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University of Nebraska–Lincoln

Bands

Graduate Conducting Program

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Among numerous other emphases in the graduate program, the UNL School of Music offers both a Master of Music and a Doctor of Musical Arts degree in the wind band conducting area.  The program director and principal advisor for wind band conducting majors is Dr. Carolyn Barber, UNL's director of bands. 

Applicants to the wind band conducting program should be individuals who wish to join a community of scholars, performers and pedagogues dedicated to the study and practice of wind band conducting as an applied performance medium.  Enrollment in the wind band conducting studio is intentionally limited and auditions are competitive.  A high degree of musicianship, scholarship, and an engaging interpersonal style are essential. The objective of the program is to develop skillful, expressive conductors who are prepared to succeed in both professional and academic settings.

Following are snapshots of the MM and DMA programs in wind band conducting.  For the most complete and accurate overview of our graduate programs as well as online application materials and financial aid information please consult the official handbooks published online:

http://www.unl.edu/music/handbooks/handbooks.shtml

For additional information on graduate study and financial aid, consult the School of Music's website:

http://www.unl.edu/music/grad/grad.shtml

MM (option III) in Wind Band Conducting

Courses in emphasis:

  • Conducting, 6 credits
  • Wind band literature, 6 credits
  • Conducting project, 3 credits

Other music courses:

  • Applied music, 4 credits (minimum on a single instrument)
  • Ensemble, 4 credits
  • Intro to grad studies, 2 credits
  • History & theory, 9 credits
  • Related studies, 2 credits
  • Convocation, 0 credits (4 semesters)

TOTAL: 36 credits

  • Graduate Record Exam (GRE): not required.
  • UNL Diagnostic Survey Exam: required before a student can register for classes. The DSE is administered to all incoming music graduate students the week prior to the start of classes in the Fall Semester.
  • Residency: minimum 18 credit hours.  Essentially 2 academic years (Fall and Spring semesters) due to the convocation and ensemble requirements.  Total program (36 credits) must be completed within 6 consecutive calendar years.
  • Piano proficiency: course work not required, although it is encouraged.
  • Foreign language proficiency: course work is not required, although it is encouraged.

*Note: applicants to the Graduate College whose native language is not English are required to submit a Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL) score of at least 550 (213 on the TOEFL computer-based test). Non-Native speakers who have received a baccalaureate or more advanced degree from a U. S. university or a university outside the U. S. in which English is the official language of instruction are exempt from the TOEFL requirement for admission.

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Application Procedures for MM in Wind Band Conducting

From: School of Music Handbooks, http://www.unl.edu/music/handbooks/handbooks.shtml

Due to audition screening procedures, all band conducting applications (MM & DMA) must be complete by January 15th to insure that the School of Music's March 1st application due date will be met.

*Note: to be admitted with Full Graduate Standing, an applicant must have earned a minimum 3.0 GPA from an accredited institution.

All applicants must submit the following information to the School of Music, Admissions Coordinator, 108 Westbrook Building, University of Nebraska-Lincoln, Lincoln, NE 68588-0100:

  1. A completed graduate application form (and $45 application fee). This form can be completed online at: http://www.unl.edu/gradstudies/prospective/apply.shtml
  2. Two official transcripts from the institution(s) at which the applicant has taken undergraduate work.
  3. Three letters of recommendation from people familiar with the applicant's capabilities sent to School of Music, Graduate Office, 108 Westbrook Music Building, University of Nebraska-Lincoln, Lincoln, NE   68588-0100.
  4. An essay of approximately 1,000 words (word-processed, double-spaced) reflecting upon one of the following quotations (applicant's choice) within the context of conducting:
    •  Noah Webster: "Very few men investigate. Hence, most men are led by authority; and the errors of learned men are received as truth and incorporated into public opinion."
    •  Goethe: "Nothing in nature is isolated; nothing is without connection to the whole."
    •  Colin Powell, Rules for Picking People: "Look for intelligence and judgment, and most critically, a capacity to anticipate, to see around corners. Also look for loyalty, integrity, a high energy drive, a balanced ego, and the drive to get things done."
    •  Mark Rothko: "A painting is not a picture of an experience; it is an experience."
  5. A pre-audition screening tape: 20-25 minute standard VHS tape or DVD of conductor with an instrumental group with camera angle limited to side or front view of the conductor. Approximately 10-15 minutes should be footage of a recent rehearsal; the remainder of the tape should be footage of a recent public performance.

Following the receipt of application materials (January 15 deadline), the conducting faculty will review each file to determine which candidates will be invited to campus for an audition. Wind band conducting auditions will take place in late February or early March each year. The specific date will be determined in consultation with the candidate when the audition invitation is tendered. All travel arrangements and expenses associated with the audition process are the responsibility of the candidate.

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Audition Procedures for MM in Wind Band Conducting

From: School of Music Handbooks, http://www.unl.edu/music/handbooks/handbooks.shtml

Upon faculty review of the materials that are submitted, a limited number of finalists may be invited to campus for a formal audition and interview. Scheduled for late February or early March, the audition/interview process includes the following:

  1. MM finalists should prepare at least three movements (applicant's choice) of Percy Grainger's Lincolnshire Posy. Each finalist is responsible for securing his or her own full score (Fennell edition).
  2. Each finalist will perform a 20-minute audition with the UNL Wind Ensemble, adjudicated by the director of bands and members of the ensemble faculty. The audition will begin with a run-through of the selected movements, followed by 5-10 minutes of rehearsal (lead at the discretion of the applicant). For the remainder of the audition, the applicant will be coached in a quasi-lesson format by the director of bands.
  3. Each finalist will have an interview with the director of bands and members of the band faculty to discuss the applicants professional goals, philosophy, and experience, and to address any questions the applicant may have regarding the conducting program at UNL.
  4. A brief diagnostic exam designed to assess the applicants aural skills, score reading and recognition, analytical skills, knowledge of terminology and transpositions, and familiarity with wind band literature (grades 1-6). The skills components of the exam will use Lincolnshire Posy as a point of departure.

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DMA in Wind Band Conducting

Earned master's degree, 30-36 credits

Courses in emphasis:

  • Conducting, 12 credits
  • Wind band literature, 12 credits
  • Recitals, 9 credits
  • Doctoral document, 3 credits

Other music courses:

  • Applied music & electives, 0-19 credits
  • Ensemble, 2-6 credits
  • Bibliography, 3 credits
  • Doctoral seminar, 3 credits
  • Grad study or curriculum in music ed, 3 credits
  • Performance practice, 3 credits
  • Doctoral colloquium, 0 credits (4 semesters)
  • Related area, 0 or 16 credits

TOTAL: 90 credits

  • Graduate Record Exam (GRE): not required.
  • UNL Diagnostic Survey Exam: required before a student can register for classes. The DSE is administered to all incoming music graduate students the week prior to the start of classes in the Fall Semester.
  • Residency: minimum 18 credit hours within a consecutive 18-month period or less.  A minimum of three full years of graduate study is normally required to complete a program for the DMA degree.  The time limit for granting the DMA degree is eight years from the time of filing the student's program of studies in the Office of Graduate Studies.
  • Piano proficiency: examination required before scheduling comprehensive exams. Course work is optional.
  • Foreign language proficiency: none required.

*Note: applicants to the Graduate College whose native language is not English are required to submit a Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL) score of at least 550 (213 on the TOEFL computer-based test). Non-Native speakers who have received a baccalaureate or more advanced degree from a U. S. university or a university outside the U. S. in which English is the official language of instruction are exempt from the TOEFL requirement for admission.

back to top

Application Procedures for DMA in Wind Band Conducting

From: School of Music Handbooks, http://www.unl.edu/music/handbooks/handbooks.shtml

Due to audition screening procedures, all band conducting applications (MM & DMA) must be complete by January 15th to insure that the School of Music's March 1st application due date will be met.

*Note: to be admitted with Full Graduate Standing, an applicant must have earned a minimum 3.0 GPA from an accredited institution.

All applicants must submit the following information to the School of Music, Admissions Coordinator, 108 Westbrook Building, UNL, Lincoln, NE 68588-0100:

  1. A completed graduate application form (and $45 application fee). This form can be completed online at: http://www.unl.edu/gradstudies/prospective/apply.shtml
  2. Two official copies of transcripts of all undergraduate work and all previous graduate work (including all studies for which credit was granted, e.g. summer institutes such as Aspen or Interlochen).
  3. Four to six letters of reference from persons whom the applicant believes could give the Graduate Committee a fair and comprehensive evaluation of the applicant's character, musical ability, and promise as a doctoral student and as a future teacher, performer, conductor, or composer. Each letter must include the address and telephone number of the referent. Letters should be sent to School of Music, Graduate Office, 108 Westbrook Music Building, University of Nebraska-Lincoln, Lincoln, NE   68588-0100.
  4. Statement of Purpose (1-2 typewritten pages)
  5. An essay of approximately 1,000 words (word-processed, double- spaced) reflecting upon one of the following quotations (applicant's choice) within the context of conducting:
    • Noah Webster: "Very few men investigate. Hence, most men are led by authority; and the errors of learned men are received as truth and incorporated into public opinion."
    • Goethe: "Nothing in nature is isolated; nothing is without connection to the whole."
    • Colin Powell, Rules for Picking People: "Look for intelligence and judgment, and most critically, a capacity to anticipate, to see around corners. Also look for loyalty, integrity, a high energy drive, a balanced ego, and the drive to get things done."
    • Mark Rothko: "A painting is not a picture of an experience; it is an experience."
  6. A pre-audition screening tape: 20-30 minute standard VHS tape or DVD of conductor with an instrumental group with camera angle limited to side or front view of the conductor. Approximately 10-15 minutes should be footage of a recent rehearsal; the remainder of the tape should be footage of a recent public performance (within the last year).

Following the receipt of application materials (January 15 deadline), the conducting faculty will review each file to determine which candidates will be invited to campus for an audition. Wind band conducting auditions will take place in late February or early March each year. The specific date will be determined in consultation with the candidate when the audition invitation is tendered. All travel arrangements and expenses associated with the audition process are the responsibility of the candidate.

back to top

Audition Procedures for DMA in Wind Band Conducting

From: School of Music Handbooks, http://www.unl.edu/music/handbooks/handbooks.shtml

Upon faculty review of the materials that are submitted, a limited number of finalists may be invited to campus for a formal audition and interview. Scheduled for late February or early March, the audition/interview process includes the following:

  1. DMA finalists should prepare all six movements of Percy Grainger's Lincolnshire Posy. Each finalist is responsible for securing his or her own full score (Fennell edition).
  2. After arrival on campus and before the audition the student will be asked to complete a 30-minute written exercise. The student will be asked to write on a music topic related to the student’s area by drawing upon overall experiences. This exercise provides the area faculty with a sample of the student's writing and comprehension skills, and is considered in conjunction with the audition to determine the acceptance of the applicant. It is not intended to measure the applicant's knowledge of music history.
  3. Each finalist will perform a 20-minute audition with the UNL Wind Ensemble, adjudicated by the director of bands and members of the ensemble faculty. The audition will begin with a run-through of selected movements, followed by 5-10 minutes of rehearsal (lead at the discretion of the applicant). For the remainder of the audition, the applicant will be coached in a quasi-lesson format by the director of bands.
  4. Each finalist will have an interview with the director of bands and members of the band faculty to discuss the applicants professional goals, philosophy, and experience, and to address any questions the applicant may have regarding the conducting program at UNL.
  5. A brief diagnostic exam designed to assess the applicants aural skills, score reading and recognition, analytical skills, knowledge of terminology and transpositions, and familiarity with wind band literature (grades 1-6). The skills components of the exam will use Lincolnshire Posy as a point of departure.

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Graduate Teaching Assistantships (GTAs)

The School of Music offers GTAs in various areas on a competitive basis to students in both the MM and DMA programs.  Appointments are for one year only, and are renewable for one additional year depending upon satisfactory scholarship and musical progress.  GTAs in the band area assist with show planning and performance preparation for the Cornhusker Marching Band, assist in conducting the University Wind Ensemble, Symphonic Band and Campus Band, assist, conduct and administer the Big Red Express athletic pep bands, assist with undergraduate conducting classes, and participate in all aspects of the band program.

Assistantships include a stipend, health benefits and tuition for up to 24 credits.  For up-to-date information and an application contact the School of Music's admissions coordinator: 113 Westbrook Building, University of Nebraska-Lincoln, Lincoln, NE  68588-0100, 402/472-6845

http://www.unl.edu/music/grad/grad.shtml

Doctoral Fellowships

A limited number of graduate fellowships in music are available.  Inquiries should be addressed to the director of the School of Music:  120 Westbrook Bldg., University of Nebraska-Lincoln, Lincoln, NE  68588-0100, 402/472-6830

In addition, the Graduate College administers a number of unrestricted fellowships.  Inquiries should be addressed to the Office of Graduate Studies:  1100 Seaton Hall, University of Nebraska-Lincoln, Lincoln, NE  68588-0619.

http://www.unl.edu/gradstudies/current/funding-fellow.shtml

Student Loans

Information about student loans may be found at the Office of Scholarships and Financial Aid, 16 Administration Building, University of Nebraska-Lincoln, Lincoln, NE 68588-0411, 402/472-2030.

http://www.unl.edu/scholfa/

 

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