M.A. in Music (Composition)

Performed in over 450 venues worldwide, our composition faculty write in a wide range of styles and idioms, but share a reluctance to impose their own stylistic predilections on students. Even in the days when circumscribed notions of academic music were most in force, faculty composers never espoused dogma, and invite for admission students along a broad range of the stylistic spectrum. They share a belief in solid grounding in both traditional theory and in the newest musical technologies, and emphasize collaborative relationships with performers. The department prides itself on the close relationship between student composers are our large graduate performing body. The tradition of new music championship runs deep in the department, which encourages performers, composers, and historians to interact in integral ways. The capstone of the MA in Composition is a composition portfolio. Preparation for this includes a grounding in Western classical theory (musicianship, counterpoint, and analysis), music technology, orchestration, specialized composition topics courses, and participation in weekly Composers Forum meetings. A principal aspect of training is weekly composition lessons. We operate on an “open studio” model: students have the option of studying with several teachers over the course of their study.