Graduate Concentrations

Prospective Ethnomusicology Students

Ethnomusicologists attempt to understand and interpret musical action and the interrelationship of musical and other social domains in world cultures. The fact that musical phenomena are constantly changing challenges the ethnomusicologist to provide continuing interpretations of the world's various musics.

The overall aims of the Hunter College Graduate Studies in Ethnomusicology are to provide a theoretical and methodological foundation and to prepare individuals to develop new or adapt existing concepts for solving current problems. The curriculum, therefore, addresses a broad range of problems from a research perspective in which both humanistic and scientific considerations are integrated. The three core courses in ethnomusicology, along with the anthropology and musicology courses, are designed to enable the accomplishment of the central aims, while the variable topics seminars in ethnomusicology afford further preparation for the investigation of an issue or geographical region of individual interest. Ethnomusicology students have at their disposal the world-renowned Alan Lomax Collection and the Centro de Estudios Puertorriquenos.

Prospective Ethnomusicology students should contact Barbara Hampton or the Graduate Adviser to find out more about our program.

Degree Requirements for Ethnomusicology Students

MUS 70000 – Music Bibliography and Research Techniques

Earn at least 6 credits from the following:
MUS 72400 – Advanced Studies In Music Theory 1
MUS 72500 – Advanced Studies in Music Theory II
MUS 74000 – Seminar in Music Theory and Analysis

Earn at least 6 credits from the following:
MUS 75100 – Advanced Studies in Musicology 1
MUS 75200 – Advanced Studies in Musicology 2
MUS 76000 – Seminar in Musicology

Earn at least 3 credits from the following:
MUS 71000 – The Hunter Symphony
MUS 71100 – The College Choir
MUS 71300 – Chamber Music
MUS 71400 – Collegium Musicum
MUS 71500 – Jazz Ensemble
MUS 71600 – Jazz Vocal Workshop Ensemble
MUS 71700 – Piano Performance Class
MUS 71701 – Improvisation & Composition for Classical Pianists
MUS 71702 – Topics in Piano Performance, The Art of Transcription
MUS 71703 – Collaborative Piano
MUS 71800 – Vocal Performance Class
MUS 71801 – Opera Scenes
MUS 71802 – Vocal Ornamentation for Classical Singers
MUS 71803 – Creating Opera: A Workshop for Singers
MUS 71804 – Art Song
MUS 71805 – Oratorio: Arias and Ensembles
MUS 71806 – The Art of Cabaret
MUS 71807 – Opera Music Theater Workshop
MUS 72100 – Jazz and Popular Music Combos

Complete ALL of the following Courses:
ANTH 70100 – Foundations of Anthropology
MUS 75300 – Transcription and Analysis in Ethnomusicology
MUS 79800 – Thesis In Music History, Music Theory Or Ethnomusicology
MUS 77500 – Seminar In Ethnomusicology 1
OR MUS 77600 – Seminar in Ethnomusicology 2

Click here for the graduate catalog's list of required courses for your MA-Music concentration

In certain cases, substitutions for these required courses may be made in consultation with the Graduate Adviser and the Director of Studies in Composition. A maximum of 12 credits transferred from other institutions might be accepted toward the M.A. Degree. For credits to transfer, the student must have gotten a B or higher in the class and the class must have occurred within the last four-five years.

The following is a description of the core courses in Ethnomusicology:

MUS 775 Seminar in Ethnomusicology I

Content: A history of the discipline; the development of theories and methods; selected problems.
Pedagogical Input: This course equips the student with skills necessary to describe and explain musical systems in various cultures. Seminars will assume the form of lecture-discussion sessions.
Student Requirements: Students are required to read assigned material relevant to theories which have gained currency in ethnomusicology, assess the theories and understand their place in the history of ethnomusicology. A written report of independent research on a topic relevant to ethnomusicological theory is required.
Potential Use: A knowledge of theories which have been advanced in the field of ethnomusicology prepares one for the formulation of new theories and for the testing and refinement of existing ones. The course prepares students for the interpretation of musical data from any society or historical period when the analysis is constitutive of a view of musical systems as cultural phenomena. The course further prepares non-ethnomusicology students to communicate with ethnomusicologists, anthropologists and other social scientists, both through the literature and verbally, in an age when interdisciplinary collaboration is becoming increasingly necessary.

MUS 776 Seminar in Ethnomusicology II

Content: Field research as a principal means of data collection and theory testing in ethnomusicology. Emphasis will be placed on research design, proposal preparation, application of data-gathering techniques, adaptation to the field, and methods of data analysis.
Pedagogical Input: This course attempts to transmit a knowledge of the specific data elicitation methods appropriate to both diachronic and synchronic musical studies. It also offers practical experience in working with documentary and oral data sources and management of computerized databases. Seminars assume the form of lecture-discussion sessions.
Student Requirements: Students are required to design and conduct independent field research projects at individually selected sites in the city and to report the results of that research. A research proposal and a term paper are required.
Potential Use: Students will find the techniques and methods covered in this course valuable to the conduct of inquiry into any musical or extra-musical problem, particularly in contemporary cultures. Students whose careers will involve music journalism and music criticism should find this course useful.

MUS 753 Transcription and Analysis in Ethnomusicology

Content: Critical examination and application of contemporary techniques of transcription and analysis to selected examples from various cultures.
Pedagogical Input: This course will be directed towards the development of proficient aural skills with respect to world music and the development of an awareness of the processes of structuring compositional units in a representative sample of world musical cultures. Current techniques of ethnomusicological transcription and methods used in the analysis of world musical systems will be introduced in a lecture-discussion format.
Student Requirements: Students will be required to transcribe compositional units from a representative sampling of world musical traditions throughout the semester and to transcribe and analyze a set of musical works (individually selected) as a term project.
Potential Use: This course will provide students with the critical tools for assessing the documentary requirements of particular musical situations, for evaluating and selecting from among current techniques and for implementing existing or formulating new techniques of transcription and analysis. This will include computerized techniques. Students will have the unique advantage of aural acuity with respect to musical products from world cultures and the ability to conduct a detailed examination of them.

For Frequently Asked Questions, see FAQs - Graduate.

Prospective Music History Students

Music History students should contact Michele Cabrini or Catherine Coppola (our Music History professors) or the Music Department Graduate Adviser to find out more about our program.

Degree Requirements for Music History Students

MUS 70000 – Music Bibliography and Research Techniques

Earn at least 6 credits from the following:
MUS 72400 – Advanced Studies In Music Theory 1
MUS 72500 – Advanced Studies in Music Theory II
MUS 74000 – Seminar in Music Theory and Analysis

Earn at least 9 credits from the following:
MUS 75100 – Advanced Studies in Musicology 1
MUS 75200 – Advanced Studies in Musicology 2
MUS 76000 – Seminar in Musicology

Earn at least 6 credits from the following:
MUS 77500 – Seminar In Ethnomusicology 1
MUS 77600 – Seminar in Ethnomusicology 2
MUS 75300 – Transcription and Analysis in Ethnomusicology

Earn at least 3 credits
MUS 71000 – MUS 71900 or MUS 72100 (1 cr. each)

MUS 79800 – Thesis In Music History, Music Theory Or Ethnomusicology

Click here for the graduate catalog's list of required courses for your MA-Music concentration

In certain cases, substitutions for these required courses may be made in consultation with the Graduate Adviser and the Director of Studies in Composition. A maximum of 12 credits transferred from other institutions might be accepted toward the M.A. Degree. For credits to transfer, the student must have gotten a B or higher in the class and the class must have occurred within the last four-five years.

For Frequently Asked Questions, see FAQs - Graduate.

Prospective Music Theory Students

Music Theory students are strongly urged to contact Poundie Burstein, Mark Spicer, Philip Ewell (our Graduate Music Theory professors), or the Graduate Advisor to find out more about our program.

Degree Requirements for Music Theory Students

MUS 70000 – Music Bibliography and Research Techniques

Earn at least 9 credits from the following:
MUS 72400 – Advanced Studies In Music Theory 1
MUS 72500 – Advanced Studies in Music Theory II
MUS 74000 – Seminar in Music Theory and Analysis

Earn at least 6 credits from the following:
MUS 75100 – Advanced Studies in Musicology 1
MUS 75200 – Advanced Studies in Musicology 2
MUS 76000 – Seminar in Musicology

Earn at least 6 credits from the following:
MUS 77500 – Seminar In Ethnomusicology 1
MUS 77600 – Seminar in Ethnomusicology 2
MUS 75300 – Transcription and Analysis in Ethnomusicology

Earn at least 3 credits
MUS 71000 – MUS 71900 or MUS 72100 (1 cr. each)

MUS 79800 – Thesis In Music History, Music Theory Or Ethnomusicology

Click here for the graduate catalog's list of required courses for your MA-Music concentration

In certain cases, substitutions for these required courses may be made in consultation with the Graduate Adviser and the Director of Studies in Composition. A maximum of 12 credits transferred from other institutions might be accepted toward the M.A. Degree. For credits to transfer, the student must have gotten a B or higher in the class and the class must have occurred within the last four-five years.

For Frequently Asked Questions, see FAQs - Graduate.

Prospective Performance Students

Students accepted as Performance Majors can take private lessons with a member of our faculty or, with permission of the Music Department, with a teacher of their own choice in the New York metropolitan area, pending approval of that instructor's credentials. We offer the M.A. with a Performance Concentration in Voice, Piano (Solo or Vocal Collaborative), Organ, Harpsichord, and most major orchestral instruments. We also offer an M.A. with a Jazz Performance Concentration in all instruments, as well as voice.

A number of music ensembles are offered by the Hunter College Music Department. Prospective Performance students should check our audition and admission procedures, as well as the policies regarding taking private lessons.

The Music Department offers M.A. performance programs in both Solo Piano and Vocal Collaborative Piano. Both tracks include opportunities and courses in instrumental chamber music as well, including regular coachings. For the Vocal Collaborative Piano track, repertoire will include vocal duo repertoire from all genres. The student's curriculum, prepared in collaboration with the Graduate Adviser, will include classes focusing on topics in vocal coaching, diction, opera, duo repertoire, conducting, chamber music, and rehearsal techniques.

Degree Requirements for Classical Performance Students

MUS 70000 – Music Bibliography and Research Techniques

Earn at least 3 credits from the following:
MUS 72400 – Advanced Studies In Music Theory 1
MUS 72500 – Advanced Studies in Music Theory II
MUS 74000 – Seminar in Music Theory and Analysis

Earn at least 6 credits from the following:
MUS 75100 – Advanced Studies in Musicology 1
MUS 75200 – Advanced Studies in Musicology 2
MUS 76000 – Seminar in Musicology

Earn at least 3 credits from the following:
MUS 77500 – Seminar In Ethnomusicology 1
MUS 77600 – Seminar in Ethnomusicology 2
MUS 75300 – Transcription and Analysis in Ethnomusicology

Earn at least 3 credits
MUS 71000–MUS 71901 or MUS 72100 (1 cr. each)

MUS 78100 – Private Study in Instrument or Voice 1
MUS 78200 – Private Study in Instrument or Voice 2
MUS 78300 – Private Study in Instrument or Voice 3
MUS 78400 – Private Study in Instrument or Voice

*Note: At least one Performance Ensemble must be taken in each of the first 3 semesters of study, concurrently with MUS 781, MUS 782, and MUS 783

Click here for the graduate catalog's list of required courses for your MA-Music concentration

Degree Requirements for Jazz Performance Students:

MUS 73800 – Jazz Harmony and Arranging
MUS 73900 – Jazz Improvisation
MUS 74100 – Introduction to Songwriting
MUS 75300 – Transcription and Analysis in Ethnomusicology

Earn at least 3 credits from the following:
MUS 72400 – Advanced Studies In Music Theory 1
MUS 72500 – Advanced Studies in Music Theory II
MUS 74000 – Seminar in Music Theory and Analysis
MUS 75100 – Advanced Studies in Musicology 1
MUS 75200 – Advanced Studies in Musicology 2
MUS 76000 – Seminar in Musicology
MUS 77500 – Seminar In Ethnomusicology 1
OR MUS 77600 – Seminar in Ethnomusicology 2

Earn at least 3 credits
MUS 71000 – MUS 71900 or MUS 72100 (1 cr. each)

MUS 78100 – Private Study in Instrument or Voice 1
MUS 78200 – Private Study in Instrument or Voice 2
MUS 78300 – Private Study in Instrument or Voice 3
MUS 78400 – Private Study in Instrument or Voice

In certain cases, substitutions for these required courses may be made in consultation with the Graduate Adviser and the Director of Studies in Composition. A maximum of 12 credits transferred from other institutions might be accepted toward the M.A. Degree. For credits to transfer, the student must have gotten a B or higher in the class and the class must have occurred within the last four-five years.

Performance students are also required to perform a Graduation Recital in lieu of a written thesis.

For Frequently Asked Questions, see FAQs - Graduate.

Prospective Composition Students

Composition students should contact Suzanne Farrin, Shafer Mahoney, David Fulmer, or the Graduate Adviser to find out more about our program.

Degree Requirements for Composition Students

MUS 73500 – Orchestration
MUS 78500 – Private Lessons in Composition 1
MUS 78600 – Private Lessons in Composition 2
MUS 78700 – Private Lessons in Composition 3
MUS 79900 – Thesis in Composition
MUS 70000 – Music Bibliography and Research Techniques

Earn at least 6 credits from the following:
MUS 72400 – Advanced Studies In Music Theory 1
MUS 72500 – Advanced Studies in Music Theory II
MUS 74000 – Seminar in Music Theory and Analysis

Earn at least 3 credits from the following:
MUS 75100 – Advanced Studies in Musicology 1
MUS 75200 – Advanced Studies in Musicology 2
MUS 76000 – Seminar in Musicology

Earn at least 3 credits from the following:
MUS 77500 – Seminar In Ethnomusicology 1
MUS 77600 – Seminar in Ethnomusicology 2
MUS 75300 – Transcription and Analysis in Ethnomusicology

Click here for the graduate catalog's list of required courses for your MA-Music concentration

In certain cases, substitutions for these required courses may be made in consultation with the Graduate Adviser and the Director of Studies in Composition. A maximum of 12 credits transferred from other institutions might be accepted toward the M.A. Degree. For credits to transfer, the student must have gotten a B or higher in the class and the class must have occurred within the last four-five years.

For Frequently Asked Questions, see FAQs - Graduate.

Our program is flexible enough to accommodate students who have a mixture of interests. Officially, the Hunter M.A. degree is an "M.A. in Music." On your final transcript, the following words can be added, depending on what courses you take: "with a concentration in Composition," "with a concentration in Music History," etc. However, students can combine concentrations. For example, a student can take more than 30 credits and completely fulfill the requirements for more than one degree, in which case the comments for concentrations in both areas can be listed on the final transcript. For instance, a student who completes the requirements for both a Music History and a Performance degree can have the comment "with a concentration in Music History and Performance" added to the final transcript.

To be accepted in the M.A. of Music program, one must be formally accepted in at least one concentration. Students who wish to switch concentrations or mix concentrations after they have been accepted must appeal to the Graduate Adviser to do so.

Permission to switch concentrations midstream may not be granted. For instance, if you are accepted as a Composition student and then decide after you have been accepted that you want to be a Performance student, you will have to audition for a Performance jury, who might possibly turn down your request.

Students cannot enroll or apply to both the M.A. in Music and the Teacher Education Program in Music (Music TEP) at the same time. However, since both programs overlap to a large degree, it is quite possible to apply to the other program after you have completed the first one, in which case you need take only those courses that do not overlap.

For Frequently Asked Questions, see FAQs - Graduate.

Prospective Music Educators

The Music Education program is run jointly by the Music Department and by the Hunter College School of Education. There is a basic core of education courses taught by the School of Education, two methods courses taught by the Music Department, additional required courses taught by the Music Department, and one semester of student teaching. A total of roughly 42 credits must be taken in order to graduate.

In certain cases, substitutions for these required courses may be made in consultation with the Graduate Adviser and the Director of Studies in Composition. A maximum of 12 credits transferred from other institutions might be accepted toward the M.A. Degree. For credits to transfer, the student must have gotten a B or higher in the class and the class must have occurred within the last four-five years. Substitutions for some required music classes may be made in consultation with the music department Graduate Adviser.

Prospective and current Music TEP students should review additional and important information about the Music Education program that is found on the School of Education's website, including information about School of Education course prerequisites and corequisites.

Required classes are generally offered in the evening. However, several of those classes involve fieldwork (observing classes of public school students during the day). In addition, during the one required semester of student teaching, you are assigned all day, every day to an elementary school for one half of the semester and to a secondary school for the other half of the semester. All fieldwork and student teaching is done in the New York City Schools.

Prospective TEP students should contact Victor V. Bobetsky, Director of Music Education Studies, and the Music Department Graduate Adviser to find out more about our program.

Please click here for full rubric.

Click here for the graduate catalog's list of required courses for the MA-Music TEP degree

As a culminating project, Music TEP students are required to prepare a portfolio containing examples of their work. These can include papers which have been graded and commented on by professors, lesson plans, and student reflections on their own growth and experiences throughout the program. It is important that you save all of your work from all of your classes. During the semester when you student teach, Professor Bobetsky will guide you in the preparation of your portfolio.

It is expected that all Music TEP students will become members of Hunter's collegiate chapter of the National Association for Music Education (MENC). See Professor Bobetsky for application materials.

For Frequently Asked Questions, see FAQs - Graduate.