High School Graduation Thesis on Music

At the classical high school, I don't remember there being music as a subject... However, you can use topics related to music within other subjects. Also consult with some professors when it is time to write your thesis. In the meantime, I can recommend this video I made on Logic where I talked about the physics of sound...

Open content (youtube)

I would go as far as the GOLDEN SECTION and the implications this concept has had in music.

it would be a great hook with mathematics, geometry, biology (and you will discover why).

If you attend a classical high school, you have countless possibilities to connect music history topics with literature, philosophy, and history. You will have an embarrassment of riches! You can start from a topic that interests you, or even better, from a musician you are passionate about, and develop connections with literary authors, philosophers, and historical events. The scope is truly vast!

The territory is truly too vast, give us more indications. What instrument do you play at the conservatory? What are your musical passions? And which subjects do you do best in?

I also went to a classical high school... and I passed my final exams 2 years ago.

A couple of tips:

Avoid mixing scientific and humanities subjects; you risk falling into the banal. Furthermore, I don't know to what extent it is appropriate to tackle scientific subjects at a classical school if you haven't had an amazing professor or if your school hasn't joined experimental programs involving extra hours (this isn't meant to demonize the classical high school—after high school, I myself pursued scientific studies at university... this point is only to avoid making wild leaps and risking a banal or "tautological" thesis).

As Thallo mentioned, narrow down the topic. Make thematic or chronological connections with non-musical subjects. Rather than "music" in general, you can link it to other discussions... it depends on what your extra-musical interests are.

Thank you all for the first contributions. I study piano and I posed the question in very vague terms because it is more of a desire than an idea that has already taken shape.

Sifting through the forum, I found this topic

http://www.pianoconc...esina-maturita/

Ligeti could be an idea, but the field would need to be broadened.

What do you say?

I have been giving advice for musical topic term papers for years, and I tell you what I always say: you can do everything and the opposite of everything. The possible musical and musicological topics are hundreds, if not thousands, and the classical high school (liceo classico) is the track that most allows for interesting connections (I know because I did it too).

But, as when writing a real university thesis, it is always better to narrow down the topic. Narrow it down almost excessively, because it takes no time at all to broaden it again. For this reason, it is better to focus on a single author, or a single work, or a single musical topic.

As for school subjects, there can be many approaches. There are those who prefer to touch upon every subject, those who prefer to dedicate themselves to the "strong" subjects (and in the classical track, that would mean Italian, Latin, and Greek), those who focus on their "own" strong subjects (the ones you like most, basically), and those who, in an original but very wise way, focus on their weak subjects (because if you are doing poorly in physics but write a good paragraph about physics in your term paper, you have covered your tracks and avoided embarrassment).

So, the things I advise you to understand as soon as possible are:

1) which musical topics you prefer, know best, or would like to deal with. You mentioned Ligeti; does that mean you know him? Do you have a secret passion for Mozart, for his concertos, or for his chamber music with piano? Or instead, do you like the mechanics of the instrument? Opera? Rock? Up to you, basically.

2) which school subjects you know best and what the situation at school is like... for example, which teachers are good and which are less good and, above all, which subjects you think you can delve into without wanting to slit your wrists after two days. Keep in mind that the most difficult subjects to incorporate into a musical discussion in the classical track are Latin and Greek (especially Latin). This brings us to the tactics I mentioned before... if Latin literature speaks little or poorly of music, then it means you could eliminate it entirely from the term paper. Or, on the contrary, you could bring 4 lines of classical text specifically, outside the curriculum, to demonstrate that you are a tough student who isn't afraid to translate something extra (and regarding musical themes, there are especially things from Late Antiquity... if you bring 4 lines of Boethius on music to your final exams, and your teacher knows it and emphasizes it enough, the committee will give you a standing ovation).

3) extra-curricular and extra-musical passions. Suppose you are passionate about fashion; suppose you are passionate about Japanese manga; suppose you volunteer, or play tennis, or collect Barbies. Everything counts! Take every one of your interests into consideration, because many of them could be an interesting and original starting point for a great term paper.

At the bottom: obviously, if you want, you can contact me privately. I imagine it is the same for others writing on this forum.

thallo wrote:

As for school subjects, there can be many approaches. There are those who prefer to touch upon every subject, those who prefer to dedicate themselves to their "strong" subjects (and in the classical track, one would be talking about Italian, Latin, and Greek), those who focus on their "own" strong subjects (the ones you like most, in short), and those who, in an original but very wise way, focus on their weak subjects (because if you do poorly in physics but write a good paragraph about physics in your thesis, you've covered your tracks and avoided embarrassment).

I don't agree with you here. In my opinion, one should avoid touching upon all subjects because there is a risk of falling into the banal or doing a jack-of-all-trades job that is difficult to defend. Besides, it is better to only bring up the subjects in which one feels confident... returning to the example of the nice paragraph on physics if you are not good at physics: if the examiner is intelligent, it works as Thallo says; they will take the thesis as a topic of their choice and avoid tormenting you... but you could also encourage the professor to expand the discussion and ask you random little questions. In short, as with all things, it depends heavily on the mindset of the person in charge of evaluating you.

2) which school subjects do you know best and what is the situation at school... for example, which are the good professors and which are the less good ones and, above all, which are the subjects that you think you can delve into without wanting to slit your wrists after two days? Keep in mind that the most difficult subjects to incorporate into a musical discussion in the classical track are Latin and Greek (especially Latin). This leads us to the tactics I mentioned before... if Latin literature speaks little or poorly of music, then it means you could eliminate it entirely from the thesis. Or, on the contrary, you could bring 4 lines of classical studies ON PURPOSE, outside the curriculum, to demonstrate that you are a tough one who is not afraid to translate something extra (and regarding musical themes, there are especially things from Late Antiquity... if you bring 4 lines of Boethius on music at your final exams, and your professor knows it and emphasizes it enough, the commission will give you a standing ovation).

Greek and Latin literature indeed gives you few opportunities for connections with music. I don't know which musical topic you will decide to bring... but you can consider:

If you tackle an author who composed sacred music, it could be a good idea to quote the Latin texts and talk about their origin.

Various works refer back to mythology and the history of classical antiquity, as well as to tragedies. Perhaps the connections might not be so explicit (e.g., tragic irony is found in Sophocles and in Shakespeare's Othello, and the connection with Verdi's Othello fits perfectly), but they can be interesting.

Guys, thank you so much!

As I was saying, I am in the "idea" phase, so I would like to meditate on it a bit more, even in light of what you have written to me. I will let you know what I decide after lessons have resumed... in order to also test the waters with the various profs.