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Found In: Graduate Professional Curricula (MM, DMA)

06.02.11 MM - Major in Performance and Literature

Students who enrolled in their current MM degree program prior to summer 2009 are not affected by the updates indicated below. Please click here for degree requirements for students who enrolled in spring 2009 or earlier.

Residency: one year of full-time study required. See: (Residency)

All students in the MM/PRL program must accumulate at least thirty-six (36) credits to complete the degree. Credit for courses in which a grade lower than "C" has been earned will not be counted toward completion of the thirty-six credit requirement. A student who receives a grade of "C" in six (6) or more credit hours of the total credits for his or her degree will be considered to have an unsatisfactory record, will be placed on probation, and may be dismissed from the degree program. A student on probation may not hold a graduate award. Decisions regarding academic probation are made by the Associate Dean of Graduate Studies in consultation with the department chair and other relevant faculty.

Requirements in the various areas of study are indicated below:

1. CORE REQUIREMENTS(23-27 credits)

Applied Music - No more than sixteen (16) credits earned through private instrumental or vocal study may be used against the minimum of 36 credits required for the degree. Credits for major applied-music study are earned at the rate of four (4) credits for each semester of weekly one-hour lessons. No credit is granted for the degree-recital, but the student must be registered for applied-music study during the semester in which the recital is presented. All students in the MM PRL program are required to enroll for semesters of weekly one-hour lessons until the degree-recital is successfully presented. Students are expected to perform their degree recital in the third or fourth semester of the degree program. Students should also register for ESM 401 Master’s Degree Recital (0 credits) during the semester of their recital. Students majoring in performance and literature are not guaranteed more than four semesters of major applied-music study in their master's degree programs. Any exceptions to these primary (1-hour) lesson limits require the permission of the Associate Dean of Graduate Studies.

  • Primary Lessons – registration required through and including semester of recital
    • Piano, Organ and Voice majors must take four semesters (16 credits) of primary 1-hour lessons
    • All other instruments may either take
      • four semesters of primary 1-hour lessons (16 credits) OR
      • if the degree recital is completed during the third semester of the degree program, the student may choose to take only three semesters of primary lessons (12 credits). Selecting this option will increase the elective credits required for the degree by four (4) credits.
  • ESM 401 Master's Degree Recital (0 credits)

Music History - At least eight (8) of the 36 required credits must be earned in Music History or Musicology courses. This normally includes the two-credit MHS 480 (Bibliography) course and two of the graduate "Period" courses from the MHS 421-426 sequence. Additional "Period" courses may be taken for elective credit. Based on graduate placement exam results, specific courses in this category may be recommended and/or required. See (Placement Examinations and Remediation).

  • MHS 119 Historical Review1
  • MHS 480 Bibliography (2 credits)
  • Two of the following: (3 credits + 3 credits)

MHS 421: Music in the Middle Ages
MHS 422: Music in the Renaissance
MHS 423: Music in the Baroque
MHS 424: Music in the Classic Period
MHS 425: Music in the 19th Century
MHS 426: Music in the 20th Century

Music Theory - A one-semester course (TH 400 - Analytical Techniques-3 credits) is required of all students in the program. Students who received a bachelor's degree from Eastman should take TH 401 Topics in Tonal Literature and Analysis (3 credits) instead of TH 400. Additional 400-level or 500-level Music Theory courses may be taken for elective credit.

  • TH 117 and/or 118 Theory, Analysis & Musicianship Review1 (for students who matriculate fall 2007 and thereafter)
  • TH 400 Analytical Techniques (3 credits)

2. COURSE REQUIREMENTS BY INSTRUMENT (9 credits)2

Ensemble - No more than four (4) credits earned through participation in the School's various large and chamber ensembles may be used against the thirty-six (36) credits required for the degree. See (Ensemble Participation)

  • Students who major in voice shall register for and participate in a choral ensemble for one semester during their first year of graduate study, that semester to be determined each year by the director of choral activities and the voice faculty. Voice students who do not need the credit to fulfill their degree requirements may register for no credit and no tuition charge.

  • MM PRL pianists are required to accompany one singer and one instrumentalist during each semester of residence (up to and including four semesters). These pianists will be expected to find their own collaborative partners, with advice from their piano teachers if needed. This will include one rehearsal and one lesson per week with each partner. Recitals, juries, studio classes, and Eastman competitions may sometimes create a need for more intensive rehearsal. Recitalists and pianists should make reasonable adjustments for these events by mutual prior arrangement, but pianists will not be required to exceed more than eight hours of collaboration per month with each partner. Specific policies concerning professional standards and mutual expectations are outlined in a document entitled Collaborative Partnerships. All students are encouraged to become familiar with the information in this document. All MM PRL pianists who receive graduate awards in accompanying will automatically meet this collaborative requirement by fulfilling the terms of their graduate award, and will not have any additional collaborative responsibilities.

  • All MM PRL candidates in strings and in winds, brass, and percussion must enroll for two semesters of ensemble during the first two semesters of their study at Eastman. Students who wish to participate for more than two semesters may register to participate in large ensembles for no credit and no charge. See (Ensemble Participation).


  • Guitarists are expected to present a special jury-performance of a complete concerto for the instrument.

Electives and Other requirements - The remaining nine to thirteen (9-13) credits that constitute the minimum total of thirty-six (36) are a combination of specified courses and elective credits that vary according to the student’s primary instrument. These requirements are detailed below. All elective credit must come from courses numbered 200 or higher, NONE MAY BE EARNED FOR APPLIED MUSIC STUDY, and no more than six (6) may be earned in courses which are not music courses.

Guitarists are required to enroll for GTC 401, 402 (Seminar in Guitar--4 credits), harpists for PED 210, 211 (Harp Pedagogy--2 credits), harpsichordists for KBD 407 (Harpsichord Performance and Literature through the Eighteenth Century--2 credits) and KBD 443 (Keyboard Continuo Realization--2 credits), organists for KBD 421, 422, 423, 424 (Organ Repertoire--8 credits), and singers for CHB 431 and 432 (Voice Repertoire--2 credits).

  • Wind, Brass, Percussion, Strings
    • ENS 400 Large Ensemble-Fall (1 credit)
    • ENS 400 Large Ensemble-Spring (1 credit)
  • Guitar
    • GTC 401 Guitar Studies-Fall (2 credits)
    • GTC 402 Guitar Studies-Spring (2 credits)
  • Voice
    • Remedial Foreign Language1
    • CHB 431 Voice Repertory (1 credit)
    • CHB 432 Voice Repertory II (1 credit)
    • Ensemble as assigned (2 credits)
  • Organ
    • KBD 421 Organ Repertory I (2 credits)
    • KBD 422 Organ Repertory II (2 credits)
    • KBD 423 Organ Repertory III (2 credits)
    • KBD 424 Organ Repertory IV (2 credits)
  • Harpsichord
    • KBD 407 Perf. & Lit. thru 18th Century (2 credits)
    • KBD 443 Keyboard Continuo Realization (2 credits)
  • Harp
    • PED 210 Harp Pedagogy (1 credit)
    • PED 211 Harp Pedagogy (1 credit)
  • Elective Credit --all instruments
    As needed to make degree credit total at least 36 credits.

Arts Leadership Course Policy for MM Student Matriculated in Fall 2007 or thereafter:

Graduate students are encouraged to explore courses offered in Eastman's Arts Leadership program. Any 200-level ALC course that is cross-listed with a department (e.g., MUE 504/ALC 222) may be taken for MM degree credit and is subject to regular tuition charges.

Other ALC courses (400-level) may be elected by graduate students for non-degree credit free of charge. In such cases the ALP course may be used to bring the student to full-time status without incurring a tuition charge, but these courses do not fulfill graduate degree requirements.

Students who matriculated into their current master's degree program prior to fall 2007 may still take any ALC course at the 200-level for elective credit toward their degree. Approved by Graduate Professional Committee 2/7/2007. See (MM Elective Course Restrictions)

3. NON-CREDIT REQUIREMENTS

  • Residency: one year of full-time study required.

  • MM Listening Requirement: See (MM Listening Test)

  • Jury: Each student in the Master of Music degree-program in Performance and Literature must perform an official jury examination before receiving the degree. Normally, students in this program are expected to take the jury during their first year of residency at Eastman. Juries are held in December and April: consult your departmental chair for the exact dates of the juries in a given year. If the jury is taken during the first year of graduate study, this does not preclude the opportunity to take a second jury during a subsequent year of degree-study. Jury examinations for all students are requested by their major applied teachers, but it is the responsibility of each student in the MM/PRL program to see to it that s/he presents at least one jury examination before completing the degree program. See (Graduate Juries).

  • Oral Examination: The Oral Examination is administered by the student's major applied department and normally is taken before and is concerned primarily with the student's degree-recital. It is the student's responsibility to inform the chair of his or her major applied department of the date of his or her degree-recital, as soon as that date is established with the Concert Office. In consultation with the student's major applied teacher, the chair will then determine the membership of the student's oral examination committee and the date and time of the examination, and will report that information to the Department Secretary. The principal subject of the Oral Examination is determined by the student's major applied teacher. As was mentioned above, this subject normally is some aspect of the student's degree-recital. However, at the discretion of the major applied teacher, it may be some other topic relevant to the student's performance area. AT LEAST TWO WEEKS BEFORE THE EXAMINATION, the major applied teacher will inform the student of the principal subject of the examination, and the student will prepare a 10-15 minute presentation on the subject for the first part of the examination. The remaining portion of the examination will consist of questioning by the examiners on the subject of the presentation or on other topics related to the subject or to the student's recital. At the request of the student or his/her major applied teacher, one member of the Oral Examination committee may be from outside the department, such substitution being called for when the principal subject of the examination makes it appropriate. The chair of the examining committee will be appointed by the chair of the student's major applied department and will be someone other than the student's major applied teacher.

  • Degree Recital: One full-length solo recital is required of all candidates for the master's degree in performance and literature. The student must register for 1-hour applied lessons each semester until the recital has been successfully completed. The recital is to be prepared under the guidance of the student's major applied teacher, and the student must be registered for 1-hour applied lesson instruction with that teacher during the semester in which the recital is presented. The recital represents work the student and his or her major applied music teacher have done together through registrations for study both before and concurrent with the time of the recital presentation. These recitals normally comprise at least fifty minutes of music and demonstrate the student's ability to perform solo literature on an advanced level. At least two evaluators will attend the recital: the student's major applied teacher and at least one of the teacher's departmental colleagues. Both of these persons must approve the recital, and it is the student's responsibility to schedule the recital when all required evaluators can attend. Some departments require more than two evaluators to attend the recital; students should check with their applied teachers to make sure that the scheduling and evaluation of their recitals follow departmental procedures. The recital is to be scheduled in such a manner, also, that the oral examination can take place before the recital occurs. No degree-mandated recitals may occur after the last day of classes of either semester. Thus, students scheduling their recitals at the end of the spring term should assume that their oral examinations will take place before jury week. All arrangements for the recital are to be made by the student. Information concerning scheduling and other responsibilities of the student in connection with the recital are found in the booklet, "Student Recital Handbook," available from the Concert Office. MM PRL students must register for ESM 401 in the semester in which they plan to give their recital. There is no cost for recital registration, and no credit is awarded. A grade of "S" is recorded when the recital is passed. The results of the degree recital will be submitted to the departmental chair, who forwards the grade to the Registrar. Students who intend to graduate at the end of the semester in which they present their degree recital should plan to play their recital no later than the last day of classes.

Footnotes:

1 If required by department based on placement examination. Does not count towards 36 credit minimum.

2 Four (4) credit combined maximum for ensembles (ENS) and chamber music (CHB) courses not including repertoire courses, six (6) credit maximum for non-music courses. All courses must numbered at the 200-level or higher. Neither primary applied music instruction beyond sixteen (16) credits, nor any applied secondary music instruction count toward the elective requirement.

MM Degree Checklist:

It is the student's obligation to see to it that s/he has completed all requirements for the degree. Have you . . .

  1. removed all deficiencies revealed by the initial placement examinations?
  2. completed at least 16 credits (for piano, organ and voice) or 12 credits (all other instruments) of primary applied lessons?
  3. taken the Bibliography course (MHS 480) or its equivalent?
  4. taken at least two "period" courses in Music History at the 400-level (including any that were required on the basis of your placement examination?)
  5. taken TH 400 or equivalent?
  6. passed the MM Listening Exam or earned a grade of B- or better in MHS 435 Concert Repertoire: Museum or Living Art?
  7. passed the Oral Examination? If so, does Registrar have results?
  8. presented a satisfactory degree recital? If so, has Registrar received the signed recital program?
  9. removed any language deficiencies (singers only)?
  10. had transcripts sent to the Registrar's office to document any transfer credit?
  11. resolved any grades of "I" (Incomplete)?
  12. maintained continuous enrollment throughout your degree program?
  13. submitted a Degree Application form to the Registrar's Office to signal your intent to graduate?

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