DMA Programs of Study by Major
Composition
Conducting
Early Music
Jazz and Contemporary Media
Music Education
Performance & Literature
Chamber Music & Accompanying
Doctor of Musical Arts with a Major in Composition
- See also "Doctor of Philosophy with a Major in Composition"
- Composition Department website
- NOTE: This major has a prescreening requirement.
Applying to the major in composition:
- Applicants to the DMA program with a major in composition must submit a minimum of three and a maximum of four scores of original compositions with the application by the application deadline. Oversized scores must be reduced to 11"x17" or smaller. Recordings of composed works are encouraged, but are not required. (DO NOT submit original scores. Due to the large number of scores received, submitted scores will not be returned.)
- A personal statement must be submitted with the application.
- A music history or music theory research paper demonstrating advanced analytic, scholarly, and writing abilities must be submitted with the application. It may be a term paper, seminar report, or an MA thesis, if applicable.
- Following faculty review of application materials, a limited number of applicants will be invited to Rochester to interview and audition.
Audition/Interview:
- DMA composition applicants must audition for entrance to this major. (The PhD degree program in composition does not require an audition.) Audition repertory should be chosen according to the same repertory guidelines for majors in performance and literature. (Composition majors with piano as their applied music subject should follow the guidelines given for non-performance majors.) Student compositions and pieces in jazz or popular styles are not acceptable for the purpose of this audition.
- On the same day that the applicant auditions in Rochester, he or she also will be scheduled for an interview with a member of the composition faculty. This appointment will appear on the applicant’s audition day schedule, which is distributed after the audition day opening convocation.
Specific program of study elements for composition majors:
- Applied music lessons – Majors in composition must enroll for applied-music study for a minimum of two consecutive semesters.
- Symposia – All composition majors are required to take CMP 491-494.
- Performance – For this major there is a strong secondary emphasis in performance. Two recitals are required comprising works by the composer, works conducted by the composer, and works performed by the composer on his or her major instrument/voice. In this last category, a standard work is required.
- Dissertation – Majors must submit a composition in the form of an extended work for orchestra, chorus, or large chamber ensemble as their dissertation.
Doctor of Musical Arts with a Major in Conducting (Choral, Orchestral, or Wind Ensemble)
- Conducting & Ensembles Department website
- NOTE: This major has a prescreening requirement.
Applying to the major in conducting:
- Applicants in conducting on the doctoral level should have held professional-level conducting positions for at least two years. Such positions may be within a public school teaching context, with a professional ensemble, or in an equivalent professional arena.
- All applicants must submit a preliminary conducting videotape with the application, by the application deadline. The videotape must show the applicant conducting at least two compositions in a performance, and at least two compositions in a rehearsal. The conductor should be in full frontal or partial profile view; at least part of the ensemble should be in view. Repertory should be appropriate to the musical and technical level of the ensemble.
- A music history or music theory research paper demonstrating advanced analytic, scholarly, and writing abilities must be submitted with the application. It may be a term paper, seminar report, or an MA thesis, if applicable.
- Applicants must submit a resume with the application.
- Following faculty review of submitted materials, a limited number of applicants will be invited to audition and interview in Rochester on a designated audition date. Invited applicants must come to Rochester, but should not make travel arrangements until after they have been invited.
- Prior to the audition date in Rochester, DMA conducting applicants will be informed of the required work(s) to be prepared for the audition.
Audition/Interview/Testing:
DMA conducting applicants are auditioned and tested in several ways.
- Applicants rehearse and conduct the prepared score(s) with an Eastman ensemble. Auditions are scheduled for 15-20 minutes.
- A three-part written exam is given on the audition day. The exam covers music history, theory (analysis), and score recognition.
- An aural acuity test is given to conducting applicants.
- An interview with members of the conducting and ensembles department faculty will be scheduled, either individually or in groups.
- There is no separate instrumental or vocal audition required, only a conducting audition.
Specific program of study elements for conducting majors:
- Foreign language requirement – Proficiency should be the equivalent of two years of undergraduate study in French, Italian, or German. If the necessary degree of proficiency is not reached upon entrance examination, a language will be a mandatory part of the student's curriculum until it is reached.
- Emphasis – Majors will declare an emphasis in the literature and performance of either instrumental, wind ensemble, or choral music, and will concentrate on that specialization.
- Applied music lessons – Majors in conducting must enroll for applied-music study for a minimum of two consecutive semesters.
- Performance requirement – Participation as conductor in three public concerts is required.
- Final project – For conducting majors, the final project normally consists of:
- A research paper dealing with selected repertory.
- One or more public performances of that repertory, in the candidate’s field of emphasis. A level of professional proficiency is expected. Performances must be scheduled at least two months after the final written research paper has been approved by the reading committee.
- A lecture-recital to be given in a rehearsal at least two weeks before the performance described above. A proposal for the research paper must be approved by the Graduate Professional Committee along with the candidate’s program of study.
Doctor of Musical Arts with a Major in Early Music
(Emphasis on Lute and Historical Plucked Instruments)
Applying to the major in early music:
- Prescreening – none required
- One article or paper
- Audition/Interview – All applicants to the major in Early Music are required to select and prepare an audition program that demonstrates, through advanced and varied repertory, their highest technical and musical achievements commensurate with the qualities exhibited by successful leaders/performers within the profession. The audition repertory should be a balanced recital program showing the candidate’s best technical and musical development. A live audition is required.
Specific program of study elements for early music majors:
- Applied study – Majors must enroll for applied music study for a minimum of four consecutive semesters. Students must be registered for one-hour lessons during the semester(s) in which they are preparing and/or performing a degree recital or lecture recital.
- Research and Writing Seminars – in musicology, music history, and/or theory. May include dissertation.
- Music Theory – choose 10 hours from
- TH 401 (Topics in Tonal Literature and Analysis)
- TH 451 or 452 (Counterpoint)
- TH 520 (Analysis of Early Music) or
- TH 524 (History of Theory)
- Minors/Electives – Students are encouraged to develop a minor field in consultation with their advisers. The minor field must be approved by the Graduate Professional Committee when the student’s program of study is submitted. Typical minors might include music history, performance practice, choral conducting, or opera production. Recommended courses to be taken for elective credit may include, but are not limited to, the following:
- MUY 503 (Notation)
- PRF 223/224 (Early Choral Literature)
- MHS 421 (Middle Ages) or 424 (Classic Period)
- CND 213 or 223 (Instrumental or Choral Conducting)
- JCM 403, 251, 451 (Improvisation)
- foreign language and literature courses
- MHS 481-482 (Special Topics in Music History)
- MUY 511/512 (Research Seminars)
- Opera 410 (Elements of Stage Production)
- PRF 431 (Voice Repertory)
- PRL 207/208 (Collegium Musicum) and PRL 277 (Baroque Chamber Music)
- GTR 402 (Seminar in Guitar Studies)
- Jury – All DMA performance majors must take a departmental jury during the first year of residency at Eastman.
- Recitals – Three recitals are normally required for this major: one solo, one collaborative, and one lecture-recital. No repertory overlap is allowed.
- Foreign Languages – For the DMA, proficiency in Italian, German, or French (equivalent of two years of undergraduate study) will be demonstrated by passing a written exam, which will consist of a passage from a contemporary theory treatise or from the secondary literature on the applied instrument. If proficiency is not demonstrated
on the exam, the student will be required to register for a course in one of these languages (for example, IT 101G-102G, Graduate Elementary Italian Review, or an equivalent course approved by the Associate Dean of Graduate Studies). The course receives one credit each semester, but these credits will not count toward the degree. The student must pass the course with a minimum grade of B. Proficiency is recommended in at least one other foreign language from the group of Italian, German, and French. - DMA Comprehensive Exam – DMA students in the Early Music program will take the current DMA written and oral comprehensive examinations. All DMA graduates of the Eastman School should possess a broad knowledge of repertory, of historical contexts for music extending from the Middle Ages to the present, and of appropriate analytical techniques for different repertories. While the written exam serves to demonstrate this broad knowledge, the oral exam focuses on the repertory and pedagogy of the student’s instrument.
Doctor of Musical Arts with a Major in Jazz Studies and Contemporary Media
- Jazz Department website
- NOTE: This major has a prescreening requirement.
Applying to the major in jazz studies and contemporary media:
- Applicants must submit two preliminary audition recordings with their application. One recording must demonstrate performance skills, and the other recording must demonstrate writing skills. Applicants must also submit three to four scores of their compositions/arrangements. (Refer to page 52 in this bulletin and to the supplemental application for specifics.)
- The Supplemental Application for Degree Programs in Jazz Studies and Contemporary Media must be completed and submitted with the application, by the application deadline.
- A music history or music theory research paper demonstrating advanced analytic, scholarly, and writing abilities must be submitted with the application. It may be a term paper, seminar report, or an MA thesis, if applicable, and may be on either a jazz or non-jazz subject.
- Following faculty review, a limited number of applicants will be invited to audition and interview in Rochester. (JCM auditions are not conducted at regional audition centers, nor are taped auditions acceptable. Invited applicants must audition in Rochester.)
Audition/Interview:
- Applicants to this major will be scheduled for three auditions on the same day: (1) a solo jazz audition accompanied by an Eastman student rhythm section; (2) a classical audition; (3) a group jazz audition with the other JCM applicants that day. The solo jazz audition should be prepared according to the guidelines on the Supplemental Application. The classical audition should be prepared according to the repertory guidelines for majors in performance and literature. Writing skills will be assessed as part of the audition. Further information on the audition may be found on the Supplemental Application and on the department website
Specific program of study elements for JCM majors:
- Once admitted, students are required to take placement tests specific to this major, in addition to the regular music history and music theory placement tests. These tests are given in jazz theory, jazz history, and functional jazz piano. Students with deficiencies in these disciplines will be required to complete review courses. Credits for review courses are not counted toward the degree requirements.
- Applied music and improvisation – Includes both jazz and/or classical applied study and independent study projects in improvisation or jazz composition.
- Research and writing seminars – Students may choose from among several options, including a dissertation.
- Music theory – At least one theory course must be an analysis course
- Jazz composition and arranging – Based on the background and experience of the individual
student - Minors/Electives – Students are encouraged to develop a minor field in consultation with their adviser. The minor field must be approved by the Graduate Professional Committee when the student’s program of study is submitted.
- Additional information on the program of study for DMA majors in jazz studies and contemporary media may be found on the department website.
Doctor of Musical Arts with a Major in Music Education
- See also "Doctor of Philosophy with a Major in Music Education"
- Music Education Department website
- NOTE: This major has a prescreening requirement.
Applying to the major in music education:
- Applicants to the DMA degree program with a major in music education must submit the Supplemental Application to Degree Programs in Music Education (see Admissions website) with the application, by the application deadline.
- Together with the Supplemental Application, applicants must submit a teaching portfolio for review by the music education faculty. The specific requirements for inclusion in this portfolio are detailed in the supplemental application, and include a résumé, personal statement, tapes, evaluations, etc.
- A music history, music theory, or music education research paper demonstrating advanced analytic, scholarly, and writing abilities must be submitted with the application. It may be a term paper, seminar report, or an MA thesis, if applicable.
- Following faculty review of submitted materials, a limited number of applicants will be invited to audition and interview in Rochester on a designated audition weekend. Invited applicants must come to Rochester, but should not make travel arrangements until after they have been invited.
Audition/Interview:
- DMA music education applicants must audition on their primary instrument for entrance to this major. (The PhD degree program in music education does not require an audition.) Audition repertory should be chosen according to the same repertory guidelines for majors in performance and literature. (Music education majors with piano as their applied-music subject should follow the guidelines given for non-performance majors.)
- On the same weekend that the applicant auditions in Rochester, she or he will be scheduled for interviews with members of the music education faculty.
- In addition to the interviews and audition, additional appointments may be scheduled.
Specific program of study elements for music education majors:
- Applied music lessons – Majors in music education must enroll for applied-music study for a minimum of two consecutive semesters.
- Performance – This major has a strong emphasis in performance. In most cases, two recitals will be required, one of which will be a lecture recital (with advising from the student’s applied teacher as well as a music education faculty member).
- Dissertation – A concept paper, or prospectus, for the dissertation must be submitted during the oral portion of the qualifying examination. DMA dissertations are research projects of large scope, normally qualitative and descriptive in nature.
- Reviews – Majors must undergo annual reviews in the department.
Doctor of Musical Arts with a Major in Performance and Literature
NOTE: This major has a prescreening requirement for voice and piano only.
Applying to the major in performance and literature:
- Prescreening requirement – All voice applicants must submit a preliminary audition compact disc or audiotape (CD is preferred) with the application and the vocal repertory form, by the application deadline. Repertory should include works in four languages. Complete details may be found on the vocal repertory form. Following faculty review, a limited number of applicants will be invited to Rochester to audition. Applicants should not make travel arrangements until they have been invited to audition.
- A music history or music theory research paper demonstrating advanced analytic, scholarly, and writing abilities must be submitted with the application, by the application deadline. It may be a term paper, seminar report, or an MA thesis, if applicable.
Audition/Interview:
All applicants to the major in performance and literature are required to select and prepare an audition program that demonstrates, through advanced and varied repertory, their highest technical and musical achievements commensurate with the qualities exhibited by successful leaders/performers within the profession.
Guidelines for Audition Repertory:
- Guitar: Applicants should be prepared to perform, from memory, excerpts from a full-length solo recital program
representing several contrasting style periods. - Harp: Applicants must prepare a 40-minute audition program, to be performed from memory, including works
representing at least three contrasting style periods. - Harpsichord: Applicants should prepare a program of not more than forty minutes, which should include a major work of J.S. Bach, along with repertory drawn from each of the following: the French literature of the 17th and 18th centuries; the English virginalists; Italian music of the 17th century, and a selection of the applicant’s choice from any historic period. Memorization is encouraged, but not required. Applicants are also
required to demonstrate skill in continuo realization. - Horn: Applicants should prepare a program
of solo, orchestral, and etude repertory which demonstrates professional standards of technical and musical development. Proficiency in natural horn is encouraged. - Organ: Applicants should prepare a program of not more than 40 minutes, including a major work of J.S. Bach. The program should reflect the applicant’s breadth of knowledge of the organ repertory, and their highest technical and musical achievements. Performance from memory is encouraged, but not required. If the applicant is skilled in improvisation, a five-minute improvisation may be part of the program. The application includes specifications on the Eastman organ used for auditions, as well as on arranging practice time prior to the audition. (See the “Schmitt Hall Organ Specifications” form.)
- Piano (majors in performance and literature): Applicants must prepare a 60-minute audition program, to be performed from memory, including one virtuoso etude and works representing at least three contrasting styles. An audition in Rochester is required. (Applicants may be admitted by tape and/or video only provisionally until an
in-person performance for the faculty has taken place.) - Piano (majors in composition, jazz studies, music education, theory): Applicants must prepare three contrasting pieces from three different style periods, including one piece by Bach. Student compositions and pieces in jazz or popular styles are not acceptable for the purpose of this audition.
- Strings: In addition to guidelines in this section, string applicants who are applying to the Orchestral Studies Diploma in Strings should consult the Supplemental Application for Orchestral Studies Diploma for specific repertory for the orchestral audition.
- Viola (20-minute audition):
• A major concerto from the 20th century, or contemporary repertory
• Two major works for viola and piano or solo viola, one written in the past 20 years
• A complete solo suite or sonata/ partita of J.S. Bach - Violin: Prepared repertory should include solo Bach, a complete concerto, and a Paganini caprice or its equivalent.
- Violin: Audition repertory should include works in four languages; these may be the same works as on the
preliminary tape.
Specific program of study elements for performance and literature majors:
- Applied study – Majors in performance and literature must enroll for applied-music study for a minimum of four consecutive semesters. Students must be registered for one-hour lessons during the semester(s) in which they are preparing and/or performing a degree recital or lecture recital.
- Jury – All DMA performance majors must take a departmental jury during the first year of residency at Eastman.
- Recitals – Three recitals are required for this major. DMA pianists will be required to play a fourth, collaborative, degree recital. Students in this major are encouraged to perform at least two of the three recitals by the end of the second year of study. The proportion between solo and lecture recitals will vary according to individual needs, but at least one recital normally will be a lecture recital. Students are expected to perform different repertory for solo recitals than that used in lecture recitals.
- Lecture recital – The lecture recital is the culmination of the DMA degree program, in that it requires the candidate to bring to bear his or her accumulated skills and knowledge in a presentation that demonstrates an ideal synthesis of performance and scholarship. Students are encouraged to develop the lecture recital out of research begun in a music education, music history, musicology, or theory course, an independent study, or a doctoral essay, though the topic may be unrelated to such enrollments. It may have to do with performance and analysis, performance practice, pedagogy, editions, new music, or other areas of the student’s interest. The basic format normally is a lecture, illustrated by brief performance excerpts, followed by a complete performance. Further details may be found on our website: www.esm.rochester.edu/registrar.
- Research and writing seminars – A total of 12 credits must be taken in musicology, music history, and/or theory courses. These credits may be taken as:
- Four MHS 590 courses; or
- Three MHS 590 courses plus another 500-level theory or musicology elective; or
- Two MHS 590 courses plus a doctoral essay; or
- A dissertation. A proposal for a doctoral essay or dissertation must be approved by the Graduate Professional Committee, which votes on the student’s proposal and which appoints a committee to serve as the final jury for the essay/dissertation.
- Theory – All majors in performance and literature take TH 401 and 402, plus one additional theory elective. Some substitution may be possible with the special permission of the theory department chair.
- Minors/Electives – Students are encouraged to develop a minor field (normally 12 credit hours, but a minimum of eight credit hours) in consultation with their advisers. The minor field must be approved by the Graduate Professional Committee when the student’s program of study is submitted. The minor field may occasionally involve applied-music study in a secondary instrument or voice (up to the stated maximum credits allowed).
- A minor field in music history for any major comprises four courses from the music history and/or musicology listings, at least two of which are at the 500 level and two of which are above the level of MHS 426.
- A student wishing to minor in composition must receive explicit permission to do so from the composition department. Such permission is granted only on the basis of review by that department of three or four works by the student. The minor will be a course of study assembled by the faculty, which will consist of a minimum of 12 credit hours. Of these 12 credits, there must be two semesters of composition study with a faculty composition teacher. Other courses from the offerings of the composition department will be determined according to the particular needs and abilities of the student seeking this minor.
- Voice majors must take one semester of choral ensemble during their first year of graduate study, that semester to be determined by the director of choral activities and the voice faculty. Participation shall occur as a result of audition with the choral conductor during audition with the choral conductor during auditions held at the beginning of each academic year.
Doctor of Musical Arts with a Major in Piano Accompanying and Chamber Music
Applying to the major in piano accompanying and chamber music:
- Applicants must submit the Supplemental Application for Majors in Piano Accompanying and Chamber Music (see Admissions website) with the application by the application deadline.
- The repertory lists for the collaborative audition are part of the supplemental application to this major. Applicants must choose works as directed on that form. Complete information on the audition requirements may be found on the supplemental application.
- A music history or music theory research paper demonstrating advanced analytic, scholarly, and writing abilities must be submitted with the application. It may be a term paper, seminar report, or an MA thesis, if applicable.
Audition/Interview:
- This major requires a collaborative audition, which must take place in Rochester. Eastman student vocalists and instrumentalists chosen by the director of the accompanying program will assist in the audition.
- In addition to the audition, all applicants will be scheduled for an interview with the director of the accompanying program on the audition day.
Specific program of study elements for piano accompanying and chamber music majors:
- Foreign language requirement – Within the first year at Eastman, students majoring in piano accompanying and chamber music are required to pass a language comprehension examination in French, German, or Italian. In addition, they must either successfully complete the vocal diction courses in German, English, French, and Italian with a grade of B+ or higher, or demonstrate diction proficiency in all four languages by examination.
- Applied music lessons – Majors must enroll for applied-music study for a minimum of two consecutive semesters.
- Minor field – In consultation with their program advisers, majors in piano accompanying and chamber music will develop a minor field in an area such as pedagogy, Baroque performance practice, opera coaching, or interdisciplinary studies in the humanities.
- Academic courses – Majors must enroll in three doctoral seminars in music history and an additional 10-12 credits in music history and theory.
- Jury – DMA majors in piano accompanying and chamber music must play a jury in December of the first year in residence.
- Recitals – Four recitals are required: one lecture-recital, one recital with a vocalist or vocalists, one recital with an instrumentalist or instrumentalists, and one additional recital, as determined in consultation with the program adviser.