Music (Archived 2016-17 Graduate Catalog)

Chair: Jeffrey Showell
Graduate Coordinator: Robert Satterlee
Address: 1031 Moore Musical Arts Center
Phone: 419-372-2182
Email: musicgraduate@bgsu.edu
Program Web Page: https://www.bgsu.edu/musical-arts/prospective-students/masters.html

Degrees Offered
Doctor of Musical Arts in Contemporary Music
Master of Music

Program Offered
The College of Musical Arts offers two graduate programs, the Doctor of Musical Arts in Contemporary Music and the Master of Music.

The Doctor of Musical Arts in Contemporary Music (DMA) offers specializations in composition or performance (conducting, instrumental or vocal).  Contemporary music is defined for this degree as art music created after 1945, although chronological flexibility may be permitted according to individual interests.

The DMA develops versatile composers and performers through concentrated focus on contemporary music. The degree is grounded in applied study in composition or performance, but goes beyond traditional boundaries by integrating these practices in multidisciplinary seminars and discovering new contexts through studies in culture, digital media and music cognition.

The Master of Music degree program 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 five specializations—Plan I: comprehensive; and Plan II: comprehensive, instrumental, choral music education or teaching artistry.

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 for the Doctor of Musical Arts must have an earned master’s degree with a minimum GPA of 3.0. Students without a master’s degree may apply to the master’s program at Bowling Green State University. When the degree is completed, they may apply to the doctoral program. Applicants for the Master of Music 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 either the Doctor of Musical Arts or the Master of Music 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.

Doctoral candidates must submit a curriculum vitae, repertoire list, documentation of compositions or performances in the past five years, a sample research paper and three letters of recommendation. All doctoral candidates must present an on campus audition/interview. Specific details concerning what materials are required for composition or performance specializations and the procedures for doctoral auditions/interviews are listed on the College of Musical Arts web site.

Master of Music applicants electing the performance or conducting options must audition for area faculty.  Applicants electing music history, ethnomusicology, or music theory emphases must submit GRE scores.  Applicants electing music history, ethnomusicology or music theory emphases must submit examples of their work with their applications. All music education and music theory applicants must attend an interview. Applicants for the music education degree program must submit the following: (1) a 10-minute videotaped performance on an instrument or voice, (2) a continuous 15-minute videotaped teaching or rehearsal segment, and (3) a writing sample on a topic of the faculty's choice (contact the department chair for details). Music education applicants in the teaching artistry specialization must submit the videotapes listed above as well as an essay identifying their specific teaching environment, along with a proposal of goals to achieve and skills to be attained through graduate study. No interview is required for teaching artistry specialization applicants, but they must provide a letter of support from their administration or current education employer.

Degree Requirements

Doctor of Musical Arts in Contemporary Music
General Requirements: The Doctor of Musical Arts in Contemporary Music is a four-year program requiring a minimum of 66 hours beyond the master’s degree. Any required remedial work in history, theory or research methodology will be added to the applicant’s program and will not be counted in the required 66 hours toward degree completion. Course work is completed in the student’s area of specialization (composition or performance), a cognate of the student’s choice, multidisciplinary seminars, and electives. Students must also complete an off-campus internship designed to develop nonacademic career options.

Doctoral students must show a reading knowledge of one foreign language, as is appropriate to the particular specialization. As an alternative, a computer programming language can be substituted for this requirement with permission of the student’s doctoral committee. The language proficiency examination must be completed before the final semester of study.

Examinations: Written and oral examinations in music history and theory, with a particular emphasis on contemporary music, are taken after completing 40 hours of course work, not including the internship.  Examinations will also cover the student’s area of specialization. Successful completion of these exams will admit the student to candidacy. Upon admission to candidacy, the student will be allowed to begin the culminating experiences in composition or performance. A final oral defense is taken in the last semester of study and focuses on the culminating experiences.

Culminating Experiences: Students specializing in performance must present three solo/chamber music/ensemble programs composed of contemporary music (at least one off-campus). In some cases a major concerto performance with orchestra may be substituted for one of the recitals. Permission for any alternative to this requirement must be secured from the doctoral committee. The composition specialization requires a recital of original works and a composition project (original work for large resources). Students in each specialization must also submit a research paper, combining the individual’s major and minor areas of study, and a portfolio (collection of papers written during the degree program, programs, and tapes from performances).

Master of Music
General Requirements: Students must take placement examinations in music history and music theory as they begin their program. 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 5060, 5070, and 5080. 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 5050) 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. All students wishing to enroll in applied study must pass an audition for the faculty.

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 6990, MUSP/MUCT 6980, or MUED 6380 for Music Education Comprehensive Examination. 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 DVD 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, and ethnomusicology must submit a thesis as part of the degree requirements. Music theory students may submit a thesis or a portfolio of academic writing.

Students whose final projects require the use of a DVD 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.

Basic Fees and Charges
An applied music fee of $150 per semester hour or $300 for two or more hours is charged for one-half hour (1 credit) or one hour (2-4 credits) of individual instruction per week. A student enrolled for applied music has access to practice rooms and equipment without charge, in accordance with schedules and regulations determined by the College of Musical Arts.

Graduate Courses
Please access graduate courses online at http://www.bgsu.edu/registration-records/courses-and-classes/class-course-information.html. Graduate courses offered by the College of Musical Arts use the prefixes: MUCT, MUED, MUS, and MUSP.