hurf_durf

I don't know much about potential Ph.D programs in music technology, but I do believe that the field s ripe. There are many Music Education graduates that need to prove they are 1.) teaching across the curriculum (meaning that their music students aren't little Beethoven's in that their grammar is insufficiently developed), and 2.) using technology in the classroom. Using technology to explain the science of sound and perception will go a long way in fostering some of the fuzzier aspects of good performance, or can aid in developing necessary skills. As a quick example, many Jazz Band directors buy their music with fully notated solos, and maybe there's a better way to use technology that would encourage students to develop this ability--without the traditional feedback of "I like it" or "What were you thinking?". Creating that system or software for pedagogy would foster that kind of growth. Also, I think there's a budding field of psychoacoustics which will require an advance in music technology in order to be applicable to the average music teacher at all levels (primary, secondary, tertiary). For example, where there's the "music makes you smarter" trope, that leaves a host of unanswered questions: 1.) Which music makes you "smarter?" 2.) How does music make you smarter? 3.) As far as aural skills training, which system is best for students? Is there a better way? 4.) What kind of music makes you smarter? (if it's western art music, then why does is it not heard in modern society/culture at all? (maybe this is the provenance of a Musicologist, but it's a question worth asking). 5.) For whom does it make smarter? (nature vs. nurture--are there people with auditory processing disorders that could be helped more than the newish field of Music Therapy can currently provide? Can technology improve results in that field?) In the classroom, music technology is at the level of "Dr. Beat". In today's world of sophisticated software (we all have supercomputers in our pockets--for the first time in history), there should be notation software/a band director or conductor's tool that is pedagogically sound that, for the students: follows along with players, corrects their errors, indicates the degree to which a tone is off, in which section, and for the conductor: zeroes in on weak spots in error dictation in harmonic, melodic, rhythmic, and timbral dimensions that is not a series of many compact discs/workbooks of dubious usefulness or simple audio files, but something much more interactive. Also, the bane of the performance major in many Universities (especially those like my undergraduate institution--which accepted all students without an audition (God bless 'em!) is the Theory Lab or Aural Skills course. If there is there a better way to do aural skills than the traditional sight singing/ear training course with technology that can improve results, why not develop and incorporate that into the coursework? If everyone hates MacGamut and EarMaster Pro isn't rigorous enough, what kind of teaching tools can use advances in education (the "zone of proximal development" etc.) to bring musicianship back to what history tends to suggest was a higher level in the 19th century (without bringing back serfdom, patronage, and a societal caste system)? I'd be curious to know what your ideas for synthesizing these disciplines and the areas in which your research will take you. It may be groundbreaking (where there's not a lot of primary sources outside of your endeavor), in which case I think many universities will be eager to have a strong math person helping out a discipline that is branching out into more scientific work (Musicology via Statistical Analysis; Music Theory seems to be using increasingly sophisticated jargon in an attempt to explain post-tonal theory; Music Education is looking for tools that will elevate musicianship in conductors and students; etc). A good purpose statement rife with ideas, and maybe a portfolio of projects that move in this direction will indicate that you know what you want to do and you've already done some of it. Good luck!

I'll put the questions first and what was formerly a preface last--I accepted an offer of admission before an offer of funding (still TBA, but looking unlikely unless someone they offered admission and funding to is sitting on their hands, waiting to say no): 1. Should I expect to hear anything from the school itself between now and August? In other words, while I have e-mailed the coordinator of Theory and Composition and informed him that I am officially coming in the fall, and I have e-mailed and spoken with the Director of Graduate Studies prior to this decision, I haven't feel compelled to find out from either what's going to happen next, because I called the Registrar and found out the registration dates don't happen until July, making me feel like anything I do now is jumping the gun. It makes me feel like any calls at this stage is for the purpose of saying "Hello." 2. What did you do to secure housing after your accepted an offer of admission, and what was your timeline? In other words, and in the explanation below, if rates will be better in the late Spring/early Summer months, and higher in August, did you move before your financial aid was sorted out? If so, was it stressful? (We have savings enough to do this, but I think it would cause me to age prematurely and my hair to either fall out or go gray or both.) 3. Were there any big surprises or things you wish you knew in April before you started planning for August? 4. Were you able to make things work smoothly between loans originating from the Department of Education and loans from private sources? (The school has a relationship with Wells Fargo, and as long as we make more money than accrues monthly in interest we can keep our balance from growing beyond the initial arm/leg). 5. In the event you were not offered a TA position/funding, how did you gain teaching experience between your Master's and Ph.D (or, potentially, your DMA)? Teaching experience is definitely an interview question for Ph.D candidates in the field of Music Theory--the most practical application of the degree is securing a job at a College or University, teaching Music Theory. Some backstory: First of all, I am obviously a combination of excited and nervous. None of my peers pursued Music Theory and so I haven't bothered them: I have friends with Guitar Performance, Library Science, Music Education, Clarinet Performance, Vocal Performance, Musicology, and Composition degrees at the graduate level, but those who received degrees from my alma mater (CSU San Bernardino) largely went to a very expensive private school nearby (The University of Redlands), or stayed within the CSU System (CSU Long Beach, CSU Fullerton, Sacramento State), and by sitting on my hands for seven years and observing my peers, I figured that the best way for me to pursue a career in this field is to hop around the United States and tell employers I am willing and able to travel, and because I waited forever to apply to graduate school, I haven't bent their ears or felt like the time was right to ask for their advice. I started in the community college system and became a musician later in life without ever being in High School/Middle School/Elementary School Band or Choir, or had any kind of formal training before I was eighteen, so I'd like to think I spent these seven years in the wilderness doing the work I should've done before going to a school that accepts all music majors without an audition (the CSU system is awesome for doing this, and is the biggest reason why I feel I would be best suited to teach at the University level either at a Junior College or at the State University level--to give students in a similar condition to mine a fair shake--I believe the world needs more musicians). I recall saying at an interview that if I auditioned at a college to be a musician when I became a musician I would've been counseled into destroying my dreams and taking a minor in Music. At any rate, today is April 4th, 2016. I have officially accepted an offer of admission (on March 4th) from the University of Kentucky, and then my brain started to formulate questions that, like a many-headed hydra, multiply. Since then, I sent transcripts which have been accepted by the school (fulfilling the one (and hopefully the only) provision from the graduate school), received a Student ID# and a student e-mail address, I signed the terms and conditions for financial aid (I tried to call financial aid in Mid-March, but I was put on hold for upwards of five minutes (and who has time for that, in March, when August is what matters?)), and aside from that, I simply don't know what a prudent person would do as far as the next steps to take, and especially when to take them. For those who feel I am remiss for taking an offer without funding: I am trusting my gut in the decision that I made. I have little to no (school) debt from undergraduate work, and the pile of non-school debt that my wife and I share currently generates 0% interest. During this process I received what felt like a large amount of rejection letters (I applied to five schools, I interviewed at two, I visited three, I was rejected by three (Colorado-Boulder, University of Oregon, University of California, Santa Barbara), I haven't heard from one (University of Washington) but I'm assuming it's a no), and it made the prospect of waiting another year feel ... wrong. Since my undergraduate coursework ended in 2008, I am one of only two people I know of who graduated from my alma mater (CSU San Bernardino) who decided to look out-of-state for graduate study, and seven years after receiving a Bachelors degree before applying to graduate schools is a long time to wait for anything. An eighth year of applying to schools and then waiting for classes to begin is longer still. A ninth year (of waiting for the perfect school (the one I accepted an offer of admission from!)) to offer funding upfront, to me, is a ninth year of being outside an environment that feels like water to a fish, and is untenable). Finally, I accepted because the professor in Composition there gave me the green-light to study with him after listening to some of my work, which, as a non-composition major not entitled to lessons, might be worth indebtedness in and of itself (I have two undergraduate degrees--Music Composition and Music Education (the marriage of which I believe is as literal a definition of "Music Theory" as it gets)), and I relate to his philosophy as anti-Darmstatd, which is in accord with my own. At any rate, my wife and I have been looking into apartments in Lexington (we have a dog, and all of the University Housing is explicitly anti-pet (unless you have a fish or two) and I get the feeling that rental rates will rise across-the-board the closer to the Fall Term we wait. However, I won't know anything about a Financial Aid package until the middle of June. I intend on calling the Financial Aid department after May 6th (the last day of the Spring Semester) to figure out what I'm dealing with (in other words, figuring out what the average financial aid package that I could expect consists of) and I want to exercise prudence in this regard, at least. If people clear out of apartments nearby because they finished their coursework in May, the market might be better to look into for renting than in say, late June or early July. We have managed to save a bit of money and could afford a few month's rent while waiting for financial aid, but that would be nerve-wracking at best without me having at least a conversation with a real person in a real financial aid office. So the questions above have been swirling around in my head and they pop out of my mouth whenever my wife and I go on our 30-minute walk, and I'm sure she's tired of hearing the same five questions daily for a month. So I am asking you all for your opinions.

Another "me, too." This is what I've done so far: 1.) Realized that I won't be able to call the Financial Aid department and speak to a real person without waiting forever until the end of the current Spring Semester (early May) 2.) Realized I won't/probably shouldn't speak to the director of graduate studies until this time, either as I blew up his phone in February gushing about how happy I was to be accepted. 3.) Started paying off debts after moving all of our (wife and I) credit cards to 0% offers 4.) Started to make additional payments to student loans (currently I owe between 3.9 and 4K at 6.55%) 5.) Figured out that Wells Fargo will "top off" student loans; did some math problems. If I truly get the 20.5K in Student Loans yearly then Wells Fargo's daily interest accrual will mean that I will aim for Federal Work-Study (minimum wage; 10 hours/week), and try to get a weekend job waiting tables and use real money to make sure that the interest rates don't punish us too badly. Along this note, I figure refinancing via Lending Club or SoFi would be a smart move post-graduation. 6.) Resigned myself to the fact that funding is awarded yearly; I am currently doing a bunch of work at home to make myself competitive for next year. 7.) Figured out which relatives have money; mentally composing letters from the future when we are settled in a new state. 8.) Figured out which meals we should cook that will last for a week and are cheap. 9.) Crossed my fingers hoping for funding offers to come soon, but will carry on regardless. 10.) Factored in the cost of going to conferences and presenting research into the "top off" student loans equation in order to pad a C.V. (this falls under building castles in the sky, but I want to totally destroy the competition when I apply for a Ph.D) For me, and your mileage may vary-- I went to a CSU school, so I graduated with almost no debt, because the CSU system is really cheap, but has been a kiss of death when I'm up against students who have impeccable credentials in a shrinking, cutthroat, and competitive field (because no students=no money). Also, it's taken me seven years to pay off most of my student loans working really horrible jobs (substitute teaching) and this is probably my one and only chance to a.) escape California, and b.) earn an advanced degree. I am convinced that I went to a school that has either no reputation or a bad reputation in my field (Music Theory), and got two undergraduate degrees in closely related (but not exactly related) subjects within music (Music Education, Music Composition). I've been rejected by four out of the five schools I've applied to--I've visited three out of those five schools in person for interviews or for a campus visit, etc. I accepted the offer without funding, but it hasn't been removed from the table (e.g. I never got an e-mail starting with the word "Unfortunately..."). I'm pulling the trigger because the school I've been accepted to doesn't have a bad reputation, and when I get a Ph.D it will help and not hurt that I accepted my top school (but haven't heard anything about funding). I am toying with the idea of getting a teaching credential (hopefully there's a cheap State University nearby), and living like a substitute teacher while paying between 30 and 50 percent of my income towards loans before I apply for a Ph.D. (just in case I have to pull triggers without funding again). During the interview, I let it be known that the school I've been accepted at was indeed my top school and I'd go if I were accepted without funding, and it looks like it wasn't an empty promise. I got the letter in mid-February and a bunch of rejection letters by the beginning of March, which helped to clarify my decision. I accepted in early March. I am afraid that I will take on debt, too, but the alternative is to wait a year while all of my elderly letter-of-recommendation writing professors retire or move far away and forget to check their e-mails. Edits: parenthetical thoughts were never properly closed