Conducting (Choral and Instrumental)

This concentration is designed primarily for the student with an undergraduate degree in
music education or performance, who wishes to pursue advanced training in conducting,
along with related studies in music performance and allied areas. A student must
successfully pass an audition which demonstrates an advanced level of conducting skill to
qualify for admission to the program. If the student plans to take voice or instrument
lessons within the concentration, he or she will also have to pass a vocal or instrumental
audition prior to beginning those lessons.

Credits and Courses:

The minimum degree requirements is 31 graduate credits, 29 of which must be in
specified music areas, and 2 of which may be in another music area or in a related field.

In addition to these required core courses,

Music 710 Graduate Studies in Music, 3 cr.

Music 711 Graduate Seminar in Music History, 3 cr.
Music xxx Graduate Theory Elective, 3 cr.

students in Conducting must take:

Music 732 Score Reading, 3 cr.

Music 990 Thesis (Public Performance), 3 cr.
Music 553 Advanced Conducting I, 2 cr.
Music 554 Advanced Conducting II, 2 cr.
Music 771 Advanced Conducting III, 2 cr.
Literature, 3 cr. (select ONE):
Music 559 The Wind Band, Instrumentation and Literature
Music 615 Choral Literature
Music 799 Advanced Independent Work: Orchestral Literature
MusPerf 9xx Private Lessons, 2 cr. (1 cr. each for two semesters)*
Music xxx Ensemble, 3 cr. (1 cr. each for three semesters)**
Music 446 Vocal Pedagogy, 1 cr. (for students with a choral conducting emphasis)
General Electives, 1-2 cr. (1 cr. for students with a choral conducting emphasis, 2 for
those with an instrumental conducting emphasis)

The program must also include 3 credits in Music 314 (Music of the 20 Century), if not
previously taken.

*2 semesters of Voice (MusPerf 911) are required for students with a Choral emphasis.
**Ensembles will be assigned upon audition.

Thesis (Public Performance):

Students must present a recital demonstrating their conducting abilities during their final
semester of course work. In some cases, the recital may consist of two or more
performances given with different ensembles. For example, choral conducting students
may demonstrate their conducting abilities with a non-UWM choir on one occasion and
with a university choral ensemble on another. For recital requirements, including the
content and length of the program, the recital hearing, and the preparation and approval
of the program and program notes, see Masters Recitals in Performance,
Collaborative Piano, and Conducting below.

Candidates must also prepare a written document about the music presented on the
recital, following the procedures outlined by their principal faculty adviser, whom they
should consult for detailed guidelines. In general, the written document required by the
choral and orchestral conducting areas must include composer biographies, extended
program notes detailing the origins and genesis of selected recital pieces, theoretical
analyses of selected pieces, and conducting analyses. In the band conducting area, the
written document should include composer biographies and work lists; a broad-based
analysis of the two principal works on the recital program including their place in history,
instrumentation, primary musical material, and an outline of their overall structure; and
tension and repose line diagrams. These documents, which are intended to illustrate the
vast preparation and research a conductor undertakes when preparing a concert program,
are due at the end of the semester.

Comprehensive Examinations:
Students must pass final comprehensive examinations in both music history and music
theory. This requirement normally follows successful completion of the recital
requirement.

Time Limit:
Students must complete all degree requirements within seven years of their initial
enrollment.