PhD Music Education in Piano Pedagogy
Major Code: D706 Emphasis R521
- Director of Piano Pedagogy
- Area Chair
Dr. Jane Magrath
Dr. John Patrick Murphy
Stephanie Leon Shames
Application Deadline
For graduate piano degrees, applications for admission in the Fall must be received by December 1.
Assistantships
There is no separate application for assistantship. Unless the applicant indicates otherwise, we assume that all applicants are interested in being considered for assistantships. Please note that assistantships are usually awarded for the Fall and Spring semesters together. We very seldom have assistantships available for anyone entering in a Spring semester. We do not award assistantships for Summer sessions.
Application Procedure
Submit the online application (see Graduate Admissions page) and all materials described below.
The members of the piano faculty will review all application materials. Candidates will be invited to audition based on the quality of the preliminary recordings, the candidates’ professional materials, if applicable, teaching credentials, and the completion of the application file. Individuals invited to audition will be contacted by email to schedule a final audition. More details on the audition can be found at the bottom of the page.
Application materials required for all graduate degrees
These items must be submitted to the online graduate application system.
- Resume
- Submitted to the online application under the Resume tab.
- Submitted to the online application under the Resume tab.
- Personal Statement
- Submitted to the online application under the Statement of Purpose tab
- What aspects of the program attract you to OU? Additionally, please answer one of the following prompts:
- Why do you want to pursue this degree?
- How would you describe your professional path to this point and your aspirations going forward?
- What skills, expertise and experience do you bring to the degree, and how will you use your degree, post-graduation?
- What is important to you musically, artistically, pedagogically, and intellectually?
- Three letters of reference
- Submitted to the online application under Recommendations tab
- Your three reference letters should include:
- At least one letter from: your studio professor, ensemble conductor, chamber coach, etc., or a person who has considerable knowledge about your abilities as a performer or composer.
- At least one letter from: a person who can speak to your abilities as a scholar of music.
Scholarly writing requirement
This degree requires you to submit a sample of your scholarly writing.
- Submitted to the online application under the Supporting Documents tab
- Preferably not more than 3 years old.
- Should be recently revised.
- Should be a minimum of 5 pages of double-spaced text, not counting bibliography.
- Should represent your best writing and researching skills.
- Should present a complete argument supporting a clear thesis.
- Should feature a consistent method for citations and should contain a bibliography.
- Please contact the Graduate Music Office (gradmusic@ou.edu) or the area chair for your program with any questions about meeting these requirements.
Prescreening application materials required for this degree
These items must be submitted to the online graduate application system
- Evidence of two consecutive years of piano teaching experience (university/college, private or group) during which the candidate is not in a graduate or undergraduate degree program, or is not a college or high school student.
- Submitted to the online application under Supporting Documents.
- Repertoire list of significant solo and chamber piano repertoire. This list should include works that you have rehearsed and/or studied (even if you did not perform them in public recitals).
- Submitted to the online application under Supporting Documents.
- Programs of solo and chamber/collaborative programs performed in the past (no departmental group recitals)
- Submitted to the online application under Supporting Documents.
- A list of literature and materials used in the applicant’s teaching
- Submitted to the online application under Supporting Documents.
- A video recording of a memorized performance of at least 30 minutes of standard repertoire, including works of at least three standard composers representing three style periods.
- Video files or links to online video recordings may be submitted to the online application under Digital Portfolio > Upload Media.
- A 30-minute video recording of your teaching that demonstrates piano teaching effectiveness in a group and/or private situation. Several different teaching segments may be combined to create the 30-minute video. Applicants whose teaching on the recording is in a language other than English MUST add a segment in English following the teaching demonstration in which they discuss their teaching and their interest in a graduate degree.
- Video files or links to online video recordings may be submitted to the online application under Digital Portfolio > Upload Media.
- Any other pertinent information related to the candidate’s professional preparation and achievements.
Final Audition
The members of the piano faculty will review all application materials described above. Individuals invited to audition will be contacted by email to schedule a live, on-campus final audition.
If invited to audition, the applicant should prepare 25 minutes of memorized music. The repertoire should feature works of at least three standard composers representing three style periods. For the audition, you will need to bring 5 copies of your audition program and 5 copies of the repertoire list described above in the Prescreening materials.
With the approval of the applied teacher, a current MM student at the University of Oklahoma who plans to apply to the DMA program within twelve months of his/her planned graduation from the MM program may use his/her master’s degree recital as the DMA audition. The recital must meet DMA audition requirements. In order for a faculty committee to be organized to attend the recital to evaluate it for DMA application purposes, the student must inform all members of the piano faculty at least two weeks before the recital.
Graduate Piano Audition Dates | Type |
---|---|
Friday, January 28, 2022 | Audition date (any) |
Saturday, January 29, 2022 | Audition date (any) |
Friday, February 4, 2022 | Audition date (any) |
Saturday, February 5, 2022 | Audition date (any) |
Friday, February 11, 2022 | Audition date (any) |
Saturday, February 12, 2022 | Audition date (any, last date for doctoral auditions) |
Saturday, February 19, 2022 | Audition date (masters or undergrad only) |
Saturday, February 26, 2022 | Audition date (masters or undergrad only) |
Saturday, March 5, 2022 | Audition date (masters or undergrad only) |