Music: Performance

Master's

Why This Program & What You'll Learn

Elevate your abilities and expand your professional opportunities as a voice or instrumental performer. You'll learn from accomplished faculty in studio, theory and history courses. And you'll be prepared to perform professionally in orchestras, chamber groups, opera companies, jazz bands and more as well as for teaching careers.

You'll have many opportunities to perform in our fully accredited program. Join the Chamber Winds, comprised of faculty and student musicians, that has performed at The Midwest Clinic and Michigan Music Conference. Become part of the Chamber Singers, our most selective ensemble. Or lend your musical talents to the Symphony Orchestra or Symphonic Wind Ensemble which performs several times a year.

Located in a modern 119,000-square-foot facility, you'll enjoy state-of-the-art resources. This includes our 500-seat concert hall with a 61-rank Casavant organ, 100-seat recital hall, digital audio technology labs, recording facilities and music resource center.

We offer a limited number of graduate assistantships with a tuition waiver of up to 20 credit hours and a stipend of $10,300. If awarded, you may teach 100-level courses or assist directors of large ensembles. It offers a great experience for students hoping to teach at the collegiate level.

Our alumni have gone on to perform on Broadway, in the Metropolitan Opera, San Francisco Opera, Saginaw Symphony, Kalamazoo Symphony, Panama City Pops and more. Others have pursued prestigious doctoral programs at Indiana University, Florida State University and Michigan State University. And still, others have found meaningful careers as private teachers and freelance musicians.

Program Highlights

As a performance graduate student here, you'll:

• Have opportunities to coach chamber groups, provide lessons to undergraduate non-music majors, and regularly assist in a music appreciation course monitoring and grading.
  
• Be prepared for prestigious doctorate programs (alumni have pursued programs at Indiana University, Florida State University, Temple University, Arizona State University, and more).
• Take advantage of opportunities to perform in orchestra chamber groups, jazz concerts, operas, festivals, conferences and competitions.
• Research alongside accomplished faculty – more than 90 percent perform regularly at the regional, national and international levels).