Adventures in American Music(s) Research Fellowship
Sponsored by Herbert, Sandra (1956) and Gail (1988) Fisher
Proposals are due on March 15, 2024 and the award will be announced in April 2024.
The Adventures in American Music(s): Undergraduate Research Fellowship offers a research fellowship up to $5,000 per year to sponsor the research activities of a Brandeis student majoring, minoring, or pursuing graduate study in Music, in the research area of “Music(s) of America,” broadly construed. Research activity encompasses practice-based research, such as music composition and performance, in addition to more traditional research activities, such as library or archival research, or field-based ethnographic research. The focus on “Music of America” is also broadly construed, and we are especially interested in supporting research projects that reach beyond the traditional canon, such as American Folk and Popular Music, Music of Black Americans, Music of Latin America, Indigenous Musics of the Americas, and American Music for Stage and Screen.
The research project should take place within the course of the academic year, ideally beginning in the summer, with the final research output completed before the end of the academic year. Examples of final research projects could include: a performance by the student or organized and programmed by them; a performance of a new composition; a paper presented at a national or international conference; or a completed and submitted grant proposal for a larger grant based on the preliminary research activities supported by this grant. The final research project should also be presented at the Undergraduate Research Symposium in May of the funded year. The student will be mentored by a Brandeis faculty member, through advising structures already in place (for undergraduate students this would be through registering for a “Senior Project” with a faculty member).
Eligibility and Process
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Graduate Students in music and undergraduate students majoring and minoring in music and in their sophomore or junior year are eligible to apply. Applications are due March 15 each year.
- Applications will consist of a project proposal and two-page CV.
- The proposed faculty advisor must sign off on the proposal (via a one-sentence email or a Google form).
- The proposal should be no more than two pages, single-spaced, that outlines the objectives of the project and explain the significance of this project, including how it will contribute to a deeper understanding of American music. It should include a description of the proposed research activities, including the access to the required materials, and details of the final research output. The proposal should also include a description of the student-faculty communication/mentoring plan.
- A budget with the breakdown of the expenditures to be covered by the grant should also be included.
- The amount of the award will be the same as the submitted budget, to a maximum of $5,000, which will be paid to the student as a stipend, from which the student will be expected to pay for the project expenses.
- Financial need will be taken into consideration, therefore the proposal should explain why this research project would be impossible without this funding.
The final project proposal should be emailed to Professor Bradford Garvey (bradfordgarvey@brandeis.edu) by March 15th.
Helpful Links for Undergraduate Research: