Musicology Grad School

[angesa01]

Greetings to any Musicologists out there either starting the grad search or working on their degrees. I'm an undergraduate senior completely overwhelmed by the applications process and the lack of unified information concerning programs. I'm also going at this alone: no one at my conservatory (Sunderman Conservatory at Gettysburg College) is applying for grad study in musicology.

I'm looking for an MA program that leads to a PhD, or a PhD program where you earn your MA along the way. I am primarily interested in twentieth-century American music, Russian music and music of East Africa.

Anyone with any information regarding applying to grad school for musicology? I'm really clueless and would love information on HOW to get in, how many programs I should apply to and what, realistically, I should aim for. I'd love to attend Columbia, but I feel like that is a stretch coming from an undergraduate degree.

Thanks!

[Joel418]

Hi there!

I've just come through the process last year, and I would be happy to answer any questions or offer any advice you may need. Here are a few pieces of knowledge that I wish I had one year ago:

Preparation and research

1. Of course you'll want to find professors with your interests, but don't toss one out just because they're not exactly in your area of expertise; you'd be surprised how much it helps to have a professor who has a similar approach or philosophy, even coming from a different subject. Of course as an incoming Master's student, there's always a possibility that your interests will change, so who knows. Regarding your specific interests, I might recommend Margerita Mazo of Ohio State for Russian music, UT-Austin has a really great Ethno program (I believe with an East-African specialist), and Harvard has (or at least had a year ago) an American 20th-century expert. Here's a website that offers a full list of graduate programs in musicology:

http://www.ams-net.org/gradprog.php

(from the AMS website of course; if you're not yet a member, join today!)

2. Be sure to contact the professors you would like to study with as well as students currently at the school; if possible, try to find recent grads to discuss how their job-hunt is going with a degree in hand from University X. Be sure to attend the national AMS conference in Philadelphia November 12-15. Go go go to the receptions, meet students and professors, and even try to sit in on students giving papers from the schools in which you're interested to get an idea of the caliber of the work at the school.

3. If possible, visit the campuses. I realize that this can get very expensive very quickly, but if you have the means, it really helps to show your interest and of course put a "face" on your application.

The application

1. Don't underestimate the importance of the GRE if you are applying to any schools if the programs you are interested in:

a. admit only students that they can fund

b. find funding in a school-wide competition (as opposed to programs that control their own funding)

If both of these are the case, then the GRE is the only "standard of comparison" between departments. I can tell you from personal experience that such schools will take an applicant with the higher GRE score over the better qualified (one professor was even kind enough to tell me so...after the fact). I can tell you upfront that several of the "big-name" schools are in this situation. You will find plenty of folks that have a story of getting in with sub-par GRE scores, but don't listen to them. Getting into each type of department is different, and each school is different; if you're really not sure, just call the department and ask them the two questions above.

2. Although it should always be the most important part, the next most important thing is your statement of purpose. Have a clear statement of why you wish to pursue a career in musicology, how your past experiences have prepared you for graduate studies, and how you will fit into the program. If some part of your past academic life requires explanation, this is the time to do it, but be sure it's something that really must be explained (a bad semester or two, if followed by clear improvement, does not require explanation--unless a "bad semester" means all D's and F's

3. Be ready with all the paperwork: order your transcripts well in advance, make sure you're not waiting until the last possible test date to take the GRE so that you're not paying extra for expedited scores. Also, be ready to pay a lot in application fees; they will range from $50-100 per school, so certainly don't waste your money if you won't fit into a school at all.

Again, please don't hesitate to ask any questions, and best of luck in the process

[angesa01]

I really appreciate the time you took to write this reply. I'm stunned by some of what you said, but grateful! I've narrowed down the list of where I should apply and also, narrowed down my interests. I learned that it would be better to apply to PhD programs and that my interests really fall into ethno rather than traditional musicological study.

I'm considering Harvard, Columbia, CUNY, Brooklyn, UWashington, UCLA, Berkely, and UTexas Austin. I didn't realize GRE scores were so important! Columbia apparently expects a 1000 combined score. I'm rocking the GREs in a few days and I'm hoping for something in that range. Phili is near my school, so I will definetely be at the conference in November. Schmoozing with researchers, professors and other students sounds awesome and interesting.

How is Brandeis treating you? I was actually considering the school for awhile, but an email conversation with the chair of the program turned me off. What are your interests and what is the overall environment like at the Brandeis program?

Again, I really appreciate the time and consideration you put in the above response. It's nice to feel less alone in this process: I don't know anyone else applying for musicology programs.

[Joel418]

Happy to help, and best of luck with your applications If I can offer one more piece of advice: aim as high as possible with the GREs. During periods of financial recession, the number of and competition between graduate applicants goes way up (in other words, a score of 1000 may get you past the cut-off point, but may not be as competitive as the other applicants).

I'm loving Brandeis! The classes are great, good community of colleagues, and the professors are brilliant. The funding is exceptionally solid: a large stipend with health insurance, all guaranteed for 5 years; this includes four years of teaching, which will be especially helpful when it comes time to apply for jobs (at most of the other schools I applied to, you only assist as a "glorified grader" without anything that you can honestly put down as college teaching experience on your resume). Best of all, they really treat you like a "colleague in training", not just an advanced undergraduate who needs to be spoon-fed or led through a series of arbitrary activities. Of course it's also great to have Boston at your fingertips I'm sorry that you were turned off by your interaction with the Brandeis chair; if you do have any specific questions for me about the institution, I would be happy to help.

I focus on the French Baroque, in particular the influence of Italian sacred dramas of the 17th century on French sacred dramas of the same period. My writings focus primarily on Marc-Antoine Charpentier, as he was basically peerless in his generation as a composer of dramatic works on sacred themes, though I will be studying his predecessors as well as those who picked up the genre in the early 18th century. I will be working on my dissertation under Dr. Eric Chafe, whose brilliance in the study of Monteverdi and Bach will be a considerable help to me (Monteverdi being the "spiritual father" of the Italian musical dramatists of the 17th century (such as Carissimi), and like Charpentier, Bach having mixed the Italian style with his own nationalistic style in the creation of sacred dramatic works).

Again, all the best, and I'll hope to have a chance to meet you in Philly!