School of Music
Graduate Music Courses
To begin a graduate program in music, you are required to have completed, with at least a 2.5 accumulative grade-point average, an undergraduate curriculum in music from an accredited institution offering an undergraduate degree equivalent to the requirements of the National Association of Schools of Music. Music education students not holding standard certification must earn Ohio certification.
All candidates should arrange a personal audition and interview. A taped audition is accepted only if a personal audition is difficult or impossible.
Applied majors (performance, performance-pedagogy) must demonstrate graduate-level performance proficiency. Performance-conducting majors must submit a videotape of their conducting and schedule a skill demonstration interview. Music education majors must submit a sample of their writing on a topic assigned by the music education faculty. Music therapy majors must present evidence of experience in working with children or adults with handicaps. Theory, history, and literature majors must submit a scholarly paper. Composition majors must submit scores, a statement of purpose, and, if possible, recorded tapes.
After admission has been granted, placement examinations are given to all entering graduate students during registration week of the first quarter of enrollment. You are required to take a proficiency test in theory and history and literature of music. The results of these placement tests are used in planning your course of study. Deficiencies in undergraduate preparation should be removed during the first year of graduate study.
You may apply for admission to a School of Music graduate program for any quarter. All application materials must be submitted 30 days prior to the quarter in which you plan to begin your graduate program. Typically, the school begins awarding financial aid on April 1 of each year for the next academic year; therefore, early application for financial aid is encouraged. School of Music-based financial aid is available to students admitted to degree programs.
Master of Music Programs
General RequirementsPrograms leading to the Master of Music degree, requiring a minimum of 45 credit hours of graduate work, are offered in applied music (performance; performance/pedagogy emphasis-piano, voice, strings, woodwinds; brass, percussion; and performance/conducting emphasis--choral, orchestral, wind), theory, composition, music education, music history and literature, and music therapy. A thesis or its equivalent is required in all academic programs except music education, where a 48-quarter-hour (minimum) nonthesis option is available. Applied and music education majors are required to perform in an appropriate ensemble each quarter in residence and applied majors are required to present a public degree recital. In lieu of a thesis, majors in composition present compositions in a large form.
In addition to the 45 quarter hours required for the M.M., students in voice (performance) are required to demonstrate skill in German, French, and Italian diction. Students in music history are required to demonstrate reading ability in at least one foreign language. An oral examination is required of each candidate. See the School of Music >strong>Graduate Handbook for specific requirements.
Music Education
The M.M. in music education provides an opportunity to pursue advanced practical and theoretical studies in the field of music education. Although the focus of the program is upon preparation to be a more skillful teacher, many options are possible, including preparation for music administration and super-vision. The degree program prepares students for permanent certification and doctoral study leading to college teaching. The coursework is divided equally among music education and other areas such as music theory, music history, jazz studies, and applied music (including conducting). Some candidates take related coursework in business, educational administration, theater, or comparative arts.Music Therapy
The M.M. in music therapy provides an opportunity to pursue advanced studies in research, teaching, clinical, and administrative skills. Music therapy is an interdisciplinary field that requires a strong background in music, music therapy practices, and the behavioral sciences. Coursework is designed to improve understanding in these areas of study, promote advanced clinical and research skill, and allow specialization in a cognate area of applied music or nonmusic study. The curriculum consists of a minimum of 46 quarter hours in music therapy core courses; music theory, history, and/or composition; and music and nonmusic electives.Students with a baccalaureate degree in music in an area other than music therapy may choose the combined equivalency master's program in music therapy and will concurrently complete deficiency courses toward the RMT (Registered Music Therapist) while electing some graduate-level courses toward the master's degree. If you lack substantial undergraduate music requirements, you may be admitted as a special student to the equivalency-only program, a nondegree offering that enables you to meet RMT registration requirements with the National Association for Music Therapy. Eligible equivalency students may take a limited number of graduate courses during equivalency study, and, with permission, complete the graduate degree following a six-month internship (or equivalent) in music therapy. Additional nonmusic certification may be achieved during the course of study. AMTA Board Certification is obtained following successful completion of the national certification examination.
Performance
The M.M. in performance is designed for professionally oriented performers and studio and school music teachers who wish to pursue this curriculum as a terminal degree and for those who wish to use it as a foundation for doctoral study. The goal is to prepare graduate students, both technically and intellectually, for professional careers as performers or conductors. Acceptance into the Master of Music in performance is by audition only.Pedagogy Emphasis Emphasis
(piano, string, voice, woodwind)
Within the area of performance, you may choose a Master of Music degree in performance with emphasis in pedagogy. Areas of concentration in this degree program are strings, woodwinds, voice, and piano. The goal of the pedagogy emphasis program is to prepare students for teaching in colleges, public schools, and private studios. A greater emphasis is given to pedagogy and pedagogical techniques, including teaching methods and materials, than in the traditional performance curriculum. Students in piano also receive group and private piano instruction. An audition is required on the major instrument for admission to these programs. It is advantageous to have previous experience on at least one other family instrument for students pursuing the degree in woodwinds and strings. Performance: Conducting Emphasis
(choral, orchestral, wind)
The goal of the program in conducting is to further develop conducting skills needed for public school education, college teaching, or professional careers in conducting. It also prepares students for study at the doctoral level. Applicants must submit a videotape demonstrating conducting skills and, in a personal interview, perform on their major instrument and demonstrate sight-singing, aural skills, and keyboard facility. Theory, Composition, and History and Literature
The M.M. is offered in music theory, composition, and music history and literature. Although each degree program requires a minimum of 45 quarter hours of graduate work, a variety of course offerings enables you to design a program that suits your professional needs.The M.M. in music theory and the M.M. in music history and literature require 45 credit hours and a written thesis. In addition, students in music history are required to demonstrate reading ability in at least one foreign language. The M.M. in composition requires a large-scale composition in lieu of the thesis. Students applying for entrance into the Master of Music program in music theory or music history should submit an original scholarly paper on any topic within the discipline of the proposed major field of study.
Music Performance Certificate
The music performance certificate program allows graduate students who want to pursue careers in performance to engage in intensive study and performance. It is designed to prepare students for auditions for orchestra, opera, and music theater positions where a master's degree is not needed.The certificate program consists of 30 credit hours, with 20 credit hours of performance courses and 10 credit hours of electives from within the existing graduate music degree courses in consultation with the certificate program advisor. The certificate program should normally be completed in one year and not more than two years.
Application procedures, admission criteria, and performance standards are the same as those for the Master of Music degree.All application materials must be received by June 1 for fall quarter, November 1 for winter quarter, and February 1 for spring quarter. Applicants may be in an advanced degree program elsewhere in the University or apply as a nondegree student. Students may not pursue the performance certificate in conjunction with the Master of Music degree.
Athens, OH 45701
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