Master of Music in Music Performance

Admission

Requirements

  • An undergraduate degree or the equivalent, in music with a grade-point average of 3.0 or above
  • Auditions
  • Voice or instrument option: Audition or an audition tape. Deficiencies may be made up by study at the MUS 410 level. 
  • Conducting option: Audition or an audition tape. Deficiencies may be made up by study at the MUS 311 or 312 levels.
  • Composition option: A portfolio of original compositions. Deficiencies may be made up by study at the MUS 410V level.

Placement Examinations

The Graduate Record Examination (GRE) is not required for admission to the M.M. program. However, students accepted into any Master of Music program at URI must take a post-admission placement examination in appropriate areas of music history and theory.

Students who completed their undergraduate degrees at URI are exempt from the placement examination unless it has been three years or more since their graduation.

Program of Study

All M.M. degree candidates must prepare a program of study with the guidance of the director of Graduate Studies in Music, Eliane Aberdam. This will then be submitted for approval by the Dean of the Graduate School.

The purpose of the program of study is to ensure that students, at an early stage, organize coherent, individualized plans for their coursework, research, and recitals. Credit hours may include formal coursework, independent study, research, preparation of a recital, essay, or thesis, and other scholarly activities as approved by the candidate’s major teacher, the director of Graduate Studies in Music and the dean of the graduate school.

The Master of Music degree may be earned through part-time or full-time study or a combination of both. Requirements for full-time students in the Master of Music program must be completed within a period of four calendar years. Requirements for part-time students allow, with special permission from the dean of the graduate school, seven calendar years for completion of the degree. Candidates must take at least 80% of the credits required for the degree at the University of Rhode Island.

Application Process

Applications are submitted online through the URI Graduate School, using the Centralized Application System (CAS).

To apply for a Master of Music, please visit and follow the instructions: https://gradcas.liaisoncas.org/apply/

Departmental acceptance is required prior to Graduate School admission. It is important for applicants to read entrance requirements carefully in the URI Music Handbook for Graduate Students. After the application is submitted, the following steps are taken:

  • Director of Graduate Studies in Music submits applications to the department’s Graduate Studies Committee.
  • The Committee reviews each transcript to determine the applicant’s qualifications and whether the content of the applicant’s undergraduate program can serve as a prerequisite for graduate study in music.
  • Applicant is informed by email whether the application is accepted by the Committee.
  • If the Graduate Studies Committee approves the application, any missing information, such as the results of an audition with the appropriate faculty in the applicant’s option area, is requested.
  • When all materials have been received, the application is forwarded to the Dean of Arts and Sciences for approval.
  • The application then goes to the Dean of the Graduate School, who will notify the candidate of the outcome. This process can often take several weeks.

Graduate Assistantships

The deadline is Feb. 1st every year.

To be considered for an assistantship, candidates should send their resume along with a letter of interest/request by February 1.

Please write about your experience teaching one-on-one lessons and/or in classroom/group settings. Mention relevant leadership experience, assistant roles, or any administrative work in a music or other organizational settings.

Write about anything else that you think would show your abilities in these areas, such as describing why you would like a graduate assistantship, explaining your strengths and weaknesses, your ability to teach introduction to Music, Basic Musicianship, or Introduction to Jazz, grade theory homework, or tutor ear-training, etc.

The letter does not need to be long.

Please send the email with these materials to Dr. Eliane Aberdam – eliane@uri.edu and music@uri.edu, by February 1.