Music

Return to: Departments

Degrees:

Master of Music, Plan A and B

Areas of Specialization: 

Music History
History of Musical Instruments
Music Performance
Music Education

Department Chairperson: Professor Larry Schou
Coordinator of Graduate Music Studies: Associate Professor David Moskowitz

Program Description

Master of Music Degree Programs: The Master of Music degree is offered with concentrations in the fields of Music History, Music Education, Music Performance and History of Musical Instruments.

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.

Graduate Faculty

Margaret Downie Banks, Professor and Curator of Musical Instruments, National Music Museum, Ph.D., West Virginia University. Specialization: History of Musical Instruments.

Darlene Fett, Associate Professor and Associate Chair, Ph.D., University of Iowa. Specialization: Music Education, Music Literature.

Marie-Elaine Gagnon, Assistant Professor, D.M.A., University of Miami. Specialization: Cello, Chamber Orchestra, Music Appreciation, Rawlins Piano Trio.

Susan Keith Gray, Associate Professor, D.M.A., University of Michigan. Specialization: Studio and Class Piano, Rawlins Piano Trio.

Sabine Klaus, Professor and Joe and Joella Utley Curator of Brass Instruments, National Music Museum, Ph.D., University of Tübingen, Germany. Specialization: History of Musical Instruments.

Christopher Kocher, Associate Professor, D.A., University of Northern Colorado-Greeley. Specialization: Saxophone and Woodwinds, Theory, Jazz Studies.

John Koster, Professor and Conservator, National Music Museum, A.B., Harvard College. Specialization: Conservation, History of Keyboard Instruments.

André P. Larson, Professor and Director, National Music Museum, Ph.D., West Virginia University. Specialization: History of Musical Instruments, Museum Administration.

David Moskowitz, Associate Professor, Ph.D. University of Kansas. Specialization: Musicology, Caribbean Music, Popular Music.

Rolf Olson, Associate Professor, D.M.A., University of Northern Colorado-Greeley. Specialization: Trumpet, Brass Choir, Jazz Studies, Marching Band.

Deborah Reeves, Associate Professor and 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, Associate Professor, D.M.A., University of Iowa. Specialization: Horn, Instrumental Methods Classes, Band, Dakota Baroque & Classic Company.

Richard Rognstad, Professor, D.M.A., University of Colorado-Boulder. Specialization: Low Strings, Orchestra, String Methods, Dakota Baroque & Classic Company.

Larry Schou, Professor and Chairperson of Music, D.M.A., University of Michigan. Specialization: Organ, Harpsichord, Theory, Non-western Music, Dakota Baroque & Classic Company.

Susanne Skyrm, Professor, D.M.A., University of Colorado-Boulder. Specialization: Studio and Class Piano, Dakota Baroque & Classic Company.

Steven Sudduth, Associate Professor, DMA, University of North Carolina- Greensboro, Specialization: Studio Low Brass, Director of Bands.

John Thomson, Associate Professor, D.M.A., University of North Texas. Specialization: Violin, Viola, Chamber Orchestra, Rawlins Piano Trio, Dakota Baroque & Classic Company.

Darin Wadley, Assistant Professor, D.M.A., University of Arizona, Tucson. Specialization: Percussion, Percussion Ensemble, Steel Drums

Stephen Yarbrough, Associate Professor, D.M.A., University of Oklahoma. Specialization: Composition, Electronic Studio.

Admission Requirements

• Baccalaureate degree or an equivalent degree from an institution with full regional accreditation for that degree.
• Minimum undergraduate GPA of 2.7 or graduate GPA of 3.0 or better, based on a 4.0 scale.
• 15 credit hours of undergraduate credit in music as approved by the department.
• Applicants must be able to display computer/keyboard competence.
• Foreign students must produce a TOEFL test score of 550 and 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. Additional requirements exist for international students.
• Students who wish to enter the Music Education, Music History, or History of Musical Instruments programs must sit for an in person interview with the proper program coordinator 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.

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 10,000 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 http://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.

For Additional Information

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

Return to: Departments