- WHY pursue graduate study?
- WHAT are the degrees one can attain?
- Master of Music (M.M.)
- Doctor of Musical Arts (D.M.A.)
- Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.)
- WHERE should one attend graduate school?
- WHAT might one seek in a graduate school?
- A school that suits your needs and goals
- A school in a particular locale (most important for doctorate, unless you are seeking a “terminal masters degree.”)
- A school of your preferred size and setting (large, small, urban, college-town, near-urban)
- A school that provides good monetary value (expensive schools can be a worthwhile investment, some great schools offer great financial incentive to attend, some great schools are not very expensive).
- A school that provides opportunities for teaching assistantships, composition performances, use of facilities, and contact with key professors.
- HOW does one get accepted to graduate school?
- Be, look, and sound remarkable
- How to do this… see below
- Apply. You’ll need:
- Three letters of recommendation
- Four-six (?) scores with recordings
- A chronological list of compositions
- Other stuff (resumé, essays, etc.) as requested
- Some people work the system by meeting potential professors first at music festivals or by appointment.
- Be, look, and sound remarkable
- HOW might one be appealing to a section committee?
- Hone your craft and make your music vibrant. Work your @#$ off the summer after your Junior year.
- Prepare application materials to look professional-grade. Your materials (3-4 scores with recordings, good grades, 3 reference letters) must be complete, on-time and appealing.
- Have live recordings that sound fantastic. Here’s how to get them…
- Compose for instruments that will lead to great performances. Try percussion, piano, computer, and ensembles from strong departments.
- Plan recording sessions that are not concerts.
- Attend summer music festivals that will provide good recordings by advanced (professional?) musicians.
- Be an accomplished and confident musician aside from being a skilled composer. This includes:
- Have good performance skills, piano preferred.
- Be well-versed in contemporary music composers, techniques and trends. Good composers are new music fans.
- Have good computer skills. This includes email.
- Be well-versed in music theory, including these topics: set theory, Schenkerian analysis, spectral music, modern opera.
- Be well-versed in music from specialty areas, such as jazz, commercial music, ethnic music, etc.
- Cultivate appealing interests through participation in extracurricular musical (or non-musical?) activities
- You can either pay your way to an expensive school, or be someone to whom they can award a graduate assistantship (this probably won’t be a consideration in the application process, but may become a big factor soon after one is accepted.
- Suit the desired program’s values, perhaps by matching a department’s established aesthetic, demonstrates an appealing level of eclecticism or area of expertise, provides demographic balance, shows promise as a collaborator or contributor to department needs (tech? instrument performance? academic progress?)
Some Useful Links
Mark Phillips: Choosing a Graduate School in Music Composition
From Music School Central: