Top Masters Programs in Musicology and Ethnomusicology

Brown Ph.D. program in Musicology and Ethnomusicology allows students to study music of any kind from several perspectives, within a richly interdisciplinary environment.

The program distinctively flexible curriculum permits students to sample liberally from departmental graduate seminars, and also encourages them to explore course offerings in other academic units. Students begin learning the methods and materials of music studies with core seminars in ethnomusicology and historiography, while creating individually tailored programs of further study that suit their scholarly and professional needs. This might mean developing fluency in textual analysis, ethnography, historiography, critical theory and science and technology studies, all of which fall within the program inclusive approach to the study of music and sound.

Recent dissertations have explored such diverse matters as Afrocentric consciousness in Brazilian capoeira, carnival performance in mixed-race South African communities, Scandinavian white nationalism and Turkish intellectual property law. Students also have the option of taking courses within the music department outstanding Ph.D. program in Music and Multimedia Composition, of developing performing skills in several ensembles, and of engaging with campus entities like the Cogut Institute for the Humanities or the Brown Arts Initiative. A Brown doctoral degree in musicology and ethnomusicology leads to a career in college and university teaching, or to a position in applied work outside the academy.

Our program enables students to work closely with leading musical scholars, to perform in world music ensembles, and to undertake fieldwork in local communities and in locales ranging from Detroit to Bali, and from Chennai to China.

Housed within the Musicology Department, our program enables students to work closely with leading musical scholars. Located within the historically diverse city of Rochester, students benefit from opportunities for fieldwork with local communities. Fieldwork projects also take many students further afield, in locales ranging from Detroit to Bali, and from Chennai to China.

These seminars will give students a strong foundation in the conceptual approaches, methodologies, and intellectual histories of ethnomusicology while exposing them to cutting-edge topics in music studies. A list of recent course titles and their descriptions can be found here.

Links to certificates in World Music and Ethnomusicology can be found here.

West African Drumming EnsembleLed by Master Drummer Fana Bangoura, the West African Drumming Ensemble is dedicated to the dynamic percussive traditions of Guinea. The ensemble combines the iconic djembe hand drum with a trio of drums played with sticks, known as dunun, sangban, and kenkeni.

The department offers the doctor of philosophy degree (PhD) in ethnomusicology and the master of arts degree (MA) in ethnomusicology. At present, the department admits around three to five graduate students each year, for a total population of twenty students.

Additional information, specific to the musicology program, follows:.

Ethnomusicology candidates will be interviewed and admitted to the Musicology Department via the same process as incoming musicology students, which includes, among other things, the evaluation of writing samples. The same is true of any English language instruction that is required.

Residency: At least one year of full-time study is required.

Graduate students receive solid training in a variety of historical, historiographical, analytical, cultural, and ethnographic issues before specializing in a historical period, geographical area, or a combination of these and other fields.

The Division of Musicology and Ethnomusicology at any given moment has between 30 and 40 graduate students registered, roughly equally divided between majors in Historical Musicology and majors in Ethnomusicology. Approximately 35 to 40% of the students are at the Ph.D. dissertation stage, and a few of them are not resident in Austin while they write. Several students may be away doing fieldwork or archival work during a given year.

The first two years of study provide training in the practice and methodology of musicology and ethnomusicology. A minimum of 30 hours of graduate credit is required during the first two years of graduate study.

During the second year of graduate study the student will be expected to:.

Take an examination designed to test the student knowledge, including both repertoire and scholarly literature, of selected topics, announced in advance (see instructions for the Common Examinations on the School of Music DGS webpage) in European and American music and in ethnomusicology, and of music theory. This will include a four-hour exam in general music history, with questions directed toward PhD candidates in musicology ethnomusicology that are reflective of scholarly study and that include ethnomusicological topics (these questions will differ somewhat from those for DMA candidates) it will also include a four-hour exam in music theory. Under normal circumstances, these exams should be taken near the beginning of the Spring semester in the second year of study. Students who are exempted from the first year of study through an approved previous M.A. degree will take these exams during the Spring semester of their first year of study.

This second-year paper should explain and review a selected topic in musicology or ethnomusicology, survey and evaluate the available literature on the topic, and identify lines of inquiry which remain to be pursued. The recommended length for this paper is 20-30 pages of prose, in addition to the bibliography, with appendices and musical examples as needed.

The departmental evaluation of all students in the second year is based on course work completed to date, the paper, the results of the preliminary exam, and the student prospects for continued success in the field. The department judgment is a collective one. If the evaluation is favorable, the student may continue in the Ph.D. program.

Third-Year students in the Ph.D. program in musicology and ethnomusicology take a written four-hour special area examination dedicated to preparing them for the broad area of context and specialized area of focus for their thesis. Following completion of the written examination, the student will undertake an oral examination based on these same topic areas. The Special Area Examination is usually taken near the end of the Spring semester of the third year. Following successful completion of these exams, the student shall be admitted to Ph.D. Candidacy.

The special field should be defined broadly enough to demonstrate that the student has sufficient preparation both to write the proposed dissertation and to teach in a recognized area of musicological scholarship, without being so broad as to make in-depth knowledge of the field impractical. The written examination shall be four hours long, to be followed by a two hour examination which may, under specific circumstances, also incorporate the defense of the thesis prospectus.

Preparation for the Special Area Examination topics should also serve as preparation for crafting the Thesis Prospectus, a document of approximately 25 pages (excluding bibliography) that presents the background, thesis statement, significance of the study, delimitation of scope, methodology, review of literature, chapter summary, and working bibliography.

Generally, the oral exam for the Special Area Examination and the Thesis Prospectus Defense will be scheduled for two separate two-hour long events. It is essential that both the oral examination and the prospectus defense be allotted a minimum of one hour each. At least the first hour must be devoted to the oral examination. If at that point, the committee is satisfied and votes to pass the student, the defense of the prospectus may begin. If time is needed for the oral exam, that may continue for the full two hours, in which case the prospectus defense will have to be rescheduled for a later date.

MUS 618 Research Methods (3 credit hours)MUS 703 Proseminar in Musicological Methods (3)MUS 700 Medieval and Renaissance Notation (3)MUS 702 Seminar in Musicology (variable topics) (3-6)Advanced Music Theory (not including MUS 578 (9_Directed electives (including independent study) (9-18)TOTAL: 54.

The M.A. usually requires three semesters of full-time coursework. Research Methods in the first fall semester they are enrolled. Students in this program usually take four musicology courses, selected from among graduate offerings at the 600 and 700 level (which may include doctoral seminars). In addition, they take two or three advanced courses in music theory and analysis.

All students in the M.A. program must demonstrate reading knowledge of one foreign language. research interests. The Graduate School offers reading knowledge courses in French, German, and Spanish.

All students in the M.A. program must complete a Masters Thesis, which must consist of original work in the field of musicology.

At this point, the committee does not need to also include the outside member. At this point, the student may also change the membership of the committee if the thesis topic makes this appropriate. The composition of the committee must also satisfy Graduate School policy concerning full and associate graduate status for committee members.

Residency, language, research methods, and other requirements shall be considered.

Therefore, the bulk of for graduate students in musicology is through assistantships. The majority of entering Ph.D. students are offered full assistantships renewable for a total of three years. These assistantships carry an initial stipend of $10,000, increasing each year to $11,000 by the third year, plus full tuition (students must, however, pay some fees). For the first two years, each Teaching Assistant is usually assigned two sections (45 students each) of Introduction to Music for non-majors, for which they are fully responsible (with the exception of textbook selection, which is done for all sections together). In the third year, Teaching Assistants may be assigned other history courses for non-majors, such as Symphonic Music, Vocal Music, History of Jazz, or American Music. We are not usually able to award Teaching Assistantships to students in the M.A. program.

Entering and returning graduate students at either the M.A. or Ph.D. level are eligible to apply for several non-service fellowships offered by the Graduate School some of these are competitive campus-wide (including a Dissertation Year Fellowship), and others are designated for students in the School of Music. For application information, see UK Graduate Scholarships and Financial Assistance.

Each year, one student with an approved Ph.D. dissertation proposal will be awarded a one-year non-service fellowship of $11,000 for research and writing of the dissertation. Students should indicate their interest, in writing, to the Coordinator of the Division of Musicology by March 15.

Graduate students at either the M.A. or Ph.D. level may apply for research and travel support through the Rey M. Longyear Musicology Research and Travel Fund. Students are also eligible for support from the Graduate School and from the Friends of the UK School of Music.

1,500 students from around the world (both online and on campus) at Full Sail University.

Longyear Lecture Series is funded by a generous gift from Mrs. Katherine Longyear. Guest lectures and colloquia are sponsored by the Division of Musicology and Ethnomusicology and by FOCUS: the University of Kentucky Music Graduate Students Association.

For full details of prerequisites and other requirements, consult the latest Graduate School Bulletin.

For a listing of which courses will be taught in the next semester, consult the public Class Schedule.

The following courses are designed primarily for graduate students in musicology.

MUS 703 PROSEMINAR IN MUSICOLOGICAL METHODSAn introduction to a variety of philosophies and methodologies employed in musicology of the past and present, as well as to influential approaches absorbed from or shared with related disciplines. (Brunner, Hallman).

MUS 711 SEMINAR IN ETHNOMUSICOLOGYIntensive research-based study of specific problems and topics in ethnomusicology.

Other Graduate Courses in Music History and Literature.

The courses in this category are designed for students in all masters and doctoral programs in music.

MUS 504 MUSIC OF THE 19TH CENTURYA study of master works of music composed in the 19th century. (Arnold, Hallman).

MUS 507 TOPICS IN MUSIC HISTORY AND LITERATUREA focused study of a single composer, genre, or musical topic. May be repeated, with different subtitles, for up to 9 credits.

MUS 618 RESEARCH METHODSA survey of basic research techniques and materials in musicology and theory. (Hallman, B.

MUS 690 TOPICS IN MUSIC HISTORYInvestigation of critical and historical problems in musicology intensive study of a specific composer, genre, or school of composers.

Issues in Ethnomusicology: Vocal Music Practices from a Global Perspective (Spring 2011, Kwon).

MUS 300 HISTORY OF JAZZA listening survey course covering the chronological evolution of jazz from its West African and European roots, through its germination in America, to the present. Emphasis will be on the various styles and functions of jazz, particularly as they have been affected by changing social-cultural patterns during the twentieth century. (Pen, staff).

This course examines the music of a chosen country or region of the world. The study of the historical, stylistic, theoretical, and functional aspects of the music will be related to the socio-historical, philosophical and other cultural aspects of the people in that country or region.

MUS 504 MUSIC OF THE 19TH CENTURYA study of master works of music composed in the 19th century.

MUS 222 HISTORY AND SOCIOLOGY OF ROCK MUSICA listening survey course, with a chronological approach, covering the years 1950 present. Emphasis will be on both the music and the sociological climate reflected and advocated by the music.

MUS 0 MUSIC IN THE WORLD (Subtitle required)This course examines the music of a chosen country or region of the world. The study of the historical, stylistic, theoretical, and functional aspects of the music will be related to the socio-historical, philosophical and other cultural aspects of the people in that country or region.