As spring break approaches, many students in Elon University’s Class of 2013 are busy applying for jobs and mapping out a plan beyond graduation. But for senior music and theater double major Alicia Varcoe, there is one additional mania on her mind: the release of her debut jazz CD, “Since I Fell for You.”

Varcoe’s musical endeavor is not just a personal project but an academic one, too. Varcoe is part of the Elon College Fellows program, which requires all of its students to conduct a research project throughout their time at Elon. Varcoe said she originally thought she could produce a themed concert, but after talking to her mentor, music professor Jon Metzger, she decided a CD would be more beneficial.

“[Jon and I] talked about [the idea of a concert] and decided to make a CD, because that’s what would bring my career to the next level,” Varcoe said. “So, my project is about promotion and what’s it like to begin a career as a jazz musician and how to do it independently.”

She researched demographics and the market in which she would be releasing her music to see what was popular in the jazz field. She would create her CD around that information. There were no publicists or labels involved. The release and publicity were a self-reliant effort for her.

“I was responsible with this huge task of recording the CD,” Varcoe said. “I was in charge of picking the songs, hiring musicians, recording the CD and getting it mixed and mastered. Also, I was involved with the design of the album artwork and obtaining a copyright. Every facet [of this project] I did in some way.”

In order to pick a title for the CD that would fit perfectly, Varcoe reflected on the pieces on the album and found a uniting theme among them.

“I was thinking about my experiences and what I was drawing upon for my music — break-up, make-up, broken hearts, things like that,” Varcoe said. “‘Since I Fell for You’ is a song on the CD and I thought it was an appropriate way to encapsulate the album. [Most of the music] is motivated by love, about love or involves different facets of love.”

Varcoe said a self-made album had been an unexpected undertaking. Music has always been a part of Varcoe’s life — she has played piano since age 5, which led to involvement with choir and band — but she said she was going to focus her collegiate studies in theater.

College fostered another important passion for Varcoe: jazz. Varcoe had little experience with jazz music until joining the ensemble. But after auditioning with the jazz ensemble and getting the coveted vocalist spot as a freshman, Varcoe realized she had an equal passion for music, and it was worth pursuing.

“I did a little bit of jazz growing up, but it was never a thing in my house,” Varcoe said.  “The only jazz I knew anything about was through middle school and high school band. My jazz education came through music with the big band and working with professors.”

Elon gave her an extensive education in jazz, she said. While she minored in jazz studies and learned about the style through class, most of her education happened outside the classroom. Varcoe said she gives a lot of credit to Metzger for her exposure to it and everything was a learning experience while she worked with him. A trip with the jazz ensemble to Europe in 2010 also cultivated her interest in the music, she said.

“[The jazz ensemble] played all over the place in Europe,” Varcoe said. “We played a jazz festival in Denmark two days in a row, and the audience was really receptive to our jazz music. The whole experience simulated a professional tour. I got to see what it was like traveling around and doing this for a living.”

Before Elon, Varcoe wanted to attend a conservatory and focus on music and theater with other majors in the arts. Her parents persuaded her to attend a liberal arts university, and, to this point, Varcoe is glad they did.

“I wanted to just do music and theater,” Varcoe said. “[But attending a liberal arts university], everything has influenced my music whether that was a sociology class or a study abroad program. It has all in some way impacted me and the art I’m creating.”

The choices Varcoe made led her to complete her CD. Like everything else she has done in college, this project has been a growing process for her, far more than a concert would have been, she said. She has learned how to work in all aspects of the music industry, even the ones she would rather not do.

“I was required to do some things as a musician that I’m not so good at,” Varcoe said. “I was picking up the phone and calling clubs, which was nerve-wracking. But now I know that it’s something I have to do to be successful. You have to be talented, hardworking and good at music, but also understand the business aspect.”

Now, her album is complete, aside from finalizing copyrights and obtaining royalties. But her project has brought up plenty of thoughts about the future. While she does not have her plan set in stone, “Since I Fell for You” has taught Varcoe that life as a musician is possible and her passion can pay off in the long run, she said.

“I always want to be singing,” Varcoe said.  “In what capability, I’m not sure, but I’m hoping to maintain some sort of life as a musician.”