set the context or lay out the problem to be addressed, this should be kept to a minimum.
b. Performance proposals require program notes of 250 words or less, as well as a list of all titles, movements, and composers being proposed, an indication of the instrumentation, and duration of each work. If a proposal includes lengthy pieces which will not be played in their entirety, please clarify within the program notes which sections will be performed.
Program notes, in conjunction with supporting audio files, should convince the review committee that your proposal merits programming. Your program notes will also be published in the concert program and/or conference materials to describe the performance to attendees. Please write in clear and direct prose that informs and enlightens the reader. Avoid listing the full program again to avoid redundancy. Your program notes should offer insight into the selected repertoire and should be written in such a way that they will increase the audience's understanding and enjoyment of the music. You may consider addressing elements of structure, style, content, and/or historical relevance, or you may wish to highlight the significance of the program and/or the connection of the composer(s) to the conference destination. Due to available space, in-depth analysis should be avoided.
3. A list of required equipment and Internet needs (Internet connections are not guaranteed).
4. Two audio samples to demonstrate the proficiency of the soloist/ensemble. The duration of each recording should be a minimum of 3 minutes, but no longer than 8 minutes. Preference will be given to submissions that include a recording of the proposer performing the actual work being proposed. When this is not possible, the submitted example must be of a comparable style, genre, or historical period. Most audio file formats are supported within Submittable. File names should not identify the proposer or any collaborators (please erase the metadata that is automatically saved with the file).
5. If performing a work based on music notation, PDF reference scores to accompany the audio samples submitted under item #4.
6. In addition to the two required audio samples of the performer(s), an additional reference recording of the proposed work being performed by someone else may be added to support the submission (optional). This is recommended in cases where the proposer(s) have not recorded the proposed work.
7. You may add up to 3 supporting materials to your proposal (optional). These might include printed music examples, photos, statistics, or relevant data. Do not include lengthy documents, dissertations, CVs, resumes, or PowerPoint presentations.
8. Contact details and a brief biography of the proposer (not to exceed 250 words).
9. Name of performing ensemble, if applicable.
10. Collaborator Biographies:
a. If the presentation will be given by a named ensemble, a biography of ensemble must be included (not to exceed 250 words). Ensemble biographies may briefly address the achievements of each ensemble member; however, separate biographies of each individual performer are not requested in this case.
b. If the presentation will not be given by a named ensemble, biographies of individual performers should be included (not to exceed 250 words per person).
11. Contact details for all collaborators, including an email address, mailing address, and phone number for each person, as well as an institutional affiliation, if applicable.
- When referencing one’s own previously published research, the proposer should refer to such research in the third person to avoid identifying themselves. For example, hypothetical proposal submitter D. Graham should write, “D. Graham’s article, ‘XYZ,’ summarizes pertinent issues,” instead of writing, “My article, ‘XYZ,’ summarizes pertinent issues.” The wording in the first example protects the anonymity of the author, while the second compromises the author’s anonymity by linking the author of the proposal to previously published work by a named author.
- Submissions that do not conform to the above guidelines will not be considered.
TIMELINE
Proposals must be submitted by 12 noon Mountain Time on Tuesday, November 29, 2022.
Proposers will be notified of their status by Thursday, March 30, 2023.
QUESTIONS?
Questions regarding this call should be directed to:
Mihoko Watanabe, 2023 Program Chair
Questions concerning conference operations should be directed to:
Peter S. Park, CMS Director of Professional Activities
You must be a CMS member to submit a proposal.
Please log in and the 'Submit' button will appear in this location. Or, click here to join CMS.