Music Performance, M.M.

Admissions 

The general requirements for admission include the completion of an undergraduate degree in music (or the equivalent) with a grade point average of 3.0 (4.0 scale) on relevant courses, demonstration of excellent music performance skills through audition, and fulfillment of the general requirements for admission to The Graduate School, including the submission of three recommendations. A list of additional admission materials specific to this program is available on the School of Music website. 

Applicants whose native language is not English are also required to submit a satisfactory score on the TOEFL, the IELTS Intl. Academic Course Type 2 exam, or the Duolingo exam. Normally, the minimum acceptable score on the TOEFL is 80 (internet-based) or 570 (paper-based). The minimum acceptable overall band score on the IELTS Intl. Academic Course Type 2 exam is 6.5. The minimum acceptable score on the Duolingo exam is 120. Applicants for the Master of Music degree whose TOEFL/IELTS/Duolingo score is below the normal minimum standard will be considered on an individual basis for conditional admission. Such applicants must demonstrate exceptional abilities in the major area and evidence through past academic or professional activities strong promise for future professional success. Admission decisions are based upon the applicant’s total application portfolio.  

Prior to taking any graduate music study, all master’s students must take the Graduate Music Diagnostic Examination, and must fulfill all requirements resulting from the exam. 

Degree Requirements (32 Hours)

No Concentration

Major Area (12 Hours)

Course Title Credits
MUSC 796Solo Recital1
Pathway Requirement (11 hours)
Pathway for students studying brass, orchestral strings, or woodwinds
MUSC 711Graduate Applied Music9
Advisor-approved MUSC 735AMUSC 735U2
Pathway for students studying guitar, percussion, piano, organ, or voice
MUSC 711Graduate Applied Music8
Advisor-approved Literature courses chosen from the following:3
Song Literature
Survey of the Opera
Piano Literature I
Piano Literature II
Organ Literature I
Organ Literature II
Repertories of Lute, Vihuela, and Guitar
Topics in Piano Pedagogy and Literature

Other Studies in Music (20 Hours)

Course Title Credits
MUSC 707Music Bibliography and Research2
Advisor-approved Music History courses chosen from the following: 6
Topics in Music History
Black Sacred Music: Local and Global Perspectives
World Music
American Music
Seminar in Music History
Topics in Music History
Music and Culture of Tudor England
Introduction to Ethnomusicology: History, Theory, Methods, and Education
Renaissance Music
Music of the Baroque
Music of the Classical Period
Romantic Music
Music Since 1900
Advisor-approved Music Theory courses chosen from the following:6
Orchestration
Form and Analysis
Post-Tonal Music Theory
Analytical Studies
Seminar in Music Theory
Analysis of Popular Music
Analysis and Performance
Public Music Theory
Survey of Analytical Techniques
Pedagogy of Music Theory
Tonality in the Twentieth Century
Music and Repetition
Style and Technique Since 1900
Topics in Music Theory
Schenkerian Analysis
Contrapuntal Techniques
Contemporary Experimental Music
Music & Modernism
Music Cognition
Transcription and Analysis
Advisor-approved MUSC courses 500-level and above; cannot include MUSC 523; cannot include more than three credits of MUSC 734A-MUSC 734V and/or MUSC 735A-MUSC 735U in total6

Additional Requirements

  1. Two semesters of advisor-approved MUSC 734AMUSC 734V required of students studying brass, orchestral strings, percussion, or woodwinds; may be taken for 0 credit or taken for credit and applied to Electives.
  2. Students must pass an oral comprehensive exam. It can first be taken during the final semester of coursework.

Community Engagement Concentration

Major Area (13-14 Hours)

Course Title Credits
MUSC 711Graduate Applied Music8
Advisor-approved MUSC 735A-MUSC 735U1
Advisor-approved courses in Literature and Pedagogy chosen from the following:2-3
Song Literature
Survey of the Opera
Performance Pedagogy I
Piano Literature I
Piano Literature II
Vocal Pedagogy
Organ Literature I
Organ Literature II
Repertories of Lute, Vihuela, and Guitar
Seminar in Performance Pedagogy I
Seminar in Performance Pedagogy II
Topics in Piano Pedagogy and Literature
Special Topics in Piano Pedagogy
Advanced Vocal Pedagogy
Advanced Performance Pedagogy
Recitals 12
Chamber Recital
Solo Recital
Total Credit Hours13-14
1

One recital must occur outside the School of Music in a community venue involving elements of community engagement and audience interaction.  The off-campus, community recital may include all or part of the repertoire presented in the solo recital, however the inclusion of chamber music is encouraged, and the performance must utilize methods and best practices learned in MUSC 595.

Concentration Required Courses (8 Hours)

Course Title Credits
MUSC 595Community Engagement Through Music2
Advisor-approved Music Entrepreneurship courses chosen from the following:6
Music & Arts Entrepreneurship
Music and Money
Seminar in Music Industry
21st Century Performer
Arts Marketing
Total Credit Hours8

Other Studies in Music (10-11 Hours)

Course Title Credits
MUSC 707Music Bibliography and Research2
Advisor-approved Music History course chosen from the following:3
Topics in Music History
Black Sacred Music: Local and Global Perspectives
World Music
American Music
Seminar in Music History
Topics in Music History
Music and Culture of Tudor England
Introduction to Ethnomusicology: History, Theory, Methods, and Education
Renaissance Music
Music of the Baroque
Music of the Classical Period
Romantic Music
Music Since 1900
Advisor-approved Music Theory course chosen from the following:3
Orchestration
Form and Analysis
Post-Tonal Music Theory
Analytical Studies
Seminar in Music Theory
Analysis of Popular Music
Analysis and Performance
Public Music Theory
Survey of Analytical Techniques
Pedagogy of Music Theory
Tonality in the Twentieth Century
Music and Repetition
Style and Technique Since 1900
Topics in Music Theory
Schenkerian Analysis
Contrapuntal Techniques
Contemporary Experimental Music
Music & Modernism
Music Cognition
Transcription and Analysis
Advisor-approved MUSC courses 500-level and above; cannot include MUSC 523; cannot include more than three credits of MUSC 734A-MUSC 734V and/or MUSC 735A-MUSC 735U in total2-3
Total Credit Hours10-11

 Additional Requirements

  1. Two semesters of advisor-approved MUSC 734A-MUSC 734V required of students studying brass, orchestral strings, percussion, voice, or woodwinds; may be taken for 0 credit or taken for credit and applied to Electives. 
  2. Two semesters of advisor-approved MUSC 735AMUSC 735U required of students studying piano or guitar; may be taken for 0 credit or taken for credit and applied to Electives. This requirement is in addition to the 1 credit of MUSC 735A-MUSC 735U required in the Major Area. 
  3. Students must pass an oral comprehensive exam. It can first be taken during the final semester of coursework.