Topic: Choose a musical topic from the Romantic (post-Beethovenian) period through to contemporary times. Musical topics include lives and influence of musicians (composers, performers, critics, pedagogues, etc.); musical materials (instruments, playing techniques, institutions, systems of patronage, etc.); criticism, reception history, and analysis; musical style and change; and so forth. Considerations should include personal interest and potential for future professional application, as well as relevance to the state of current knowledge in the field.

Research question: The research question seeks to address the interests and concerns of a community of scholars. It should result in an original contribution to the state of knowledge. A good question is fairly small in scope, well-defined, and appears to have a defensible answer based on established facts, documents, and methods.Topic: Choose a musical topic from the Romantic (post-Beethovenian) period through to contemporary times. Musical topics include lives and influence of musicians (composers, performers, critics, pedagogues, etc.); musical materials (instruments, playing techniques, institutions, systems of patronage, etc.); criticism, reception history, and analysis; musical style and change; and so forth. Considerations should include personal interest and potential for future professional application, as well as relevance to the state of current knowledge in the field.

Research question: The research question seeks to address the interests and concerns of a community of scholars. It should result in an original contribution to the state of knowledge. A good question is fairly small in scope, well-defined, and appears to have a defensible answer based on established facts, documents, and methods.