Music

Degrees Offered: Ph.D., D.M.A., M.A., M.Mus.

Members

Professors

T.P. Carrabré, D. Chang, A. Fisher, K. A. Hamel, C. Hamm, N. J. Hermiston, N. Hesselink, G. Langager, D. J. Metzer, R. Sharon, R. Taylor, M. Tenzer, J. Wood.

Associate Professors

M. Anderson, J. Franch-Ballester, D. Fung, D. Gillham, J. Girard, H. Law, R. Pritchard, J. P. Raftery, D. Robinson, L. van Handel, C. Vellutini, E. J. Wilson.

Assistant Professors

H. Jun, A. Maler, E. Poudrier, C. Szabo, V. Whitney.

Program Overview

The School of Music offers graduate programs and degrees in three broad fields of specialization: performance, composition, and music scholarship. The Master of Music (M.Mus.) is offered in composition, conducting (emphases in choral, orchestral, or wind), guitar, harpsichord, opera, organ, orchestral instruments, piano, or voice. The Doctor of Musical Arts (D.M.A.) is offered in composition and performance concentration in piano, voice, or orchestral instruments. The Master of Arts (M.A.) and the Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.) in Music are offered with emphases on theory, historical musicology, and ethnomusicology.

The School occupies a well-equipped building, which includes the recently-renovated Roy Barnett Recital Hall (255 seats). The School also occupies the adjacent Old Auditorium building, which features a beautiful renovated 525-seat proscenium theatre with orchestra pit and fly system, where the majority of UBC Opera Ensemble rehearsals and performances take place. The nearby Chan Centre for the Performing Arts includes the 1,400-seat Chan Shun Concert Hall, where the UBC Symphony Orchestra and Symphonic Wind Ensemble rehearse and perform. The School maintains an ethnomusicology studio in Room 105 of the Asian Centre where the Balinese Gamelan, Korean Percussion Ensemble, Chinese Music Ensemble, and African Music and Dance Ensemble rehearse. The Music, Art and Architecture Library houses the second largest collection in Canada, including over 70,000 books and scores. The School owns a growing collection of instruments, including 100 pianos, several important violins, a 64-rank organ by Casavant (1969), many historical wind and string instruments (including two harpsichords and a forte piano), and instruments representing several world music traditions and used by numerous ensembles.

Doctor of Philosophy

Admission Requirements

Admission to the Ph.D. program requires a master's degree and evidence of research competence. In addition, all applicants must meet the Faculty of Graduate and Postdoctoral Studies' minimum academic standards for admission. Areas of specialization include scholarly studies in musicology, music theory, and ethnomusicology, with individual programs subject to explicit orientation and certification in one of these three major directions.

Transfer from the M.A. to the Ph.D. program is permitted under regulations set by the Faculty of Graduate and Postdoctoral Studies.

Program Requirements

The program is designed to provide thorough training in the techniques and applications of musical research and analysis. The dissertation is expected to demonstrate a capacity for doing research which enhances or qualifies existing bodies of knowledge, or which presents important new interpretations of prevailing materials and methods.

Credit requirements for the Ph.D. are: 21 credits of coursework, comprehensive examinations, and a dissertation. For language requirements, a Graduate Programs brochure is available from the School of Music.

Doctor of Musical Arts

The D.M.A. program is designed for performers and composers who have already reached a high level of proficiency and artistry in their fields and who may wish to teach at the university level. This program offers an opportunity to bring creative and performance achievement to a high level while enriching individual backgrounds with cognate studies in performance practice, music literature, music theory, and music history. Graduate student composers work closely with faculty in composition and music theory, and are expected to compose major works for public performance in addition to fulfilling course requirements.

Admission Requirements

In addition to meeting the Faculty of Graduate and Postdoctoral Studies' minimum academic standards for admission, applicants must possess an M.Mus. degree or equivalent and outstanding performing ability. Transfer from the M.Mus. to the D.M.A. program is permitted under regulations set by the Faculty of Graduate and Postdoctoral Studies.

Program Requirements

Requirements for the D.M.A. in composition are: 30 credits of coursework (15 of which are in the major field, the remainder being in academic seminars in music history, music theory, and ethnomusicology; and elective courses); a comprehensive examination in the field; a completed portfolio of works; and a thesis comprising a major musical composition and supporting written document.

The D.M.A. in performance requires 43 to 45 credits (of which 60% are in the major field, the remainder being in academic seminars in music history, music theory, and ethnomusicology; and elective courses); a comprehensive examination in the major field; and a multi-part thesis requirement comprising performances as specified by the appropriate division within the School of Music, a lecture-recital, and a supporting written document.

Master of Arts

The M.A. program, offered in the fields of historical musicology, music theory and ethnomusicology, is designed to acquaint the student with methods of scholarly research.

Admission Requirements

In addition to meeting the Faculty of Graduate and Postdoctoral Studies' minimum academic standards for admission, applicants must fulfill supplemental admission requirements as outlined by the Program.

Program Requirements

The Program provides broad general training in addition to opportunities for specialized research in particular areas of inquiry. Prescribed curricula are flexible, providing latitude to meet diverse individual needs.

Credit requirements for the M.A. are 30-32 credits in a mixture of prescribed and elective courses, depending on the field of emphasis. Proficiency in one appropriate language must be demonstrated. A thesis is normally required; substitution with appropriate coursework requires approval from the School of Music. The program normally takes two years to complete.

Master of Music

The M.Mus. degree with specializations in composition, conducting, guitar, harpsichord, historical performance practice, opera, organ, orchestral instruments, piano, or voice is offered to students who have achieved necessary levels of attainment and productivity at the undergraduate level, and who give reasonable promise of further significant accomplishment. This degree is often a final academic step for the musician who wishes to enter the professional world, although it may prove to be an intermediate step for those wishing to prepare for university teaching.

Admission Requirements

In addition to meeting the Faculty of Graduate and Postdoctoral Studies' minimum academic standards for admission, applicants must possess outstanding performing ability.

Program Requirements

Students in Performance present a recital or opera performance in lieu of thesis, while the graduate composition student presents a program of original works. A two-year residency is the norm.

Credit requirements for the M.Mus. are: 33-39 credits (including a 6-credit thesis comprised of one or more required recitals, and 18-25 credits of required courses, including private study).
 

Contact Information

School of Music
6361 Memorial Rd.
Vancouver, BC, Canada V6T 1Z2
Web: www.music.ubc.ca

Katherine Evans, Manager for Admissions and Recruitment
Tel: 604.827.1595
Fax: 604.822.4884
Email

Amy Farahbakhsh, Academic Advisor
Tel: 604.827.5502
Fax: 604.822.4884
Email