Graduate Catalog 2003-2004

The Master of Music degree program, offered by the College of Musical Arts, is designed to prepare musicians to practice their specialization in the changing environment of current American music culture. The program encompasses six emphases: music composition, music education, music history, ethnomusicology, music performance, and music theory.

The music education emphasis features three specializations—Plan I: comprehensive; and Plan II: comprehensive or choral music education.

Music performance majors may select from nine options: choral conducting, orchestral conducting, voice, piano, piano pedagogy, collaborative piano, jazz studies, instrumental performance, and instrumental specialist. The instrumental specialist option consists of a concentration in a major instrument and at least two minor instruments within the brass, strings, and woodwind areas. Considerable flexibility is permitted within an individual program to meet the special needs of students.

Prerequisites to Graduate Work

Applicants should possess an appropriate undergraduate degree as well as potential for advanced study as evidenced by musical and intellectual abilities and achievements. In cases where an applicant is deficient in background, the departmental graduate faculty will require additional course work; for example, remedial courses in music history and music theory.

Admission Procedure

Applicants seeking admission to the Master of Music program should follow the instructions outlined in the “Graduate Admissions” section of this catalog. In addition to the general admission requirements set by the Graduate College, applicants must fulfill the following departmental requirements.

Applicants electing the performance or conducting options must audition for area faculty. Applicants electing music history, ethnomusicology, music theory, or composition emphases must submit examples of their work with their applications. Music education applicants electing Plan II must have one year of full-time teaching experience, and all music education and music theory applicants must attend an interview.

Degree Requirements
Master of Music

General Requirements: When they begin the program, students must take placement examinations in music history and music theory. Those who do not pass one or more portions are permitted one retest during the first semester of residence. If the retest is not passed, students must take the appropriate remedial course(s): MUCT 506, 507, and 508. These courses cannot be used to satisfy degree requirements.

A diagnostic test in ear training and sight singing is required of all entering theory majors. A single retest will be permitted during the student’s first semester in residence. If test results are still unsatisfactory, the student will be required to take Graduate Aural Skills (MUCT 505) without degree credit.

Specific degree requirements for each emphasis can be obtained from the graduate coordinator in the College of Musical Arts.

Ensemble and/or Applied Credit: A minimum of three semester hours of either ensemble or applied study is required for the Master of Music degree. Ensemble credit may be fulfilled by participation in one or more of the College’s large choral and/or instrumental ensembles, or in selected small ensembles. Applied study is a limited enrollment course, with registration priority given to students in the performance option for whom applied study is a specific degree requirement. Others are accommodated on a space-available basis and must confer with the appropriate applied faculty member by the end of the first week of classes.

Final Project Requirement: At the culmination of the degree program, students are expected to present a final project appropriate to their area of specialization. Credit for this requirement is given under the course numbers MUCT/MUED/MUSP 699 or MUSP 698. Students may enroll for up to 12 semester hours of final project credit, but no more than three hours will be counted toward the degree. All submissions must follow the schedule of deadlines published by the Graduate College.

Candidates in performance are expected to fulfill the final project requirement by presenting a public recital or recitals according to the degree specifications, and completing either a comprehensive examination or a thesis. Two CD's recording the recital(s) and two copies of the program(s) are to be submitted to the Coordinator of Graduate Studies in the College of Musical Arts. Performance students who follow the comprehensive examination option must submit a portfolio of work compiled during the course of the degree and pass a comprehensive examination based on the portfolio contents. Those following the thesis option must complete a written document on a subject related to their recital, performance medium, or its pedagogy.

Conducting majors are expected to compile on a video tape 30 to 45 minutes of music consisting of repertory approved by the appropriate conducting faculty. Ensembles used by candidates will be assigned by the faculty from standing College ensembles, or approved by the faculty.

Music education-Plan I students are expected to submit a thesis on a substantive issue in music education. Music education majors who are excellent performers may, with the approval of the area performance faculty and the chair of music education, fulfill the thesis requirement by means of a recital and document.

Composition students fulfill the final project requirement by submitting the score of an original musical composition. Specific guidelines regarding the length and instrumentation of the composition are available through the College of Musical Arts office.

Students in music history, ethnomusicology, and music theory must submit a thesis as part of the degree requirements.
Students whose final projects require the use of an audio tape or CD must comply with the College of Musical Arts criteria in recording and editing. Further information is available in the CMA Final Project Handbook.

Examination Requirement: Music education-Plan II students must pass a written and oral comprehensive examination at the completion of all course work.

Students in music education-Plan I, music history, and music theory must pass a thesis defense. Students in music composition must either arrange for a premiere performance or defense of their final project composition. Students in music theory, ethnomusicology, and music history must also pass a qualifying examination before beginning the thesis.

Graduate Courses
Please access graduate courses online at http://webapps.bgsu.edu/courses/search.php. Graduate courses offered by the College of Musical Arts use the prefixes: MUCT, MUED, and MUSP.