Variation on a Theme: A Pilot to Collect Electronic Recordings of Degree-Culminating Student Recitals

Abstract

Just as dissertations are a requirement for most PhD programs, culminating recitals are a degree requirement for students in the University of Washington School of Music Doctor of Musical Arts (DMA) in Performance program. They represent significant contributions to UW’s creative and scholarly output, and the UW Music Library collected CD recordings of these recitals for many years. As recording practices have become increasingly digital, fewer students have deposited recital CDs with the Music Library, and valuable institutional history and scholarly output is being lost. UW made the transition from physical to electronic theses and dissertations in 2012. With this pilot, we begin that transition for recital recordings.