Master of Music: Performance MM at University of Wisconsin Madison

The mission of the Mead Witter School of Music is:

• to provide a rich, integrated program of undergraduate and graduate education that promotes the highest levels of professional, creative, and scholarly development while challenging students to achieve their greatest potential;
• to cultivate an environment that inspires creativity, stimulates intellectual curiosity, and fosters critical thinking; and
• to serve the university community, the public, and the profession through performance, composition, scholarship, music education, outreach, and engagement.

The Mead Witter School of Music enriches students' educational experience by hosting guest artists and scholars for master classes, recitals, colloquia, seminars, and festivals. Its performing organizations and ensembles perform more than 350 recitals and concerts every year, making a significant contribution to the cultural life of the university and the wider Madison community.

Mead Witter School of Music views its goals and objectives as complementary to those of the University of WisconsinMadison, which include "to provide an environment in which faculty and students can discover, examine critically, preserve and transmit the knowledge, wisdom and values that will help ensure the survival of the present and future generations with improvement in the quality of life."

The University of WisconsinMadison School of Music is accredited by the National Association of Schools of Music (NASM), and has been an institutional member of NASM since 1966.

Degrees and Majors

The master of music in music: performance is offered with majors in brass; composition; guitar; percussion; piano performance; collaborative piano; piano performance and pedagogy; organ; string performance; vocal performance; opera; woodwinds; multiple woodwinds; choral conducting; orchestral conducting; wind conducting.

A double master's degree with the Information School is also offered.

After completing their degree, some master's degree students may be interested in application to the DMA (doctor of musical arts) program. Entrance to the DMA program is upon recommendation of the faculty of the relevant performance area and usually requires an audition. No new application to the Graduate School or to the Mead Witter School of Music is required.

The DMA and the Ph.D. are the highest degrees conferred by the Mead Witter School of Music. The DMA is granted for evidence of general proficiency and distinctive attainment in a specialized field of performance. The student's ability in independent investigation is demonstrated through a series of recitals and in a final project presenting original research or creative scholarship.

Master's degrees require a minimum of 30 credits. Each degree track varies slightly, and details are provided in the course lists available through the Requirements tab. Contact the Mead Witter School of Music graduate office, [email protected], for complete explanations of the M.M.music: performance degree.

The M.M.music performance degree offers tracks for many major specialties, instrumental and vocal. Faculty members in the appropriate area designate a major professor for each new student the first semester of enrollment. Whenever possible the faculty strive to match the student with the major professor if the applicant to the program has indicated a preference.

Students normally take four semesters (two calendar years) to complete the degree requirements, including the final recital. There are two committees of faculty that assess the student's achievement of learning outcomes: the recital committee and the examination committee. The student consults with the major professor to determine the membership of the recital committee. The examination committee administers the comprehensive examination in the final semester in which the student fulfills course requirements. More details are accessible through the Policies tab or in the Mead Witter School of Music Graduate Handbook, whichlists all academic policies and procedures in music graduate programs. All students need to be familiar with the Graduate School'sAcademic Policies and Procedures.

Mentoring of students is of prime importance to faculty members at Mead Witter School of Music. The faculty advisor and the director of graduate studies both guide the student's course planning. While each faculty member has a unique style, every student can be assured of abundant time working closely with more than one mentor in addition to the advisor during the course of a UWMadison degree program. Take some time to access the Overview tab and review the Mead Witter School of Music mission statement, as well as the information available through the Learning Outcomes tab. These offer a glimpse of the values shared among the faculty and staff.

1. Communicates well-developed musical ideas clearly and energetically in performance and, where applicable, in compositions.
2. Demonstrates knowledge of appropriate stylistic details in performance of music from a variety of historical periods and cultural origins.
3. Draws upon extensive understanding of a variety of musical cultures and historical periods for the preparation of a performance or a composition.
4. Selects the most appropriate methods of technique or notation to achieve the intended result in performance.
5. Shows ability to express, verbally and in writing, musical ideas and interpretive conclusions to peers and colleagues.
6. Recognizes and applies principles of ethical and professional conduct.
7. Respects colleagues and values contributions of others in collaborative endeavors.