Program Director
Dr. Joseph Carucci
Bliss Hall 3010
jwcarucci@ysu.edu
(330) 941-1439
Program Description
The Master of Music (M.M.) in Music Performance offers exceptional opportunities for solo and collaborative performance, scholarship, and pedagogy and also provides avenues for students to diversify their studies with elective courses and professional skills that are relevant to their area of focus. The intensive applied curriculum provides students with skills they will use throughout their professional careers and supports their development as artists and teachers who engage their audiences with authenticity, in live performances as well as via digital platforms.
M.M. students work closely with a world-class faculty of performers, composers, and scholars who hold advanced degrees from some of the world’s finest institutions, including: Juilliard, Cincinnati Conservatory, Eastman, Cleveland Institute of Music, New England Conservatory, University of Southern California, Florida State University, and the University of Texas. Our faculty work with students to support their unique aspirations through the development of strategic experiences, thus enabling them to pursue a variety of professional opportunities in multiple contexts. Students are encouraged to develop their own specialized interests, including additional studies in pedagogy or collaborative performance; involvement in competitions, festivals, or recordings; or focused repertoire studies in areas such as new music or music of underrepresented composers.
Our students regularly win regional, national, and international recognition in performance and garner competition awards. They routinely perform as artists, chamber musicians, and artist-faculty at summer music festivals in the U.S. and abroad. They are accepted to prestigious graduate programs and have earned positions as academic faculty around the country and across the globe.
The M.M. in Music Performance prepares students with advanced training to develop careers in a myriad of fields. Our alumni are Grammy®Award winning artists and may be found performing with national and international ensembles; recording in Hollywood studios; touring with diverse acts; performing with the Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra; serving as award-winning producers, arrangers, and audio engineers; and working as academic faculty. Our degree helps students define future professional goals and equips them with exceptional skills for a successful career.
Admission Requirements
- Applicants for admission to graduate study in the Master of Music degree must present a baccalaureate degree in music from an accredited college or university. Admission requires a cumulative undergraduate grade point average of at least 2.7 (on a 4.0 scale).
- Auditions are required for all performance degrees.
- Successful completion of 30 semester hours and all requirements specific to each degree.
- Students in Performance, Music Composition, and Music Education will take core courses in Music and Society (6980), Graduate Analysis (6922), and Research in Music (6960).
- In performance degrees, students will also take applied lessons, ensembles, and two seminar electives. Performance degrees will culminate in a recital of 50 minutes of music. Candidates in Voice Performance are expected to be proficient in two foreign languages or else take two semesters each of two different languages (Italian, French, or German).
- The degree requires two 50-minute recitals.
- Students must maintain a minimum grade-point average of at least 3.0 (on a 4.0 scale) to remain in “good standing.” Any course grade of D or F must be repeated and passed with a grade of A or B and no more than 6 semester hours of coursework with a grade of C may count toward the minimum graduation hour requirements.
| COURSE | TITLE | S.H. |
|---|---|---|
| Core Requirements | 9 | |
| Graduate Analysis | ||
| Research in Music | ||
| Music and Society | ||
| Applied Lessons | 12 | |
| Seminar Electives | 3 | |
| Ensembles | 6 | |
| Total Semester Hours | 30 | |
| COURSE | TITLE | S.H. |
|---|---|---|
| Applied Lessons (12 s.h.) | 12 | |
Applied lessons are offered on: Bassoon (BASS), Baritone Horn (BHFN), Cello (CELL), Clarinet (CLAR), Flute (FLUT), French Horn (FHRN), Guitar (GUIT), Oboe (OBOE), Percussion (PERC), Piano (PIAN), Saxophone (SAX), String Bass (SBSS), Trombone (TROM), Trumpet (TRUM), Tuba, Viola (VIOL), Violin (VION), Voice (VOIC), as well as in Conducting (COND). | ||
6901 | ||
6902 | ||
6905 | ||
6906 | ||
| Seminar Electives (select a total of 3 S.H. of the following) | 3 | |
| Theory Seminar | ||
| Pedagogy of Theory | ||
| Jazz Theory | ||
| Jazz Composition | ||
| Seminar in Musicology | ||
| Selected Topics in Jazz History | ||
| Independent Projects in Music | ||
| Ensembles (select a total of 6 S.H. of the following) | 6 | |
| Dana Chorale | ||
| University Chorus | ||
| Concert Band | ||
| Wind Ensemble | ||
| Symphony Orchestra | ||
| Percussion Ensemble | ||
| String Ensemble | ||
| Men's Chorus | ||
| Dana Opera Ensemble | ||
| Contemporary Ensemble | ||
| Women's Chorus | ||
| Early Music Ensemble | ||
| Woodwind Ensemble | ||
| Horn Choir | ||
| Trombone Ensemble | ||
| Tuba Ensemble | ||
| Trumpet Ensemble | ||
| Jazz Ensemble | ||
| Composer's Ensemble | ||
| Gospel Choir | ||
| Chamber Orchestra | ||
| Chamber Winds | ||
| Guitar Ensemble | ||
| Jazz Combo | ||
| Chamber Music | ||
| Saxophone Quartet | ||
| Piano Chamber | ||
Learning Outcomes
- Students will demonstrate the ability to analyze and work critically with historical information (MUHL). Assessment: MUHL course-based project
- Students will demonstrate an understanding of specialized knowledge of at least one aspect of Music Theory (MUTC). Assessment: Final exam in 6922 Graduate Analysis II
- Students will demonstrate the ability to write in a scholarly manner about their area of specialization within music. Assessment: Final Project in 6960 Research in Music
- Students will demonstrate proficiency in their applied area. Assessment: Second year RECITAL of 50 minutes of music.