www.music.org www.music.org www.music.org

Supplemental Call for Commercial and Popular Music Performance

Submission Deadline: 12 noon Mountain Time / 2 pm Eastern Time on Tuesday, April 30, 2024

The College Music Society (CMS) is pleased to announce its 67th National Conference in Washington, D.C., November 7–9, 2024, in conjunction with the 2024 National Conference of the Association for Technology in Music Instruction (ATMI), the National Association of College Wind and Percussion Instructors (NACWPI), and Pi Kappa Lambda (PKL).

CMS’s 2024 Conference Theme is “Advancing Democracy: Empowering Action Through Music.” Continuing to uphold and advance The College Music Society’s commitment to leading change, the 2024 Conference aims to explore musical leadership through the broad lens of democracy in action through our teaching, research, performance, and lives, now and into the future.

The 2024 CMS Program Committee welcomes proposals for commercial and popular music performances including, but not limited to, the following genres: singer/songwriter, jazz, zydeco, and folk music. 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) active as independent musicians and scholars, and (c) in the music industry, business, and entrepreneurship. 

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 for a 25-minute performance program). 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.

CMS encourages, and will give priority to, proposals that:

  1. Provide examples of and showcase a wide perspective of musical democracy in action, including community projects, new pedagogical approaches, surveys, research, and performances; 

  2. Promote ethical scholarship, performance, and teaching of musical cultures of marginalized populations, particularly Indigenous, Black, and LGBTQIA individuals;

  3. Welcome all musical voices into CMS conversations, including those from the fields of Jazz, Contemporary and Commercial Music, Music of the Americas, African American Music, Electronic Music, Film Music, Musical Theater, and Wellness (including music therapy, music as care, and music within disability studies); 

  4. Propose methods of sustaining curricular diversification and diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) initiatives, during a time when the viability of those initiatives is in question;

  5. Provide ways for musicians, whether engaging with music as a seasoned professional or impassioned amateur, to meaningfully engage with unique learning, critical thinking, and professional development opportunities; and 

  6. Elevate presentations and conference delivery formats by rethinking how we can engage audiences through participation, playfulness, and music-making.

 

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.

  • Before submission, proposers must communicate with co-presenters regarding their interests and availability. Proposals not listing all participants will be deemed incomplete and will not be considered. 

  • All persons whose work is selected for inclusion in 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 2024. At its discretion, the Program Committee may exempt specific individuals, such as non-music professionals, from the registration and membership requirements. 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 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. A basic backline may be provided if needed (bass amp, guitar amp, mic, piano, drumkit), but composers/performers are highly encouraged to provide their own, if possible. Please make these needs known to CMS conference planners no later than two months before the conference. 

  • The College Music Society does not fund the 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. Companies, organizations, or individuals interested in presenting a session of this nature should contact CMS Director of Operations Hannah Pearson for information surrounding conference sponsorships and exhibiting opportunities for industry partners. 

 

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.

  • Not a CMS Member yet? You can register for a CMS Trial Membership for just $20. 

 

PROPOSAL SUBMISSION & PARTICIPATION POLICY

  • The CMS Program Committee has issued five Supplemental Calls for inclusion in the 2024 National Conference. Members are permitted to submit one response per call (for example, one proposal for film scores, one proposal for special initiatives, and one proposal for commercial music performance).  

  • 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, NACWPI, and/or PKL. 

  • Members may give a maximum number of two presentations, in total, at the 2024 National Conference, regardless of the organization on behalf of which they are presenting (for example, two presentations associated with CMS, or one presentation on behalf of CMS and one presentation on behalf of NACWPI, or two presentations on behalf of ATMI, etc.). Questions surrounding this policy should be directed to CMS Director of Operations Hannah Pearson.

  • Submitters may not send the same or very similar proposals to both CMS and 2024 National Conference partner organizations (ATMI, NACWPI, and PKL).

 

PREPARATION OF MATERIALS

  • 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. Program Notes
    1. 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. 
  1. A list of required equipment and Internet needs (Internet connections are not guaranteed).

  2. 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).

  3. If performing a work based on music notation, PDF reference scores to accompany the audio samples should be submitted under item #4.

  4. 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.

  5. 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.

  6. Contact details and a brief biography of the proposer (not to exceed 250 words).

  7. Name of performing ensemble, if applicable.

  8. Collaborator Biographies:
    1. If the presentation will be given by a named ensemble, a biography of the 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.
    2. 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).

  9. 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 Wednesday, January 3rd, 2024.

Proposers will be notified of their status by Thursday, March 28th, 2024.

 

QUESTIONS?

Questions regarding this Call should be directed to: 

Rachel Roberts, 2024 Program Chair

 

Questions concerning conference operations should be directed to:

Charlie Chadwell, CMS Conference Planner

 

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.