Music M.M.

Admission Requirements

Students applying for admission to the Master of Music degree program must make application through the Graduate College website. There are different deadlines for international students, and for students who wish to apply for assistantships, which are also found on the Graduate College website. In addition to submitting an application and transcripts of all college-level work to the Graduate College, prospective students must present the following credentials:

1. An overall undergraduate GPA of at least 2.75 (or 3.00 in the last two years of undergraduate study).
2. An undergraduate GPA of at least 3.00 in music.

Prospective students must also present credentials to the Department of Music. Under the Program Information section of the online application, please be sure to list your specific concentration. (i.e.: flute performance, jazz composition, etc.). The following credentials must be presented to the Department of Music:

Master of Music-Performance

1) Two confidential letters of recommendation from former instructors attesting to the student’s ability to complete graduate work at an acceptable level.

2) A 500-word essay defining career goals and explaining how graduate studies in music will advance the applicant toward these goals. 

3) An on-campus performance audition.

Master of Music-Composition/Theory

1) Two confidential letters of recommendation from former instructors attesting to the student’s ability to complete graduate work at an acceptable level. 

2) A 500-word essay defining career goals and explaining how graduate studies in music will advance the applicant toward these goals. 

3) A portfolio of compositions including at least one work from three of the following categories: a) orchestra, band or chorus; b) solo instrument and piano or for solo piano; c) string quartet, brass quintet, woodwind quintet, or other small ensemble; d) set of songs for solo voice and piano; e) original composition scored for jazz ensemble. Additional works may be included.

Master of Music-Music Education

1) An undergraduate degree in Music Education or the equivalent is required for admission to the program.

2) Passing PPST I scores for Nevada found at www.ets.org.

3) Two confidential letters of recommendation from former instructors attesting to the student’s ability to complete graduate work at an acceptable level. 

4) A 500-word essay on the applicant’s philosophy of music education. 

3) An undergraduate degree in Music Education or the equivalent is required for admission to the program.

5) Provide portfolio evidence of two years of successful music teaching experience in the public school. This evidence may include, but is not limited to:

• A current resume
• A copy of your teaching credential
• Representative lesson plans for two classes
• Audio and/or video of your students’ learning or performing.
• Programs and other materials demonstrating programs you have given in the past two years 

Master of Music-Conducting

1) Two confidential letters of recommendation from former instructors attesting to the student’s ability to complete graduate work at an acceptable level.

2) A 500-word essay defining career goals and explaining how graduate studies in music will advance the applicant toward these goals. 

3) A videotape or DVD of a rehearsal and performance under the applicant’s direction.
 
4) An on-campus conducting audition.

Audition Requirements

All auditions must be presented by April 15 for fall semester admission and by October 15 for spring semester admission. Audition length, requirements, and contact information vary by area. Please consult the area coordinator for further information.

Placement Exams

Prior to registration, all Department of Music graduate students must take placement examinations in music history, theory, and aural skills/sight- singing, regardless of their area of concentration. Passing scores on these exams, or passing grades in the appropriate history or theory review courses (B or above) are required before students may enroll in graduate level history and theory courses. Credit for review courses will not be applied towards the degree.

Successful completion of MUS 690 - Bibliography  , with a minimum grade of B, is a pre-requisite for all graduate-level music history classes.

Music History Placement Examination

The examination is an assessment of accumulated knowledge. Students may wish to prepare, however, by reviewing the facts and concepts in J. Peter Burkholder, Donald J. Grout, and Claude V. Palisca, A History of Western Music, 7th edition (New York: W.W. Norton, 2006), the volumes of the Prentice Hall History of Music series, or similar texts. Students who show deficiencies in music history will be required to register for MUS 603 - Graduate Music History Review 

The examination is given prior to the first day of instruction for the Fall semester. The exact date, time, and location may be found on the Department of Music website: http://music.unlv.edu/home.shtml

Students must take the exam at the designated time; no make-up examinations will be given. Students who fail to take the exam at the scheduled time must complete MUS 603  before enrolling in any other music history course. This course is offered in the Fall semesters only.

For more specific details concerning the placement exam, please consult the Music History Handbook, available on the Music Department website: http://music.unlv.edu/home.shtml or contact Dr. Anthony Barone (702) 895-5953, (anthony.barone@unlv.edu).

Graduate Music Theory and Aural Skills/Sight-singing Placement Examination
A sample graduate theory placement exam may be found on the Department of Music’s website: http://music.unlv.edu/home.shtml

The Graduate Aural Skills/Sight-singing Placement Examination consists of:

1. Two-voice dictation
2. Three-voice dictation
3. Harmonic dictation
4. Two-part rhythmic dictation
5. Sight-singing of a melody in any of the modern clefs (treble, alto, tenor, bass). A single melody may contain clef changes.

Students who show deficiencies in music theory and/or aural skills/sight-singing will be required to register for MUS 604 - Graduate Theory Review  and/or MUS 602 - Graduate Ear Training Review  .

The Graduate Music Theory and Aural Skills/Sight-singing Placement Examination is given prior to the first day of instruction for the Fall semester and the Spring semester. The exact date, time, and location may be found on the Department of Music’s website: http://music.unlv.edu/home.shtml

Students must take the exam at the designated time; no make-up examinations will be given. Students who fail to take the exams at the scheduled time must complete MUS 604 and MUS 602 before enrolling in any other music theory course.

For more specific details concerning the placement exam, please the Department of Music Office or the Graduate Coordinator (702) 895-3332.