Music

Interim Department Chairperson: David Holdhusen, Ph.D.
Coordinator of Graduate Music Studies: David Moskowitz, Ph.D.

Department of Music
Warren M. Lee Center for Fine Arts, Room 114
414 East Clark Street
Vermillion, SD 57069
Phone: (605) 677-5274
www.usd.edu/music

FACULTY

Professors:

Margaret Downie Banks, Ph.D., West Virginia University. Specialization: Professor and senior curator of musical instruments, National Music Museum, History of Musical Instruments.
Susan Keith Gray, D.M.A., University of Michigan. Specialization: Studio and Class Piano, Collaborative Piano and Rawlins Piano Trio.
Sabine Klaus, Joe and Joella Utley Curator of Brass Instruments, National Music Museum, Ph.D., University of Tübingen, Germany. Specialization: History of Musical Instruments.
John Koster, Conservator, National Music Museum, A.B., Harvard College. Specialization: Conservation, History of Keyboard Instruments.
David Moskowitz, Coordinator of Graduate Studies in Music, Ph.D. University of Kansas. Specialization: Music History.
Richard Rognstad, D.M.A., University of Colorado-Boulder. Specialization: Studio Bass, Orchestra, String Methods, Music Theory, Dakota Baroque & Classic Company.
Larry Schou, Dean - College of Fine Arts, D.M.A., University of Michigan. Specialization: Organ.
Susanne Skyrm, D.M.A., University of Colorado-Boulder. Specialization: Studio and Class Piano, Piano Literature, Fortepiano, Dakota Baroque & Classic Company.

Associate Professors:

Darlene Fett, Ph.D., University of Iowa. Specialization: Music Education.
Christopher Kocher, D.A., University of Northern Colorado-Greeley. Specialization: Saxophone and Woodwinds, Theory, Jazz Studies.
Marie-Elaine Gagnon, D.M.A., University of Miami. Specialization: Cello, Chamber Orchestra, Music Appreciation, Rawlins Piano Trio.
Tracelyn Gesteland, D.M.A., University of Houston-Moores School of Music. Specialization: Voice, Opera, Vocal Diction.
David Holdhusen, Interim Chair, Ph.D., Florida State University. Chamber Singers, Concert Choir, Men’s and Women’s Chorus.
Rolf Olson, D.M.A., University of Northern Colorado-Greeley. Specialization: Trumpet, Brass Choir, Symphonic Band, Director of Bands.
Deborah Reeves, Curator of Education, National Music Museum, D.M.A., University of Iowa. Specialization: Clarinet, History of Single-Reed Instruments, Dakota Baroque & Classic Company.
Gary Reeves, D.M.A., University of Iowa. Specialization: Horn, Instrumental Methods Classes, Band, Dakota Baroque & Classic Company.
Darin Wadley, D.M.A., University of Arizona, Tucson. Specialization: Percussion, Percussion Ensemble, Steel Drums, Music Cultures.

Assistant Professors:

Jonathan Alvis, D.M.A., University of North Carolina- Greensboro, Specialization: Studio Low Brass, Marching Band, Pep Band.
Brandon Hendrickson, D.M.A., Louisiana State University. Specialization: Voice, Opera, Diction, Vocal Pedagogy, Song Literature.
Eunho Kim, D.M.A., University of Cincinnati-College Conservatory of Music. Specialization: Violin, Viola, Chamber Orchestra, Rawlins Piano Trio.
Paul Lombardi, Ph.D, University of Oregon. Specialization: Theory, Composition, Electronic Music.

DEGREE

Master of Music, Plan A and Plan B

SPECIALIZATION

Collaborative Piano
Conducting
History of Musical Instruments
Music Education
Music History
Music Performance

Graduate Certificate

Piano Pedagogy

Program Description

The Department of Music provides outstanding musical performances, concerts, marching band competitions, festivals, and solo and ensemble recitals throughout the year. Members of the music faculty teach beginning through advanced-level courses. The faculty are active teachers, performers, clinicians, and published scholars.

The Department of Music at the University of South Dakota has been fully accredited by the National Association of Schools of Music since 1953. The Department is also accredited by the National Council for the Accreditation of Teacher Education.

ADMISSIONS REQUIREMENTS

Baccalaureate degree or an equivalent degree from an institution with full regional accreditation.
An undergraduate GPA of 2.7 or graduate GPA of 3.0 or better, based on a 4.0 scale is required.
15 credit hours of undergraduate credit in music as approved by the department. All students entering the graduate music education program must possess an undergraduate degree in music education degree to finish the coursework within four semesters.
Applicants must be able to display computer/keyboard competence.
Additional requirements exist for international students and applicants with degrees from other countries. Applicants must pass an interview of conversational English with the department chairperson. Once admitted, any student found to have deficient language skills, by the members of their Graduate Advisory Committee, may be required to enroll in remedial English courses as part of their degree program.
Students who wish to enter the Music Education, Music History, or History of Musical Instruments programs must complete an on-campus interview with the appropriate faculty member in the area of interest, the Graduate Coordinator in Music, and the Department Chair.

-Students who do not meet all of the criteria for admission may be admitted on a provisional basis subject to department chair approval and approval of the Graduate Dean.

Audition Requirements

Students who wish to enter the Performance degree program must first audition for the degree program’s faculty and Department Chair. Contact the Department of Music’s Coordinator of Graduate Music Studies to set up an audition appointment several months prior to the first semester of study.

Application for Graduate Assistantship

Students interested in applying for a Graduate Assistantship in Music must apply by January 31. Students will be notified by late April as to the status of their application.

Focused Music Research Facilities Available:

The National Music Museum and Center for Study of the History of Musical Instruments is one of the major research institutions of its kind. The Museum’s collections of more than 15,000 American, European, and non-Western instruments are the most inclusive in the world. Included are many of the earliest, best-preserved and historically most important musical instruments known to survive. There are also extensive archives of rare books, periodicals, manufacturer’s catalogs, sound recordings, and musical ephemera. Museum faculty and staff provide leadership internationally. More than 750 representative instruments from the Museum’s collections are exhibited in eight public galleries, providing a unique educational experience for students of all ages. For additional information, visit www.usd.edu/nmm.

Applied Music

Students must secure permission from individual instructors to study applied music for a given amount of credit. All lessons are assigned at the discretion of the instructor with required signature of the department chairperson. Graduate students will be assigned to a faculty advisor by the chairperson of the Music Department at the time of initial enrollment.

The advisory committee, consisting of two members of the music faculty, one additional faculty member from outside the department, plus the major advisor, will be chosen by the advisor and the graduate student with the approval of the department chair. This committee assists the candidate in outlining a plan of study, supervises the preparation of the thesis (if required), supervises the culminating project (if chosen), and is responsible for the administration of the final examinations.