Overview
Program Director
Dr. Joseph Carucci
Bliss Hall 3010
jwcarucci@ysu.edu
(330) 941-1439
Program Description
The Master of Music (M.M.) in Composition offers exceptional individualized instruction that focuses on the professional development and unique career goals of each student. Students work closely with the Composition faculty to develop skills they will use throughout their professional careers and that support their development as artists who communicate with their audiences with authenticity. They have the opportunity to take classes in music technology, music industry, and recording to ensure that they are prepared for the variety of media in which contemporary composers work (e.g., concert stage, film, musical theatre, video games, advertising, internet, arranging, orchestration, etc.). They also have numerous chances to have their music performed, compose for marquee ensembles (e.g., Dana Chorale, Jazz Ensemble, Wind Ensemble), and premiere their works in venues throughout the region.
M.M. in Composition 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.
The M.M. in Composition prepares students with advanced training to develop careers in a myriad of fields. Our alumni are Grammy®Award winning composers, arrangers, and audio engineers and may be found recording in Hollywood and Nashville studios; touring with diverse acts; 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).
- Evidence of analytical activities, or the sound files and scores for three original compositions are required for admission to the Music Composition degree program.
Degree Requirements
- Successful completion of 30 semester hours and all requirements specific to each degree.
- Students will take core courses in Music and Society (6980), Graduate Analysis (6922), and Research in Music (6960), 12 s.h. of advanced composition lessons and 9 s.h. of seminar electives.
- 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 1 | 9 | |
| Graduate Analysis | ||
| Research in Music | ||
| Music and Society | ||
| Applied Composition Lesson Requirements | ||
| MCMP 6903 | Advanced Composition | 3 |
| MCMP 6904 | Advanced Composition | 3 |
| MCMP 6905 | Advanced Composition | 3 |
| MCMP 6906 | Advanced Composition | 3 |
| Seminar Electives | 9 | |
| Total Semester Hours | 30 | |
| COURSE | TITLE | S.H. |
|---|---|---|
| Seminar Electives (select a total of 9 S.H. of the following) | 9 | |
| Pedagogy of Theory | ||
| Advanced Composition | ||
| Seminar in Musicology | ||
| Selected Topics in Jazz History | ||
| Independent Projects in Music | ||
| Theory Seminar | ||
Learning Outcomes
1. Students will demonstrate the ability to analyze and work critically with historical information (MUHL). Assessment: MUHL course-based project
2. Students will demonstrate an understanding of specialized knowledge of at least one aspect of Music Theory (MUTC). Assessment: Final exam in MUTC 6922 Graduate Analysis II
3. Students will demonstrate the ability to write in a scholarly manner about their area of specialization within music. Assessment: Project MUHL 6960 Research in Music
4. Students will demonstrate research skills and techniques through the creation of an original scholarly project. Assessment: Thesis
MUTC 5821 Composition for Minors 2 s.h.
Composition in two- and three-part forms, and other compositions of small scope, such as variation and sonatina. Works are composed both for piano alone, and in combination with other instruments or voice. May be repeated by composition majors to meet requirements for freshman and sophomore composition for majors.
Prereq.: MUTC 2632 with a grade of "C" or better, or permission of instructor for composition majors.
MUTC 5822 Composition for Minors 2 s.h.
Composition in two- and three-part forms, and other compositions of small scope, such as variation and sonatina. Works are composed both for piano alone, and in combination with other instruments or voice. May be repeated by composition majors to meet requirements for freshman and sophomore composition for majors.
Prereq.: MUTC 2632 with a grade of "C" or better, or permission of instructor for composition majors.
MUTC 5828 Music Technology 3 s.h.
An exploration of the use of computers and technology in music. Applications related to composition, performance, analysis, teaching, and research.
Prereq.: MUTC 2632 with grade of "C" or better or permission of instructor.
MUTC 5830 Materials of 20th Century Music 3 s.h.
Study of the various elements of 20th century compositions, including melody, harmony, rhythm, texture, and form.
Prereq.: MUTC 2632 with a grade of "C" or better.
MUTC 5831 Modal Counterpoint 3 s.h.
Sixteenth century contrapuntal style including introduction of species technique; analysis of liturgical and secular repertoire; writing of imitative counterpoint with stylistic rhythms and cadences.
Prereq.: MUTC 2632 with a grade of "C" or better.
MUTC 5832 Tonal Counterpoint 3 s.h.
Contrapuntal style of baroque music including an analysis of examples in imitative and invertible counterpoint; writing two- and three-part inventions and three- and four-part fugal expositions.
Prereq.: MUTC 2632 with a grade of "C" or better.
MUTC 5833 Theory Seminar 3 s.h.
Topics in music theory not covered in regular upper-division offerings. May be repeated once with different topic.
Prereq.: MUTC 2632 with a grade of "C" or better.
MUTC 5834 Electronic Music 3 s.h.
Techniques of analog and digital synthesis including tape composition, musique concrete; advanced MIDI applications such as sequencing and sampling; and digital audio editing. Composition in electronic and mixed media.
Prereq.: For composition majors, COMP 1502 or equivalent; for non-composition majors, MUTC 2632 with a grade of "C" or better; for non-majors, permission of instructor.
MUTC 5840 Instrumentation 3 s.h.
Ranges, transposition, technical characteristics, and tonal features of the instruments. Scoring for large and small ensembles which are available as laboratory reading groups.
Prereq.: MUTC 2632 with a grade of "C" or better.
MUTC 6903 Advanced Composition 3 s.h.
Individual instruction in the composition of larger forms for chorus, orchestra, or chamber ensembles.
Prereq.: Permission of Instructor.
MUTC 6904 Advanced Composition 3 s.h.
Individual instruction in the composition of larger forms for chorus, orchestra, or chamber ensembles.
Prereq.: Permission of instructor.
MUTC 6913 Pedagogy of Theory 3 s.h.
The study and critical analysis of methods for teaching harmony, sightsinging, and ear training.
MUTC 6916 Fugue 3 s.h.
Analysis of the fugal style used in 17th-century trio sonatas and in both volumes of The Well-Tempered Clavier by J. S. Bach; writing three to four voice fugues employing imitative and invertible counterpoint.
MUTC 6921 Graduate Analysis 1 3 s.h.
Foundational graduate study of musical analysis. Includes basic techniques of harmonic, melodic, and rhythmic analysis applied to a selection of music literature from the seventeenth century through the present time.
MUTC 6922 Graduate Analysis 3 s.h.
A graduate study of musical analysis. Topics may include Schenker, Riemann, set theory, twelve-tone theory, analysis of jazz improvisation, analysis of jazz composition, and analysis of jazz arranging techniques.
MUTC 6930 Baroque Music Styles 3 s.h.
Stylistic and structural analysis of compositions from the Baroque Era.
MUTC 6931 Classic Music Styles 3 s.h.
Stylistic and structural analysis of compositions from the Classic Era.
MUTC 6932 Romantic Music Styles 3 s.h.
Stylistic and structural analysis of compositions from the Romantic Era.
MUTC 6933 Twentieth-Century Music Styles 3 s.h.
Stylistic and structural analysis of compositions from the 20th century.
MUTC 6935 Jazz Theory 3 s.h.
This course examines the process of jazz improvisation and undertakes a critical evaluation of the existing modes of analyzing improvisation. Students will learn to differentiate between pedagogical, speculative, and analytical theory and to apply appropriate analytical techniques according to the musical context. Emphasis will be placed on the development of critical listening and reading skills.
MUTC 6936 Jazz Composition 3 s.h.
Students will study the styles of leading jazz composers and arrangers in the process of developing their craft and their own style. Assignments will include a portfolio of compositions and analysis of compositions by Jelly Roll Morton, Duke Ellington, Thad Jones, and others.