Overview
The Doctor of Musical Arts in Collaborative Piano focuses on repertoire preparation, technical control, collaborative awareness of balance, texture, musical flexibility, interpretation of text, and confidence in performance.
Admission Requirements
Each student has final responsibility to ascertain that he or she has complied with all applicable catalog requirements for graduation. Faculty and advisors assist students in developing their programs, but they cannot waive or vary degree requirements as these appear in the University Graduate Bulletin. Students must read the Doctoral Degree Requirements section of this Bulletin; that which follows pertains to School of Music practices and policies and it amplifies Bulletin statements.
Admission to graduate study does not imply acceptance into the School of Music for doctoral-level study. A maximum of nine (9) hours of graduate work earned before one has gained admission into the School of Music can be applied towards a degree. To gain acceptance, the following expectations must be met:
- DMA in Performance: possess a master’s degree and pass a candidacy audition prior to or during the first term of full-time residence or before completing nine (9) hours of course work.
- Take diagnostic entrance examinations before classes begin. This applies to all doctoral students.
- Statement of Purpose to include your area of specialization and your reasons for seeking an advanced degree.
- Resumé
- Three Letters of Recommendation
The Graduate Record Examination (GRE) is not required for admission to this program.
Students who are unable to meet regular admission standards may be considered for conditional admission. For details concerning conditional admission, see Admission Requirements and Procedures .
All other admission requirements specific to the D.M.A. apply to Collaborative Piano.
Candidacy Audition
All students must audition for the appropriate area faculty. This audition must be deemed “Satisfactory” before one can be accepted into the School of Music. Early auditions are encouraged, and a high level of performance proficiency is expected.
In lieu of a candidacy audition, with the approval of the School of Music Graduate Committee, students who will complete the Master of Music degree in Performance at USM may use their graduate recital. The appropriate faculty must attend the recital, and the printed program must state the total purpose of the concert, (e.g., “This recital is given in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree Master of Music in Performance, and it also serves as an audition for acceptance into the Doctor of Musical Arts curriculum in the School of Music.”) The student must begin doctoral study within one year of this audition.
Pre-screening Requirements for DMA Collaborative Piano Performance
- Two contrasting movements from a standard duo sonata for piano and instrument:
e.g. Beethoven, Brahms, Prokofiev, Franck, Schumann, Poulenc, Mozart
- Two contrasting art songs from the German, French, or English vocal repertoire:
e.g. Schumann, Schubert, Duparc, Fauré, Barber, Vaughn Williams
DMA in Collaborative Piano Performance Live Audition
A complete standard instrumental sonata for piano and strings, winds or brass. Prokofiev, Franck, e.g. Brahms, Beethoven
- The first movement from a Mozart orchestral reduction. Choose one from the following:
- Violin: K.216 in G major, K.218 in D major, or K.219 in A major
- Flute: K. 313/285c in G major
- Oboe: K. 314/271k in C major
- Clarinet: K. 622 in A major
- Bassoon: K. 191 in Bb major
2. Prepare 2 songs in each language, German, French and English (Total six songs). Below is a sample of the types of songs to include for you audition.They can include these selections, but you may also prepare your own.We will select two for you to perform at your audition.
German:
J. Brahms Meine Liebe ist grün or Wie melodien zieht es mir
F. Schubert Gretchen am Spinnrade or Im Frühling
R. Schumann Mondnacht or Widmung
French:
H. Duparc Extase or Chanson Triste
C. Debussy Il pleure dans mon coeur or C’est l’extase
G. Fauré Mandoline or Notre amour
English:
S. Barber The Desire for Hermitage or The Monk and his Cat
A. Copland Heart! We Will Forget Him!
R. Vaughan Williams The Vagabond or The Roadside Fire
Program Requirements and Academic Policies
Recital Requirements
Four recitals will be required in addition to the candidacy audition. Three will be a combination of vocal and instrumental repertoire. The fourth will be a lecture recital accompanied by a lecture document (approx. 30 pages in length). In order to ensure a holistic approach to collaborative piano, recital repertoire will be an equal representation of instrumental, vocal and orchestral reduction repertoire.
As a general rule, not more than one doctoral recital may be presented by a candidate during any academic term, nor more than two during any nine-month period. See the Coordinator of Graduate Studies for details. Students must inform all committee members of the dates for degree performances well in advance and must return a signed copy of the Recital Repertoire form to the Coordinator of Graduate Studies at least one week before the performance.
Requirement in Either Foreign Language or Specialized Research Tool
For most of our DMA students, satisfactory competence in English and also German, French, Italian or other foreign language specifically approved by a given student’s Advisory Committee is required for candidacy. Competence in a foreign language can be demonstrated by:
- having already completed three semesters (9 hours) of an undergraduate-level language course with a grade of B- or higher.
- completing two semesters (6 hours) of graduate-level coursework in German, French, Italian in reading for research with a grade of C or higher.
- Other languages determined to be particularly useful for a given student’s research are also acceptable, following the same certification path.
- completing the College-Level Examination Program (CLEP) test in French or German. The CLEP can be taken at many sites. Students must obtain a minimum score on the total test in one of the languages as follows: French–43; German–39. Satisfactory performance on language exams administered by the USM School of Social Science and Global Studies for any language accepted for this requirement can also serve this purpose.
- Students may fulfill the proficiency requirement for one language if they have completed an undergraduate major or a Master’s degree in a foreign language at any time.
Other languages may be required by the major professor and the graduate advisory committee instead of those listed above. Students may fulfill their foreign language requirement through having done the course work described above at another accredited institution, provided that the most advanced of the courses was taken within the last eight calendar years.
Exceptions: In most but not all DMA programs students whose native language is not English may fulfill the language requirement by presenting the results of the Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL, minimum score of 71), the IELTS exam (minimum score of 4.0), or the Pearson Test of English (PTE) examination. Alternatively, the foreign language requirement will be considered fulfilled if such a student has earned a degree at an accredited U. S. college or university (or at an accredited English-speaking university elsewhere). Additionally, students who have completed a high school, undergraduate, or Master’s degree (regardless of major) where the language of instruction was not the student’s first language, for example an English-speaking American student who has completed a degree where the language of instruction is French, the foreign language requirement will be considered to be fulfilled if a transcript, or official letter attesting to the language of instruction is submitted as part of the student’s university application.
Research Tools: In certain cases, a student’s research will require advanced competence in research methods or technology. Most of these students will be in the DMA in Conducting program. Such students may, with the written consent of their advisor and committee, fulfill this requirement by taking at least two courses from among the following (totaling at least 6 hours). This is not an exhaustive list. Other courses may fulfill the requirement with the approval of the student’s advisory committee and the Director of the School of Music.
MED 825 Seminar in Music Education
MED 629 Music Education Research Designs (fall semester)
MED 701 Quantitative Research in Music Education
MED 702 Qualitative Research in Music Education
REF 600 Foundations of Educational Studies and Research
REF 601 Educational Research: Interpretation and Applications
REF 602 Introduction to Educational Statistics
REF 761 Quantitative Analysis I (REF 602 pre-requisite)
REF 730 Qualitative Research in the Social Sciences I
REF 704 Epistemology in Social Sciences
REF 889 The Dissertation Process
Technology Graduate level technology course
Program-Specific Special Language Requirements
Voice Performance: The student’s transcript(s) must show grades of B- or better in at least one course in diction for singers and in two years of foreign language: German, French, or Italian (may include any combination of those languages). Students lacking these will be required to pass such courses in addition to the requirements for the degree. In lieu of coursework, satisfactory performance on language exams, administered by the USM School of Social Science and Global Studies, is acceptable.
Collaborative Piano Performance: Satisfactory competence in English is required. In addition, competence in either German, French, or Italian is required for candidacy and must be approved by the Advisory Committee. Competence in these three languages can be demonstrated by: a) completing two semesters (6 hours) of a graduate-level course in French or German or Italian in reading for research with a grade of B- or higher at a previous institution.
a) having already completed three semesters (9 hours) of an undergraduate-level language course with a grade of B- or higher.
b) completing two semesters (6 hours) of a graduate-level course in German or French or Italian in reading for research with a grade of B- or higher at The University of Southern Mississippi.
c) completing the College-Level Examination Program (CLEP) test in French or German. The CLEP can be taken at many sites. Students must obtain a minimum score on the total test in one of the languages as follows: French 43; German 39. Satisfactory performance on language exams, administered by the USM School of Social Science and Global Studies, also is acceptable.
Other languages may be required by the major professor and the graduate advisory committee instead of those listed above. Students may transfer these hours from an accredited institution upon admission, provided that the most advanced of the courses was taken within the last eight calendar years.
Course Requirements (60-84 hrs.)
The remainder of the course work will be guided by the counsel of the major professor and Graduate Advisory Committee. Curricular choices may be determined by several factors, including the student’s performance on the qualifying examination and entrance audition, and the student’s interests and/or professional goals. The following additional minimum distribution of graduate courses (including master’s degree work) is required.
- 30 semester hours (MUP, MUS) in performance music studio study, recitals
- 6 semester hours (MUS) in music history
- 6 semester hours (MUS) in music theory
- 6 semester hours (MUS) in music literature (MUS 692 /MUS 540 /MUS 541 )
- 6 hours (MED, MUP, MUS) electives (suggested)(MUS 538 /MUS 539 – French Diction or German Diction for Singers, English-Italian Diction, MUS 546 - Instrumental Literature )
Note:
A 3.0 GPA is required for graduation. To meet graduation requirements, no grade below a “C” is acceptable in any coursework attempted. No more than two (2) grades of “C+” or “C” across six (6) credit hours is allowable in any coursework attempted.
