Doctor of Musical Arts:

Piano Performance
Program Guidelines
Revised March 30, 2017

Major Area Courses Credit Hrs

MUSC 7190 Advanced Private Lessons (4 semesters) 12

MUSC 7xxx Major area electives (ensembles, etc.) 4
MUSC 7380 Doctoral Piano Pedagogy 3
MUSC 7381 Piano Literature 3
MUSC 7210 Performance Practice I 3
MUSC 7211 Performance Practice II 3
MUSC 7975 Dissertation Essay 3

Performance Projects
MUSC 7920 DMA Performance I (solo recital) 1
MUSC 7930 DMA Performance II (solo recital) 1
MUSC 7940 DMA Performance III (Chamber Music or Concerto with large 1
instrumental ensemble)
MUSC 7950 Lecture Recital 1

Academic Courses a total of 12-14 hours are required

Musicology Choose two from the following 6

no more than one of which may be at the 66xx-level:
MUSC 6610 Music Literature: Renaissance
MUSC 6620 Music Literature: Baroque
MUSC 6630 Music Literature: Classical
MUSC 6640 Music Literature: Romantic
MUSC 6650 Music Literature: 1900-Present
MUSC 6660 Music Literature: American Music
MUSC 7670 Symphonic Literature
MUSC 7680 Opera Literature
or Research Seminars with permission of instructor (MUSC 7800,
7801, 7802, 7803, 7804, 7890)

Music Theory Choose two from the following: 6

MUSC 6550 Advanced Formal Procedures of the 18th/19th Centuries I
MUSC 6551 Advanced Formal Procedures of the 18th/19th Centuries II
MUSC 6520 20th/21st Century Analysis I
MUSC 6521 20th/21st Century Analysis II
MUSC 7510 Theory Pedagogy
MUSC 7580 Special Topics in Music Theory
MUSC 6536 History of Western Music Theory

Bibliography
MUSC 6010 Music Bibliography (if not taken for requisite Master’s degree) (2)

Related Field DMA students are required to complete 12-13 hours in a Related 12-13
Field (see DMA Related Field Admission and Course Requirements)

Electives Six hours of electives must be taken if Music History or Music (6)
Theory is chosen as the Related Field. The hours must be in
academic courses approved by the Supervisory Committee.
_______
Total Credit Hours 59-62

Program Purpose
The Doctor of Musical Arts is designed for students with interest and/or career aspirations as performers and post-
secondary educators. Goals include the advancement of performers to the highest level of technical mastery and
artistic expression, study in a related field, which could prepare students for teaching in a secondary area, and
refinement in the ability to engage in independent research. The curriculum is designed to allow students flexibility
in emphasizing particular interests while at the same time insuring a broad perspective of advanced knowledge and
skills development.

Acceptance into the DMA Program

To be considered for admission to the DMA, applicants must meet the following minimum requirements:
1. Hold Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees in music from accredited institutions.
2. Have a cumulative grade point average of 3.0 in all previous collegiate work.
3. Score an 85 or higher on the TOEFL iBT (international applicants only).

Complete the following steps to apply to the DMA:

1. Submit the online Graduate Admissions application. As part of this application DMA applicants need to
upload:
a. Transcripts of undergraduate and graduate course work from all schools attended.
b. Three letters of recommendation from professors, employers, and/or other professionals qualified to
judge the applicant’s ability to successfully complete doctoral studies.
c. Statement of Purpose, including future goals.
d. Current CV or resume.
e. Comprehensive Repertoire list of both works performed (listing date and venue) and works studied.
f. TOEFL score, if applicable.
2. Complete a solo audition. DMA applicants must first submit an hour-long unedited DVD by December 1
for Fall admission. The Piano Faculty will notify the student within two weeks of receipt of the DVD if a
live audition will be granted. DVD’s should be sent to:
Academic Coordinator
1375 E. Presidents Circle, Room 204
Salt Lake City, UT 84112

Subsequent live audition: The applicant should prepare a one-hour program. The piano faculty may choose
to hear all or any portion of the submitted repertoire. The choice of repertoire will be considered on musical
and technical merit as well as the artistic level of the performance.

Students who completed the Master of Music degree at the University of Utah may use their final solo
recital as the entrance audition with prior approval of the area. The recital program must be approved by
the Piano Area before commencing work on the program.
3. Complete an interview with one or more of the piano faculty.
Graduate Placement Exams
Placement examinations in Music History and Music Theory are taken after the student has been accepted by
Graduate Admissions. Preparation materials are available on the School of Music website. Placement examinations
must be taken prior to registering for Music History and Music Theory courses.

Results of graduate placement exams determine placement in graduate courses and identify areas in which remedial
work may be necessary. Students are encouraged to study diligently for these examinations. Poor performance
could result in the student being required to take a considerable number of remedial courses. Students recommended
for remedial courses must earn a B- or better in recommended courses before advancing to a higher-level course.

Music History: The graduate Music History diagnostic examination covers the breadth of Western art music from
the medieval period to the present through a variety of questions evaluating the student’s knowledge of important
composers, works, terms, and concepts.

Music Theory: The graduate Music Theory placement examination assesses the student's competence in harmony,
voice leading, counterpoint, form, and instrumentation.

Appointment of Supervisory Committee

Members of the Supervisory Committee consult with the student in planning their degree program, research, and
recitals; they also administer the qualifying exams and the dissertation essay defense. It is the responsibility of the
student to approach faculty to request that they serve on the Supervisory Committee. Students should submit the
Request for Supervisory Committee form to the Academic Coordinator. The Graduate Studies Committee votes on
and approves Supervisory Committees.

The student's major performance teacher (if tenure-line) serves as the Chair of the Supervisory Committee. If the
performance teacher is not tenure-line he/she will serve as the “Director of Recitals.”

DMA Supervisory Committees consist of three faculty members, the majority of whom must be tenure-line faculty
in the School of Music. One member of the Supervisory Committee must be from the area of the student’s Related
Field. The Supervisory Committee must be chosen during the first year of study and before the student performs
any recitals.

Recitals
1. Each student must perform two complete solo recital programs. The Supervisory Committee must approve
the program repertoire prior to the recital.
2. Each student must also complete either a concerto performance with a large instrumental ensemble or a
chamber music recital of 60 minutes of music.
3. Each student is required to perform a lecture recital based on the research of his/her dissertation essay
topic.

Students must fill out the proper recital forms and register for each recital prior to the semester of the scheduled
recital. Recitals should be a minimum of one hour in length, with the exception of the major work. Degree recitals
should be held in a School of Music performance venue; exceptions are rare and must be approved through an
Exception to Policy.

The Supervisory Committee comprises the Jury for the recitals. Students must be enrolled in private lessons during
semesters in which recitals are given. All incomplete grades must be made up prior to the first day of the semester
in which the lecture recital is scheduled. Recitals must be held before the last day of classes in the Fall and Spring
semesters.

Qualifying Examinations
Written qualifying examinations are required of each DMA student. An examination, or parts of an examination,
may be repeated only once and only at the discretion of the Supervisory Committee. Prior to taking the
qualifying examination the student must have completed all course work in the subject area of the exam
(including required recitals, with the exception of the lecture recital) and no incompletes may be outstanding.

The student must be enrolled in at least one credit hour during the semester of the examination. Summer
administration of the examinations is allowed if approved through an Exception to Policy. At least two months
before the anticipated exam date, the student must notify the Supervisory Committee of their intent to take the
Piano Area Qualifying Exam. The qualifying exam must be passed before a student can register for the
Dissertation Essay.

DMA qualifying examinations will be given in the major area and the Related Field. The piano area examination
is compiled by the Supervisory Chair with questions submitted from other members of the Supervisory
Committee. Related Field questions are prepared by the Related Field faculty representative on the committee
(other faculty in the Related Field may be consulted as well).

The piano area examination will consist of five or six keyboard pieces to be identified and analyzed. Pianists will
be expected to convey detailed performance or teaching suggestions based on the analysis of one of the scores
from the exam. Students should plan on three hours to complete this examination. In addition, pianists will be
given a topic to research based on a genre from one of the pieces from his/her recital repertoire to be presented
to the monitor at the time of the qualifying exam (minimum 8 pages carefully footnoted).

Residency Requirement
At least two consecutive semesters (Fall-Spring or Spring-Fall) must be spent in full-time academic work at the
University of Utah. Summer semester does not count for this purpose.

DMA Dissertation Essay

Each student must complete a scholarly paper of limited scope and length containing original research on a relevant
topic (suggested length is 30-100 pages). The topic must be approved by the student’s Supervisory Committee prior
to commencing the research. The paper should be of sufficient scope and length to merit submission to scholarly
journals for publication or to state/regional or national associations for presentation. Registration for MUSC 7975
Dissertation Essay is allowed only after qualifying exams have been passed.

The dissertation essay must conform to the standards set forth by the University Thesis Office; however, the Thesis
Office will not edit DMA Dissertation Essays. Editing is primarily the responsibility of the Supervisory Chair with
input from the rest of the committee.

Dissertation Essay Defense

Upon completion of the lecture recital and dissertation essay, each student must successfully complete a one-hour
oral defense before the Supervisory Committee. A copy of the dissertation essay must be distributed to the
Supervisory Committee at least a month prior to the defense; the dissertation advisor must approve the dissertation
essay prior to distribution. Dissertation essay defenses must be held in a neutral location and are open to the public.

The format is to serve as a defense of the dissertation essay, and to provide clarification or answer lingering
questions left over from the qualifying exams. The exam may also include questions on music history, music theory,
and the history and literature of the student's area of specialization. All defenses must be held before the last day of
classes in the Fall and Spring semesters. Defenses are not to be held during Final Exam or Reading Days or during
Summer semester.