Graduate Degree Programs
The Master of Music degree program is a rigorous, selective course of study for exceptional musicians who have earned a Bachelor’s degree in Music and are committed to excelling in the field. The professional graduate programs integrate performance skills, music scholarship, pedagogy, and professionalism to prepare students for music careers in the 21st century. Students completing this degree may pursue a doctorate, seek and entry level position at a university, teach privately or seek a career as a performer. Graduates of the Bass School of Music leave campus with a discipline and versatility that positions them for successful professional lives.
Musicians holding the M.M. from Oklahoma City University include performers Kristin Chenoweth, Sarah Coburn, Lara Teeter, and Roy Bean; Mark Blakeman, vice president and general manager of the Nashville Symphony Orchestra; and Midge Woolsey, radio host of WQXR, the radio station of The New York Times. Recent M.M. graduates in composition have been selected for continued study at schools ranging from London’s Royal College of Music to University of Southern California’s Thornton Scoring for Motion Pictures and Television program.
Performance
Instrumental
This performance intensive degree is intended for students who hold a Bachelor of Music degree from a NASM accredited institution and have the technical, performance and academic potential to succeed in the field. The curriculum is designed to develop and refine the performance skills of our students by integrating music scholarship, pedagogy, and performance experience to prepare students for careers in performance and/or further academic scholarship.
Voice
This performance intensive degree is intended for students who hold a Bachelor of Music Vocal Performance degree from a NASM accredited institution and have the vocal, dramatic and academic potential to succeed in the field. The curriculum is designed to develop and refine the performance skills of our students by integrating music scholarship, pedagogy, and performance experience to prepare students for careers in performance and/or further academic scholarship.
Opera
This degree is intended for students who hold a Bachelor of Music degree from a NASM accredited institution and have the vocal and acting potential to succeed in the field. The curriculum is designed to integrate performance skills, music scholarship, pedagogy, and professionalism to prepare students for careers in opera performance and the broader music theater field or the next level of academic scholarship.
Piano
The Master of Music degree program is a rigorous, selective course of study for exceptional musicians who have earned a Bachelor’s degree in Music and are committed to excelling in the field. This professional graduate program integrates performance skills, music scholarship, pedagogy, and professionalism to prepare our students for the music careers for the 21st century.
Composition
The Master of Music degree program is designed to develop technical and musical skills through weekly, hour-long, private composition lessons. Projects will be discussed and carried to fruition with imminent performance in mind. In addition to one-on-one meetings, students are required to participate in the weekly Composers’ Forum. At the forum, students will listen, analyze, spontaneously create, and discuss aspects of music or the field not generally covered in private lessons. Project 21, our composer’s concert series.
Conducting
The Master of Music in Conducting is for students who wish to further conducting studies begun in undergraduate music degrees from NASM accredited universities and to pursue careers in conducting in both professional and educational settings. Students are afforded multiple opportunities for regular conducting experiences under faculty supervision and with appropriate major ensembles. Masters conducting students declare an area of emphasis--winds, orchestral, choral--but are required to conduct in all areas, including opportunities to conduct in opera and music theater.
Vocal Coaching
The Vocal Coaching Master of Music program will be open to qualified individuals from a wide range of cultures with a Bachelor of Music degree from a NASM accredited school, emphasis in piano performance or vocal performance with strong piano skills. This program will prepare graduates for successful careers in the field of vocal coaching – either in the world of professional opera and musical theater or in academia.
Music Theater
This degree is intended for students who hold a Bachelor of Music in Musical Theater or Vocal Performance degree from a NASM accredited institution and have the vocal, dramatic and academic potential to succeed in the field. The curriculum is designed to develop and refine the performance skills of our students by integrating music scholarship, pedagogy, and performance experience to prepare students for careers in performance and/or further academic scholarship.