A little background...
A few years ago I graduated with a bachelor's in history from an R1 research university. I had a near 4.0 in the program and was respected by the faculty; I was handily admitted to the Master's program. On the side during my undergrad work I did a few music gigs here and there, but it was never something I even remotely thought of as a possible career path (I had no formal training in music beyond elementary piano lessons and band. Never even took a music class or joined choir in high school). As it turns out, I was given an employment opportunity in the Church. This completely changed my trajectory. I ended up doing a Master's of Music to give myself a foundation in theory, composition, etc., and am finishing up a DMA.
I'm not having regrets about pursuing music as a course of study...but a strong part of me feels regret for having abandoned my first love. As a professional, I've written various articles that have made use of the research skills I learned in undergrad. I founded an education-based non-profit, and am a frequent lecturer on topics pertaining to church and music history. The university I was initially going to do my History graduate studies at specialized in Global History, and had faculty with monographs in areas pertinent to my own research interests (Reformation-era Christianity). I intend to do the research and write one way or another, but think I would benefit from the training I would receive from the graduate program at my original alma Mater.
SO, my question is...would the faculty bear ill-will that I ended up changing career trajectory (or would they even remember me)? Do you think I could apply straight for the PhD program without doing a Master's? The graduate handbook specifies that a Master's in History or a related field is required. Unfortunately, my MM specialization is in Music Education (I ended up working as a k-12 music teacher in addition to my church position, and had no experience in that realm either, so it seemed like the right fit), and a DMA is more performance based. I did study Music History at the graduate level, but it wasn't the concentration. Do you think this would be surmountable in applying for the PhD? OR should I just endeavor to do the research on my own and not seek further graduate study?
Thoughts you all could provide would be most appreciated!