Music theory certificates
Open to qualified music majors, the purpose of the Music Theory Certificate is to听1) provide students with interest and aptitude the opportunity to take more varied upper-level courses and develop independent projects under faculty mentorship; and 2) provide these students with a formal acknowledgement of their work in music theory, which could serve as a stepping stone to graduate school, private teaching, theory teaching in primary or secondary schools, or work in music-related media and technology.
To apply for the certificate:
- Students need a minimum average grade of B+ or higher for freshman and sophomore music theory and aural skills classes to qualify.
- Application typically takes place sophomore or junior year.
- A faculty sponsor must sign off on the application.
- Please have a statement of purpose ready to submit in the application.
The Music Theory Certificate includes an independent study with a faculty member that results in a research project and presentation. The project could be in a variety of formats including a paper (4-5,000听words not including examples bibliography) or a shorter paper (2-3,000听words not including examples or bibliography) and an additional component such as a composition, multimedia presentation, software or performance.
Music Theory Certificate application
The chair of the Music Theory Department will communicate with you once your application has been considered. Please note that your application is pending until that point.
Graduate Certificate
The Graduate Certificate in Music Theory provides a curricular framework for advanced studies in music theory along with formal acknowledgement of these studies.
Students applying for the certificate should have an interest in music theory and theory pedagogy, facility with common analytical techniques,听and an ability to learn advanced concepts. MM, DMA,听and PhD graduates with theory certificates will have an advantage for positions that include theory and aural skills teaching.
To begin the application for听the Certificate in Music Theory, please complete the听Music Theory Certificate application.
Venezuelan Andres Orco-Zerpa is a DMA guitar student in our Thompson Jazz Studies Program with a special interest in advanced rhythm and meter in jazz; as such, he鈥檚 also pursuing a Certificate in Music Theory. 鈥淭hrough the certificate program, I received a multidisciplinary education that has made me a more well-rounded musician and educator,鈥 he听says.
Curriculum
The curriculum consists of the 12 credit hours below. All MM and DMA degree programs currently require at least three听credit hours in music theory. Students pursuing this graduate certificate would typically enroll in an additional six to nine credit hours. For current students, courses taken before applying for the certificate will be counted.
- 3 credits. Music Theory Pedagogy (MUSC 6051)
- 5鈥6 credits. Two of the following:
- Trends in Music Theory (MUSC 5151/6801)
- Post-tonal Theory + Analysis (MUSC 5071)
- An elective from Topics in Music Analysis (MUSC 5151) for MM students, or Advanced Topics in Music Theory (MUSC 6801) for DMA and PhD students.
- Theory at the Keyboard (TMUS 5544)
- 3 credits. Research Project (TMUS 6958), resulting in a paper and public presentation of research.
Admissions requirements
The program is only available to enrolled MM, DMA,听and PhD students in the College of Music. Students may apply for the program with their application to the College or once they are already enrolled. The application will consist of
- Statement of purpose
- Academic transcript(s)
- Two scholarly writing samples
Academic performance in graduate courses at 无码视频 will also be taken into account for students who are already enrolled.
Research project
The research project will be approximately 7500 words (word count does not include musical examples, figures, or bibliography). The paper may build upon course papers, but should go substantially beyond them. If the research project takes the form of a lecture-recital (with a significant performance component), the paper will be 4500鈥6000 words (not including musical examples, figures, or bibliography). Students should plan for 3鈥5 rounds of revisions on the paper. The public presentation will be 20鈥30 min. in length; 40 min. if it is a lecture-recital.
Questions? Contact Graduate Studies Coordinator听Chris Martin,听christopher.t.martin@colorado.edu.