Center for the Performing and Cinematic Arts / BOYER COLLEGE OF MUSIC AND DANCE

Learn more about the Master of Music in Instrumental Conducting with a Wind-Band Emphasis.

About the Program

The Instrumental Studies Department offers a program of study leading to the Master of Music in Instrumental Conducting: Wind-Band Emphasis. Students in the program have the opportunity to receive advanced instruction in technique, artistry and scholarship while preparing for success as a conductor-educator in an academic or professional setting.

Time Limit for Degree Completion: 6 years

Campus Location: Main

Full-Time/Part-Time Status: The degree program can be completed on a full- or part-time basis.

Interdisciplinary Study: With approval of the major advisor, students may elect to take up to 6 graduate credits outside the field of music.

Accreditation: This degree program is accredited by the National Association of Schools of Music (NASM).

Areas of Specialization: Students are trained to listen to the many events occurring simultaneously in ensembles; to learn how to conduct rehearsals; to appreciate how text can affect musical performance; to distinguish between the many different kinds of ensemble participation depending on the media; and to develop their pianistic skills in order to meet the demands of advanced chamber and accompanied works.

Job Prospects: The program prepares musicians for either professional activity or doctoral study.

Non-Matriculated Student Policy: Non-matriculated students may enroll in select courses in music with permission, but may not take applied lessons until they have been fully admitted and matriculated.

Financing Opportunities: Boyer College of Music and Dance offers a number of assistantships and academic internships to matriculated graduate students. Full awards carry a cash stipend plus full tuition remission for the Fall and Spring terms. Partial awards also are available in values of 1/4 or 1/2 of a full award. Duties for assistantships and internships vary, but typically include teaching, tutoring, classroom assistance, research, artistic performance and/or direct service related to academic programs. Assistantship and internship awards are made only in the Fall term for up to two terms: Fall and Spring. Awards may be renewed on an annual basis (typically up to one additional year for master's students and up to three years for doctoral students) based on departmental needs as well as satisfactory academic and musical progress by the recipient.

Admission Requirements and Deadlines

Application Deadline:

Fall: December 1

Applications are processed as they arrive up to the deadline date.

APPLY ONLINE to this graduate program.

Letters of Reference:
Number Required: 3

From Whom: Letters of recommendation should be obtained from evaluators who can provide insight into the applicant's abilities, talents and aptitude for graduate study.

Coursework Required for Admission Consideration: All applicants must present credentials that are the equivalent of the appropriate Bachelor of Music degree at Temple University, which is based on a curriculum of 124 to 135 hours.

Bachelor's Degree in Discipline/Related Discipline: A degree in Music is expected.

Statement of Goals: In a maximum of 1,500 words, describe your special interests within the discipline and expectations for the program.

Standardized Test Scores:
Applicants who earned their baccalaureate degree from an institution where the language of instruction was other than English, with the exception of those who subsequently earned a master’s degree at a U.S. institution, must report scores for a standardized test of English that meet these minimums:

• TOEFL iBT: 79
• IELTS Academic: 6.5
• PTE Academic: 53

Prescreening Video: For the prescreening video, the applicant's face and torso must face the camera and include 15 to 20 minutes of rehearsal and 5 to 10 minutes of performance. The video is submitted via Acceptd.

Written Analysis: Each applicant must upload to Acceptd a written score analysis of one of the following selections: Theme and Variations, Op. 43a by Arnold Schoenberg; Lincolnshire Posy by Percy Grainger; or Chester Overture for Band by William Schuman.

Resume: A professional resume is required. Instrumental teaching experience at the secondary level, community ensemble level, collegiate level, semi-professional level, or professionally is highly encouraged and is favorably viewed in the decision process.

Transfer Credit: A student who wishes to transfer credit should speak with their academic advisor and obtain a "Request for Transfer of Graduate Credit" form, found in TUportal under the Tools tab within "University Forms." Transfer credits must be approved by the advisor, the department chair, and the Associate Dean. The maximum number of credits a student may transfer is 6.

Other: Due to the large number of applications for admission and the competitive nature of its music programs, the College admits only a portion of its applicants. In addition to the general admissions credentials required of all Temple University graduate applicants, specialized admission criteria (i.e., auditions, portfolios, interviews, recommendations, departmental term papers, and standardized examinations) are very heavily weighted in admission decisions of the Boyer College of Music and Dance. Graduate applicants may be rejected for admission for failing to obtain the required level of proficiency in any one area of the specialized admission criteria regardless of the level of success in meeting the Temple University general admission criteria. In addition to the level of success demonstrated in the above-mentioned criteria, a final admission factor is the College's Optimum Enrollment Policy. This policy may preclude the admission of any student who meets the minimum requirements.

Program Requirements

General Program Requirements:
Number of Credits Required Beyond the Baccalaureate: 32

Required Courses:

Course List

Code	Title	Credit Hours
Core Courses
MUSC 8352	Choral Conducting Seminar II	2
MUSC 8535	Private Lessons: Instrumental Conducting Major	2
MUSC 8536	Private Lessons: Instrumental Conducting Major	2
MUSC 8537	Private Lessons: Instrumental Conducting Major	2
MUSC 8538	Private Lessons: Instrumental Conducting Major	2
MUSC 8539	Instrumental Conducting Seminar: Score Analysis, Programming & Interpretation of Wind Ensemble Lit (2 terms)	4
MUSC 8541	Advanced Orchestral Conducting I-II	2
MUSC 8544	Wind Repertory in History: European Antiquity through the 21st Century (2 terms)	4
MUST 8701	Research in Music	3
MUST 8742	Seminar in Theoretical Analysis	3
or MUST 8746	Seminar in Stylistic Analysis
MUST 8764	Studies in Performance Practice	3
Electives 1		3
Total Credit Hours		32

¹

Select from Music, Music Education, Music Studies, or other graduate departments. Advisor approval required.

Language Examination: Candidates in Instrumental Conducting: Wind-Band Emphasis must demonstrate competency in foreign language dictions at the time of admission to the program. Where the transcript or pass-off examination does not reveal such competency, the appropriate deficiency course in diction skills must be taken prior to completion of the master's degree.

Additional Requirements:
Diagnostic Examinations:
Diagnostic examinations in Aural Theory, Written Theory, and Music History are required for all entering master's students. The exceptions are students in Jazz Studies and Music Therapy who have their examinations arranged within their respective departments. In addition, Keyboard students take an additional two-hour examination in Keyboard Literature. As stated in the Boyer College Graduate Handbook, master’s "students may not take final qualifying examinations nor perform graduation recitals until all diagnostic examinations have been successfully completed."

The exams may be taken in one day or split over three days, or the exams can be taken online for a fee. Preparations are provided upon registration. Visit the Boyer College of Music and Dance website for the graduate music examination schedule and registration form.

Please note that registration for a student's first term of study is completed in consultation with the Associate Dean for Student Affairs. Please re-read the admission letter, especially the "Special Notes" section on page 2, regarding any entrance deficiencies. If any remedial coursework is required, it must be completed by the end of the first year of study. It is also best for students to complete MUST 8701 Research in Music, which is required of all students except those in Jazz Studies, Music Education, and Music Therapy in the first year of study.

A. Graduate Diagnostic Examination in Aural Theory

The examination lasts approximately 40 minutes and consists of a written portion in which students are asked to:

1. Dictate a chord progression that modulates and contains chromatic harmony by writing out the bass line and identifying chords by Roman numerals and inversions.
2. Complete a two-part melodic dictation that modulates and contains chromatic pitches.

B. Graduate Diagnostic Examination in Written Theory

The examination lasts one and one-half hours and is in two parts: 

1. Harmonic analysis of two chorales: one that uses diatonic harmony, and one that uses chromatic harmony.
2. Analysis of the form, motives and phrase structures of the first movement of a Classical-era piano sonata.

C. Graduate Diagnostic Examination in Music History

The examination lasts one hour and contains objective questions in a multiple choice and/or true/false format. It covers composers, forms, instruments, musical works, styles and terms from 1450 to the present. Sample questions are:

1. The basso continuo came into use in about which year?
   (a) 1500  (b) 1600  (c) 1650  (d) 1700
2. Who composed Das Lied von der Erde (The Song of the Earth)?
   (a) Mahler  (b) Bruckner  (c) Brahms  (d) Schumann
3. Which of the following instruments would not be found in the score of a symphony by Haydn?
   (a) horn  (b) oboe  (c) timpani  (d) trombone  (e) trumpet

D. Conditions for Exemption from Diagnostic Examinations

The requirement to take the Diagnostic Examination in any area is waived only for graduates of the Boyer College of Music and Dance who:

• matriculate and enroll in the term immediately following completion of all undergraduate degree requirements; and
• received grades of "B-" or better in every undergraduate course taken in each individual examination area to be waived.

Proficiencies in Piano and Musicianship:
The department evaluates proficiencies in piano and musicianship in the first term of graduate study.

Professional Development Policy:
In addition to taking the required subjects for their degrees, all students in the Boyer College of Music and Dance are obligated to serve in a number of capacities in order to enrich their academic and musical expertise. Boyer College of Music and Dance believes that such experiences give impetus to successful professional careers. Among the duties that may be required are conducting laboratory classes; tutoring; teaching private lessons; coaching; participating in the distribution and inventory control of Temple University-owned musical instruments and instructional materials; participating in ensembles; accompanying; performing at admissions and open house events; supervising performance classes; and engaging in other academic activities.

Performing Ensembles:

1. Touring: All students in touring performing ensembles are required to participate in all scheduled tours. These tours, usually one or two weeks in length, often take place immediately after termination of terms. Students must arrange their schedules to accommodate this requirement.
2. Non-Credit Participation: With special permission, graduate students for whom there is no ensemble requirement, or where previous ensemble credits exceed the graduation requirement, may participate in choral and instrumental ensembles without cost, with prior permission from the ensemble director, the department chair and the Associate Dean.

Independent Study Courses:
Independent study courses provide a special opportunity for graduate students to work in a highly individualized setting with one or more faculty members. All such study must receive the approval of the faculty member providing the instruction, the students' major advisor, and the Associate Dean. Approval is granted only after the student has presented a detailed description of the intended independent study project. Approval of independent study projects is granted only for students whose academic and musical record provides substantial support for the benefits of this type of study. In no case may more than 20% of a graduate student's curriculum be taken as independent study. Private lessons beyond those required in the curriculum are not an appropriate form of independent study.

Acceptable English:
All students, including those for whom English is not the native language, are expected to present all written work in acceptable English. No double standard exists to differentiate students on the basis of proficiency in the use of the English language. Students are also responsible for becoming familiar with the College's statement on plagiarism and academic honesty.

Graduate Private Lesson Policy:
Graduate students in non-performing curricula may take up to six credits of applied study toward the degree with the permission of the major advisor. Such non-required lessons may be taken only if the student can pass the normal graduate-level performing audition expected of performance majors. In this event, a fee of $200, not covered by tuition remission, is charged.

Alternately, a graduate student, regardless of major, with a demonstrable performing proficiency that may not meet the more rigorous requirements of a graduate-level performing audition, may, by audition, qualify to take two credits of applied study per term for graduate credit. These courses carry a fee of $400 plus tuition and may be applied to the non-performing curriculum for degree credit up to six term hours with the approval of the major advisor. Tuition remission may not be used to cover the private lesson fee.

Incompletes:
All incomplete grades and keyboard proficiencies must be fulfilled by the first day of the month in which the student expects to graduate.

Recitals:
Students in Instrumental Conducting: Wind-Band Emphasis present two recitals during the two years of study with members of the Wind Symphony, Symphonic Band, Collegiate Band, and other instrumentalists and/or vocalists:

• One is a public chamber recital with a Keynote© presentation, for which the repertoire is selected, with approval, by the student. At least 50 minutes of music are presented on campus in either Rock Hall or Klein Recital Hall, with adjudication by three full-time music faculty members.
• The second is a comprehensive public large ensemble recital, which comprises small and large performances with the Wind Symphony, Symphonic Band, and Collegiate Band throughout the academic year/concert season. The repertoire is selected by the conductor of the ensemble. Performances are presented in Temple Performing Arts Center and adjudicated by two or three full-time music faculty members.

Students must show evidence through Temple University academic records of having taken private lessons up to the time of the concert performances, both chamber and large ensembles.

Program Notes:
Students in Instrumental Conducting: Wind-Band Emphasis must provide scholarly program notes for compositions performed at public performance recitals, including details about the composer, the historical context, analytical components and inspiration. These are submitted to the Director of Bands four weeks prior to the performance date for review. The notes must be provided with the program at the public performance.

Keynote© or PowerPoint Presentation for Chamber Recital:
Students in Instrumental Conducting: Wind-Band Emphasis present a 30-minute Keynote© or PowerPoint presentation prior to the public concert. This presentation is presented one hour before the recital or one day prior to the public concert (location arranged by the student). The Keynote© or PowerPoint presentation includes salient and interesting features of the pieces and the program. The Keynote© or PowerPoint presentation is meant to supplement the concert experience for the audience and offer a platform for the student conductor to speak about the music, not to reiterate the printed program notes.

Portfolio:
Prior to taking the Comprehensive Examination, students in the Instrumental Conducting: Wind-Band Emphasis MM program must submit a portfolio. The portfolio is to include printed concert programs, recordings (audio and visual), resume, transcript, major projects and assignments completed during degree program, presentations, attendance at conferences and symposia, and any other documentation related to experiences in the program. The portfolio is to be submitted during the final term of study for review by the Director of Bands and Director of Athletic Bands.

Culminating Event:
Comprehensive Examination:
Taken in the final term of study, this three-part exam is:

1. tailored toward the student's coursework while in the program, and
2. standardized to cover a body of knowledge related to history and repertoire in relation to winds.

The Director of Bands mentors students, creates the exam, and administers the writing and listening portions of the exam. A small committee, including the Director of Bands, the Director of Athletic Bands, and one or two Conducting and/or Music Education (instrumental) faculty, is involved in the creation of the oral portion of the exam. The student is asked questions that are mostly from the major field but also include other areas of music, history, theory and related topics. The department schedules the exam, and the committee grades it pass or fail.

Contacts

Department Contacts: