Master of Music with Emphasis in Theory Northern Arizona University - Flagstaff Campus, USA

Theory Emphasis
Students develop skills in music theory that prepare them for further study of music theory at the doctoral level.

• Develop music research and writing skills (including the ability to locate, assess, and synthesize a wide range of research materials related to music), compile a comprehensive bibliography of existing research in the field, and write effective expository prose on music and related topics.
• Acquire advanced skills for analyzing traditional tonal music, including the ability to create Schenkerian graphs of musical excerpts and pieces.
• Learn advanced methodologies for analyzing post-tonal music, including pitch-class set theory and twelve-tone theory.
• Increase analytical writing skills, including the ability to formulate an original interpretation of a musical work, elucidate this interpretation in prose, supported by detailed musical observations, and in relation to existing secondary literature.
• Produce a master’s thesis displaying research of a caliber that could be presented at a regional music theory conference. This thesis will:
• Present an original, sustained, and coherent argument.
• Involve detailed musical analysis of the work of a particular composer or a specific repertoire of musical works.
• Summarize, respond to, and/or build upon the prior secondary analytical literature on that composer or repertoire.
• Employ a methodology that is more detailed, specific, and/or advanced than the approaches taught at the level of the basic undergraduate music theory course sequence.
• Be orally defended by the student in front of a defense committee.
• Acquire knowledge of music theory pedagogy, including diverse techniques and strategies for teaching musical fundamentals, tonal harmony, and ear-training at the high school and college levels.