Music Performance - Master of Music

In addition to meeting the requirements of the university and of the College of Music students must meet the requirements specified below.

When applying for to the Master of Music degree program in music performance, an applicant must specify one of the following three broad performance areas that he or she wishes to pursue:  instrumental music, instrumental specialist, or vocal music.

An applicant who selects the instrumental music area must also specify the major instrument or group of instruments (e.g., piano, harp, flute, or percussion instruments) from the categories listed below:

Brass and Percussion: trumpet, horn, trombone, euphonium, tuba, and percussion
Keyboard: piano
Stringed instruments: harp, violin, viola, cello, double bass
Woodwinds: flute, oboe, clarinet, saxophone, bassoon

An applicant who selects the instrumental specialist area must also specify one of the following three major specialties:  brass instruments specialist, stringed instruments specialist, or woodwind instruments specialist.  An applicant who selects brass instruments specialist must specify the major brass instrument and two secondary brass instruments.  An applicant who selects stringed instruments specialist must specify the major stringed instrument and one secondary stringed instrument.  An applicant who selects woodwind instruments specialist must specify the major woodwind instrument and three secondary woodwind instruments. (Refer to the categories listed above.)

To be considered for to the Master of Music degree program in music performance, an applicant must present a live performance audition before a committee of faculty in the applicant's broad performance area. For an applicant who has a Bachelor of Music degree in music performance from Michigan State University, the live performance audition may be waived at the discretion of the faculty in the applicant's major area. With the approval of the faculty in an applicant's major area, an applicant may be considered for to the program on the basis of a high–quality recording of a recent performance, rather than on the basis of a live performance audition.  An applicant who selects the instrumental music, instrumental specialist, or vocal music area must submit either an audio or a video recording. An applicant who submits a recording may be admitted only on provisional status pending the presentation of a live performance audition before a faculty committee in the applicant's broad performance area.  The audition must be presented before the end of the first semester of enrollment in the program and must meet the requirements that are specified below.

The requirements for the audition are specified below:

1. instrumental music:  The audition must be on the major instrument or group of instruments that the applicant specifies.
2. instrumental specialist: 
   1. brass instruments specialist:  The audition must be on the major brass instrument and on the two secondary brass instruments that the applicant specifies.  If trombone is not the major instrument, it must be one of the secondary instruments.
   2. stringed instruments specialist:  The audition must be on the major stringed instrument and on the secondary stringed instrument that the applicant specifies.  If the major instrument is violin or viola, the secondary instrument must be cello or double bass.  If the major instrument is cello or double bass, the secondary instrument must be violin or viola.
   3. woodwind instruments specialist:  The audition must be on the major woodwind instrument and on one of the three secondary woodwind instruments that the applicant specifies.
3. vocal music:  The audition must be in voice.

To schedule an audition, an applicant should contact the College of Music s Office.

To be admitted to the Master of Music degree program in music performance on regular status, an applicant must have:

1. A bachelor's degree in music performance from a recognized educational institution, or have completed the courses in music performance that are required for the Bachelor of Music degree in music performance from Michigan State University or their equivalents.
2. Presented a live performance audition that was acceptable to the committee of faculty in the broad performance area.

Requirements for the Master of Music Degree in Music Performance

The student must meet the requirements for one of the following three broad areas of music performance:  instrumental music, instrumental specialist, or vocal music.

Instrumental Music

The student must meet the requirements for one of the following five major areas of instrumental music:  piano, brass instruments, stringed instruments, woodwind instruments, or percussion instruments:

Due to cancellations of many international English language proficiency tests, MSU will be temporarily accepting the following tests for international students applying for fall semester 2022. In addition, MSU will be expanding the ability for students to receive provisional admission. If a provisionally admitted student is able to take a test that meets our regular admission standards prior to enrollment, we will update their admission status to regular.