The Department of Music offers the Master of Arts degree in Musicology and Composition.
M.A. in Musicology with a concentration on New Orleans Music
The M.A. program allows students to take advantage of the unique musical culture of New Orleans while pursuing a rigorous curriculum in musicology. Study is focused on music and culture of the American South, the Caribbean, Latin America, Africa, and Europe and especially their interrelation in New Orleans. Methods of historical musicology, ethnomusicology, and musical theory are utilized in the interpretation and analysis of jazz, ragtime, classical, blues, funk, hip-hop, and other forms, while emphasizing the geographic and social context in which the music has been produced. Resources include the Hogan Archive of New Orleans Jazz, the Maxwell Music Library, the Louisiana Collection, the Amistad Research Center, the Stone Center for Latin American Studies, and the seemingly limitless possibilities of interacting with local musicians and institutions.
M.A. in Composition
Music composition is about creativity, imagination, communication and collaboration. It requires highly developed multilinear critical analytical skills, excellent organizational skills and a great deal of attention to detail. Music brings people from different backgrounds and communities together, enhances creativity, develops imaginations and helps you to make emotional connections with people. Several of our Music Composition program alumni have had highly successful and diverse careers as composers of abstract music and as faculty members and administrators at major institutions. Many others have successfully aligned their creative endeavors with interdisciplinary pursuits in areas such as multimedia, music for film, music therapy, music business, music and management, or entertainment law. Over the years, the Music Composition program has also graduated many alumni who have had highly successful careers in other diverse disciplines: from the sciences, to medicine, to finance, mathematics, and management.
If you have any questions about the following material please contact Prof. Sakakeeny about Musicology or Prof. Dulaney for questions on Composition or graduate studies.
Musicology Candidates for the M.A. degree must complete 30 credit hours of at least 24 semester hours of course work (including MUSC 7030 Intro To Graduate Study (3,4 c.h.)), pass a reading knowledge examination in one modern foreign language (French, Spanish or other with approval) by the end of the first semester, write an acceptable thesis, and defend this thesis in an oral examination for an additional 6 semester hours. Candidates for the M.A. degree in musicology with a specialization in New Orleans music must take the following:
| Course ID | Title | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| MUSC 6310 | History/Music In The US | 3 |
| MUSC 6340 | Seminar In Jazz | 3 |
| MUSC 7030 | Intro To Graduate Study | 3 |
| MUSC 7060 | Musical Cultures - New Orleans | 3 |
| MUSC 7930 | Independent Study | 3 |
| Select the other musicology requirements | 9 | |
| Thesis | 6 | |
| Total Credit Hours | 30 | |
This program accepts students every other year, and the next admission period is for Fall 2021. In addition to the requirements on the official application, applicants must submit a writing sample for consideration. The sample may be brief, and undergraduate papers are acceptable, as long as the sample demonstrates fundamental research and writing skills. Questions may be directed to Prof. Sakakeeny or Prof. Dulaney.
Candidates for the M.A. degree in Composition must complete 30 credit hours of at least 24 semester hours of course work (including MUSC 7010 Advanced Composition (3 c.h.), MUSC 7020 Advanced Composition (3 c.h.), MUSC 7040 Seminar Musical Analysis (3 c.h.)) and must present a recital of original works including a major, extended work (consult with Head of Composition for details) for an additional 6 semester hours.