Admission Requirements/Procedures

Proficiency Examinations in theory, history/literature, and placement interview-auditions in piano, composition, electronic composition, musical acoustics, and counterpoint. Before the student will be admitted to this area of concentration, the composition faculty must review and approve the student's prior compositional work.

Concentration Requirements

1. Required Courses:
• MUS 6100 Introduction to Research in Music (Credits: 3 hrs.)
• MUS 6620 Seminar in Composition (Credits: 3 hrs.)
• MUS 7000 Master's Thesis (Credits: 3 hrs.)
• Including oral exam.
2. Cognate Music Studies :
   Performance, music education, history/literature, theory, jazz studies (9-12). Must include at least one 6000-level course.
3. Electives to make a total of 30 semester hours.
   Must include a 6000-level music history and a 6000-level music theory course, unless already required in the program.
4. Proficiency in keyboard must be demonstrated, but course work may not apply to degree.

Admission Requirements/Procedures

1. Bachelor's Degree in Music or its equivalent. Including sixty (60) semester hours of acceptable coursework in music.
2. Two years of conducting experience in public school or equivalent experience recommended.
3. A DVD or videotape (VHS) demonstrating the applicant's conducting skills must be received on or before February 1. Applicants who pass this initial screening will be invited for a conducting audition prior to March 15.
4. A live audition will be administered on the Western Michigan University campus by three full-time members of the Conducting Faculty, with one being outside the applicant's conducting area. Applicants will:

   a) conduct an appropriate University ensemble on a work or on works to be selected in consultation with the appropriate conducting faculty member;
   b) demonstrate aural perception and score reading skills;
   c) Choral applicants must demonstrate keyboard competency, singing proficiency, and diction proficiency (English, French, Italian, and German).

   Applicants will be informed of their audition results within ten (10) days of their audition date by the Coordinator of Graduate Studies in Music. Applicants must be accepted to the conducting program prior to their first semester of enrollment.
   
   
5. Proficiency Examinations
   The Proficiency Examinations in music history/literature and theory must be completed prior to the applicant's first semester of enrollment. Applicants must achieve a passing score in each area of the examination. Remediation may be prescribed as a result of deficiencies in any of the audition/Proficiency Examination areas. Undergraduate courses prescribed to remedy deficiencies will not count toward degree requirements.

Concentration Requirements

1. Major Concentration-Band, Choral, or Orchestral:
• MUS 5300 Advanced Choral Conducting (Credits: 2 hrs.)
• MUS 5310 Advanced Instrumental Conducting (Credits: 2 hrs.)
• MUS 6000 Applied Conducting (2 semesters) (Credits: 4 hrs.)*
• MUS 6070 Conducting Masterclass (4 semesters) (Credits: 4 hrs.)
• MUS 6100 Introduction to Research in Music (Credits: 3 hrs.)
• MUS 6640 Form in Music (Credits: 2 hrs.)
• MUS 6900 Graduate Recital and Oral Exam (Credits: 2 hrs.)

*One component of MUS 6000 will be the preparation and performance of a work with a major ensemble each semester MUS 6000 is taken. Documentation of these performances must be included in the candidate's video log of conducting experiences which will be compiled over the course of the candidate's conducting study.

Conducting Majors must be attached to a major ensemble each semester of residency for mentoring purposes and to aid the conductor in sectionals, administrative functions, and ensemble rehearsal. The extent of these activities will be at the discretion of the ensemble conductor in consultation with the student's major conducting professor.

2. Required supporting studies in music:
   • MUS 5670 Orchestration (Credits: 2 hrs.)
   • MUS 5780, 5810 or 5820 Literature (Credits: 2 hrs.)
3. Cognate Music Studies :
   Six (6) hours of course work in a secondary area of specialization to be determined in consultation with the candidate's major professor and graduate coordinator. To be chosen from the performance, composition, theory, history/literature, jazz, or music education areas. Cognate must include at least one 6000-level course.
4. Electives:
   Electives are selected in consultation with the candidate's major professor and graduate coordinator and are to support the major curriculum.

MUS 6900 Component for Conducting Majors

Candidates for the Master of Music in Performance (Conducting) will be expected to develop a video log of all their conducting performances which will become a part of the materials reviewed by their Graduate Committees during the MUS 6900 Project and oral Examination process. The video log must contain a minimum of 20 minutes of conducting in performance in addition to any special conducting activities the student and major professor may choose to include. The MUS 6900 Performance Project may take one of two forms:

1. A juried Major Conducting project of at least 15 minutes in length may be performed with a major ensemble during the final semester of residency. All appropriate research documentation and program notes will be presented to the Committee at the formal hearing a minimum of two weeks prior to the performance. This performance will become part of the candidate's video tape log.
2. A lecture recital encompassing a minimum of 20 minutes of musical examples may be presented with a major ensemble during the last semester of residency. The paper upon which the lecture is based will be presented to the Committee a minimum of two weeks prior to the lecture recital along with the candidate's video tape, log, etc.

The video log and all supporting documents (i.e., programs, program notes, research materials) relating to the performances included on the DVD or tape will be made available in the Music Library for the candidate's Orals Committee a minimum of one week prior to the scheduled oral examination.

Admission Requirements/Procedures

A Bachelor of Music degree, or its equivalent, with a major in music education, and a teaching certificate are required for admission. Proficiency Examinations in history/literature and theory.

Concentration Requirements

1. Required Courses:
   • MUS 6110 Introduction to Empirical Research in Music (Credits: 3 hrs.)
   • MUS 6420 Philosophy of Music Education (Credits: 2 hrs.)
   • MUS 6500 Seminar in Music Education (Credits: 2 hrs.)
   • And culminating option (choose either a, b, or c)

     a) MUS 6810 Research in Musical Behavior (Credits: 2 hrs.)
     Every student is required to register for one of these culminating projects, each of which includes an oral exam. For students anticipating doctoral studies, a thesis is strongly recommended.
     Or
     b) MUS 6910 Special Project in Music Education (Credits: 2 hrs.)
     Every student is required to register for one of these culminating projects, each of which includes an oral exam. For students anticipating doctoral studies, a thesis is strongly recommended.
     Or
     c) MUS 7000 Master's Thesis (Credits: 6 hrs.)
     eight (8) hours of pre-approved graduate courses, including written comprehensive exam.

2. Electives in music education (Credits: 5-8 hrs.)
3. Supporting music studies in music history and music theory. (Credits: 8-10 hrs.)
4. Electives to make a total of 30-36 semester hours.
   Must include a 6000-level music history and a 6000-level music theory course, unless already required in the program.

Admission Requirements/Procedures

A Bachelor of Music degree or its equivalent (60 hours of music courses) and a major in music therapy are required for admission. Students who have a Bachelor of Music degree, but do not have a major in music therapy, may complete the required undergraduate courses, including the six-month internship, for Board Certification while the graduate program is in progress. This undergraduate credit, however, will not apply to the graduate degree. Equivalency requirements may be obtained from the Director of Music Therapy in the School of Music.

Upon entrance to the program, the student will take Proficiency Examinations in theory, history/literature, music therapy, and functional piano.Information derived from these examinations plus that derived from the audition, transcripts, and initial interviews will be used to determine the program of study.

Concentration Requirements

1. Required Courses:
• MUS 6110 Introduction to Empirical Research in Music (Credits: 3 hrs)
• MUS 6800 Seminar in Music Therapy (Credits: 2 hrs)
• MUS 6810 Research in Musical Behavior (Credits: 2 hrs)
• MUS 7000 Master's Thesis (Credits: 6 hrs.)

[The student must have completed the six-month internship required for Board Certification prior to enrolling in MUS 7000, Master's Thesis, and MUS 7120, Professional Field Experience.]

• MUS 7120 Professional Field Experience (Credits: 2-12 hrs.)

1. Elective music courses: (Credits: 6-9 hrs.)
2. Non-music electives:
   Selected from one of the following departments and including at least one course in statistics: Anthropology, Blind Rehabilitation and Mobility, Counselor Education and Counseling Psychology, Mathematics and Statistics, Occupational Therapy, Psychology, Sociology, Special Education, Speech Pathology and Audiology, Education and Professional Development. (Credits: 6-9 hrs.)

Admission Requirements/Procedures

Proficiency Examinations in theory and history/literature. The Performance Proficiency Examination will determine if the student will be permitted to pursue this major area of concentration. Sight-reading may be requested. Vocal majors must demonstrate piano skills and a proficiency in French, German, and Italian diction. Deficiency course work will not apply toward the degree.

Concentration Requirements

1. Required Courses:
• MUS 6000 Applied Music (Credits: 1-4 hrs.)
• MUS 6100 Introduction to Research in Music (Credits: 3 hrs.)
• MUS 6900 Graduate Recital (Credits: 2 hrs.)
• Including oral exam.
2. Cognate Music Studies :
   Composition, music education, history/literature, theory, jazz studies (9-12 hours). Must contain at least one 6000-level course.
3. Ensemble requirements:
   A minimum of two (2) credits of chamber ensembles and two (2) credits of conducted ensembles. (Keyboard majors are required a minimum of two (2) credits of chamber ensembles.) A maximum of six (6) credits of ensembles may be applied toward the Performance degree requirements.
4. Electives to make a total of at least 30 semester hours.
   Must include a 6000-level music history and a 6000-level music theory course unless already required in the program.