Necessary Factors for the Creation of a Master's Degree in Commercial Music

Necessary Factors for the Creation of a Master’s Degree in Commercial Music Chapter 1: Introduction Drucker (1995) writes, “In the next 50 years schools and universities will change more and more drastically than they have since they assumed their present form more than 300 years ago. every organization has to prepare for the abandonment of everything it does” (p. 79). The present economy is driven, and it is predicted will be driven in the future by knowledge, the knowledge our students must have to be successful in their chosen career paths and lives (Oblinger & Katz, 1999, p. 302). According to Glazer (1988) the music institutions of today must provide not only music degrees but also job-oriented skill training, which is exemplified at the Master’s Degree level. Institutions react to the pressures from external demands resulting in a wide diversity of program options (Glazer, 1988). The call for change, according to Drucker, has led to a plethora of master’s degree programs with no strategic plan evident for their creation or to address future needs. Many programs are reactive rather than proactive concluding that changes must be made to the degree program based on responses from external sources (Jay & Smith, 1974). The infusion of reactive changes with “. the absence of explicit program goals or objectives creates a major stumbling block to the program’s development and evaluation” (Steele, 1999, p. 79). This phenomenon has resulted in a lack of “cohesion” (p. 80) within the program. The eventual assessment of the program’s success is impossible due to the lack of a vision, a mission statement, or goals. Additionally, funding for changes or new programs is often left unaddressed when reacting to external sources. It was reported that six new programs were created at a university without concern for funding (Fross Pothering, 1998). This resulted in a significant financial impact on existing programs. Because of this, consideration for new programs is based upon any possible impact they may have on existing programs. Planning in advance will alleviate the chance for mistakes such as those made at this university. Examining the factors necessary in creating a master’s degree program, and creating a strategic plan based upon those factors identified will help avoid the mistakes made by other institutions. Purpose of the Study The purpose of the study is to determine what are the necessary elements and important factors in a plan to plan for the creation of a Master’s Degree in Commercial Music that will lead to eventual accreditation by the National Association of School of Music (NASM). This paper is a mixed method study whose central phenomenon is to discover the factors necessary for the creation of a master’s degree program in commercial music at Belmont University. It poses the following research questions: (a) What are the essential elements that are required to obtain plan approval from the National Association of Schools of Music (NASM)? (b) What factors are considered important by Music Industry Leaders for the creation of a Master’s degree in Commercial Music? (c) What factors are considered important by Academic Music Executives for the creation of a Master’s degree in Commercial Music? (d) What factors 1 are considered important by previous Commercial Music Graduates for the creation of a Master’s degree in Commercial Music? In addition, the study will utilize a concept by Corey (1953) called action research. “Action research is the process by which practitioners attempt to study their problems in order to guide, correct, and evaluate their decisions” (¶ 2). To gain information pertaining to the research questions, this study will determine what are the necessary elements and important factors in a plan to plan for the creation of a Master’s Degree in Commercial Music as identified from input by the four groups specified in the research questions; the accrediting body for schools of music, NASM; Music Industry Leaders; Academic Music Executives; and previous Commercial Music Graduates (see Figure 1). Music Industry Leaders’ Input Factors Academic For Previous Music The Commercial Executives’ New Music Input Master’s Graduates’ Program Input Accrediting Body Input NASM Figure 1. Input Flow Chart for Factor Discovery The identified factors will be coded and built into the plan to plan based on at least six basic categories including, (a) course content, (b) faculty experience, (c) adequate facilities, (d) industry internships, (e) fiscal resources, and (f) possible barriers for the creation of this new degree program. These categories are identified as important for plan and final approval leading to accreditation by NASM as shown in Figure 2. 2 Identified Factors Course Faculty Adequate Industry Fiscal Possible Other Content Experience Facilities Internships Resources Barriers Categories Figure 2. Categories for Factor Coding and Description Key Outcome of the Study The key outcome of the study is the creation of the plan to plan designed to lead to accreditation and eventual creation of a Master’s degree in Commercial Music in the United States. The study documents the process for creating a new program in this area. Significance of the Study The significance or importance of the study is four-fold. The primary significance is that this new program will be the first degree of its kind in the United States. There is currently no Master’s of Commercial Music recognized by NASM. The secondary significance is the documentation of the process for creating the program, i.e. “How do you do this?” may be of value to others who would choose to create a similar study or use this study for further research. Additionally, the examination of the categories utilized by NASM for accreditation and the consensus, or lack of consensus, by the research subjects may allow opportunity for presentation of this information to the accrediting body. This presentation could lead to changes or reinforcement of current policy to eliminate some of the chaos currently shown to exist in the literature review of this study. Finally, this study will be the first electronic dissertation created at the University of Memphis1. Scope and Limitations of the Study The Plan to Plan The lack of communication, absence of clearly defined program goals and objectives, and unclear educational values (Steele 1999) must be addressed no matter what factors are discovered and described, through research, as necessary for the new Master’s degree program. If the move from the previous reactionary creation of a new program to a strategically created 1 Electronic Theses and Dissertations (ETD) are electronic documents that are similar to their paper predecessors. They include all of the research information included in a paper thesis or dissertation. The difference is the use of advanced technology to express ideas including the addition of multimedia files that include, but are not limited to, sound and video clips, as well as color simulations. In addition, online access to the research by committee members is immediate. Eventual access by the public following the committee authorized completion of the study through the World Wide Web is also immediate (ETD, 2003). 3 and well communicated plan for program development is to be successful, a plan to plan must be created and implemented. Strategic planning is defined as “a disciplined effort to produce fundamental decisions and actions that shape and guide what an organization (or other entity) is, what it does, and why it does it” (Bryson, 1995, p. x). The creation of the new Master’s degree program using strategic planning can result in many benefits. The move from the reactionary method of program creation is one. Others include, the growth of strategic thinking and action; a better decision making process that considers the future not just the present or the past; “enhanced organizational responsiveness and performance”; and finally, improved relations and communication between the organization’s personnel and key decision makers resulting in strengthened teamwork (Bryson, 1995, p. 7). “Strategic planning aims to exploit the new and different opportunities of tomorrow while minimizing any negative aspects of the unexpected challenges that will surely occur. This is in contrast with long-range planning, which tries to optimize for tomorrow the trends of today” (Penrod & West, 1989, p. 118). Universities today compete for students more than ever before (Drucker, 1993; Shirley, 1988). The use of strategic planning can position an institution with a competitive advantage by addressing and aligning the purpose and vision of the program with that of the institution (Shirley, 1988, p. 8). Through the communication of a clear vision that is strategically created, a program or institution can inspire not only the internal constituents through open communication and valued input, but external constituents as well. Donors today must be assured that their funding is not wasted and a clear vision that is presented by a program to these corporations or individuals can increase their level of confidence resulting in greater responsiveness to funding needs (Shirley, 1988, p. 12). The establishment of a clear vision and mission are essential steps in the creation of the plan to plan for the new program. Shirley (1988) mentions eight issues, called operational standards by NASM, which must be addressed in the plan to plan stage. These issues will be used as parameters for the creation of the new program and are aligned with

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