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Master of Music in Performance

Application

  1. Apply to the UNF Graduate School. Review the curriculum and requirements. Your application is complete when you have filled out all fields in the application, paid the application fee, and uploaded or mailed a letter of intent, transcripts from all institutions attended, three letters of recommendation, a resume/CV, and a repertoire list. The UNF School of Music does not require the GRE. Here is the Graduate School application. 
  2. Schedule an Audition. Here is the Audition Request Form which will allow you to select your preferred audition date. After you submit your request form, you will receive correspondence from the School of Music office approximately two-three weeks before your selected audition date with the audition schedule. Applicants will receive their audition times after registration on the morning of their audition.

Scholarships

A limited number of scholarships and assistantships are available to music graduate students. To be considered for these scholarships, complete your applications and audition by the March audition date. There is no separate scholarship application for music scholarships. 

In addition, the Graduate School offers several scholarships.

For more information about graduate programs in music, e-mail GraduateMusic@unf.edu.

  • Conducting
    The Master of Music Performance in Conducting concentration is a 36 hour degree with a two year residency. It provides students the opportunity to develop skills as choral and instrumental conductors while working with an internationally recognized faculty and excellent ensembles. This program is well suited to students who have completed Bachelor’s Degrees in Music Performance and Music Education. Classes are scheduled to allow music educators, church musicians and other music professionals in Northeast Florida to pursue the degree while maintaining full-time employment.
     

    Audition Requirements

    Preliminary Application for Master of Music Conducting (Choral and Instrumental): 
    • Submit video excerpts of rehearsals (max 10 minutes) and performances (max 10 minutes). Diverse repertoire selections are encouraged.
    • Submit three selections on your major instrument.
  • Jazz Studies

    The Master of Music Performance in Jazz Studies is a 36 hour degree with a two year residency. It provides students the opportunity to develop performance skills while working with an internationally recognized faculty and excellent ensembles. Classes are scheduled to allow music educators, performers, and other music professionals in Northeast Florida to pursue the degree while maintaining full-time employment.

    Curriculum

    Audition Requirements

    1. Demonstrate ability to improvise and play with a rhythm section at a graduate level of advancement. Five selections (including a ballad) in different jazz styles, moods and tempos performed from memory.
    2. Sight-reading (at the discretion of the applied teacher).

    Jazz Bass

    1. 12 major scales - 2 octaves
    2. 6 Dorian minor scales - 2 octaves
    3. Transcription or etude demonstrating advanced technical proficiency.
    4. Three selections of contrasting styles demonstrating versatility on acoustic and/or electric bass. These selections can be performed with a rhythm section or a play along. At least one of the three songs must include playing the melody.

    Jazz Drum Set

    1. Demonstrate the following styles: (30 seconds each)
      1. Slow Swing (60pm)
      2. Medium Swing (120bpm)
      3. Fast Swing (220 bpm)
      4. Bossa Nova
      5. Samba
      6. Songo
      7. Latin Cascara
      8. Latin 6/8
      9. Funk or Hip Hop Groove
       
    2. Perform two Jazz tunes in contrasting style and tempo, including one Be-bop/ Jazz tune and one contemporary Jazz song or standard. Perform with a combo, or recording minus drums. Each piece should demonstrate Master's level time feel and comping. Play time with the melody, one chorus of an instrumental, and take one chorus drum set solo. Suggestions for Be- bop/ jazz tunes include: Billie's Bounce, Oleo, Tenor Madness, Au Privave, Joy Spring, Jordu, Yardbird Suite, and Donna Lee. Suggestions for a non Be-bop piece include Milestones, Solar, Giant Steps, Moment's Notice, All the Things You Are, Alone Together, Softly As In A Morning Sunrise, One Finger Snap, If I Were a Bell, There Will Never Be Another You, or other.

    Jazz Guitar

    1. A complete performance of a Jazz ballad, including one chorus of the harmonized melody as well as an improvised single-line solo. Suggested tunes are Chelsea Bridge, But Beautiful, Miyako, For Heaven's Sake, Estate, or other tune of the applicant's choice.
    2. Two Jazz tunes in contrasting style, including one Be-bop tune. Each piece should demonstrate a personalized interpretation of the melody, an improvised solo, and one or more choruses of comping. Suggestions for Be- bop tunes include Au Privave, Joy Spring, Jordu, Yardbird Suite, and Donna Lee. Suggestions for a non Be-bop piece include Milestones (new version), Giant Steps, Ceora, Moment's Notice, and One Finger Snap or other.

    Jazz Piano

    1. Auditionees should perform the following scales:
      1. C# major
      2. Eb natural minor
      3. E harmonic minor
      4. F melodic minor
      5. C# Whole/Half diminished
       
    2. One 12-Bar Blues piece, Billie's Bounce or Now's the Time in medium tempo; (play the melody once and improvise a minimum of 3 choruses).
    3. Perform songs from the American Songbook or jazz standard with a rhythm section or play along. One should be solo piano. You may also choose from:
      1. Ballad
      2. Medium swing
      3. Up tempo swing
      4. Latin/straight eighth
       
    4. Demonstrate one chorus of "comping" on a standard song of your choice. It is fine to comp on the American Songbook song you have selected.

    Jazz Saxophone

    1. Scales (all full range):
      1. C# whole/half diminished
      2. Ab melodic minor
      3. Eb Harmonic Major
      4. C Augmented Scale
      5. E pentatonic b6
       
    2. Play three contrasting Jazz/American songbook standards (1 chorus head and 2 choruses of blowing). Two of them should be medium to medium up tempo, (e.g. All the Things You are, Autumn Leaves, Green Dolphin Street, etc.). The third should be an up tempo tune (eg. Cherokee, I Hear a Bell, Oleo, etc.). Tunes can be performed with a live rhythm section or with an Aebersold style play-along.

    Jazz Trumpet

    1. Prepare major scales (and their modes), whole tone, diminished and ascending melodic minor scales (and their modes).
    2. Play the melody and improvise from memory on the chord changes of one tune from each of the following three lists:
      1. Bebop tunes: Confirmation, Joy Spring
      2. Standard tunes: Stella By Starlight, Have You Met Miss Jones
      3. Post-bop tunes: Moment's Notice, Dolphin Dance.
       
    3. Charlier #2 Du Style from Theo Charlier, 36 Etudes Transcendantes for trumpet.
    4. Auditionees will be asked to sight read typical jazz ensembles parts and may be asked to sight-read chord changes.
    5. Lead trumpet auditionees will be asked 1, 3 and 4 above plus: Blues in Bb and F and Rhythm Changes in Bb and F.
    6. Lead Trumpet play excerpt for Time Check by Don Menza, from Buddy Rick Band.
  • Piano
    The Master of Music Performance in Piano is a 36 hour degree with a two year residency. It provides students the opportunity to develop performance skills while working with an internationally recognized faculty and excellent ensembles. This program is well suited to students who have completed bachelor degrees in Music Performance and Music Education. Classes are scheduled to allow music educators, church musicians and other music professionals in Northeast Florida to pursue the degree while maintaining full-time employment.
     

    Audition Requirements

    Applicants must perform from memory three works from different stylistic periods. One of the three works must be a complete sonata by Haydn, Mozart, Schubert, or Beethoven (Excluding Op. 14, Op. 49, and Op. 79)
  • Strings
    The Master of Music Performance in Strings is a 36 hour degree with a two year residency. It provides students the opportunity to develop performance skills while working with an internationally recognized faculty and excellent ensembles. This program is well suited to students who have completed bachelor degrees in Music Performance and Music Education. Classes are scheduled to allow music educators, church musicians and other music professionals in Northeast Florida to pursue the degree while maintaining full-time employment.
     
     

    Audition Requirements

    1. One movement from a major concerto.
    2. Two contrasting movements of solo Bach.
    3. Another selection of choice.
    Memorization is not required but preferred for the concerto and Bach.
     

    Violin

    1. Two contrasting movements from an unaccompanied Bach sonata or partita performed from memory. No repeats.
    2. Both a slow and a fast movement from a standard violin concerto.
    3. Sight-reading
  • Voice
    The Master of Music Performance in Voice is a 36 hour degree with a two year residency. It provides students the opportunity to develop performance skills while working with an internationally recognized faculty and excellent ensembles. This program is well suited to students who have completed bachelor degrees in Music Performance and Music Education. Classes are scheduled to allow music educators, church musicians and other music professionals in Northeast Florida to pursue the degree while maintaining full-time employment.
     

    Audition Requirements

    • Sing four Art Songs (representing Italian, French, German and English) and two Arias from the standard opera and/or oratorio repertoire.
    • The above selections should demonstrate contrasting styles and historical time periods.
    • One selection should be composed between 1950 and the present.
    • All selections must be performed from memory with piano accompaniment. If you need an accompanist, one will be available at the audition. Please bring a copy of your music and $35 cash or check for the accompanist fee.
  • Woodwinds, Brass, and Percussion
    The Master of Music Performance in Woodwinds, Brass and Percussion is a 36 hour degree with a two year residency. It provides students the opportunity to develop performance skills while working with an internationally recognized faculty and excellent ensembles. This program is well suited to students who have completed bachelor degrees in Music Performance and Music Education. Classes are scheduled to allow music educators, church musicians and other music professionals in Northeast Florida to pursue the degree while maintaining full-time employment.
     

    Audition Requirements

    Woodwinds 

    Clarinet 

    1. Mozart Clarinet Concerto. 
    2. Two additional works from the standard repertoire demonstrating contrasting styles. One of the works must be written after 1945.
    3. Three standard orchestral excerpts.

    Flute 

    1. CPE Bach Hamburger Sonata, 1st section (no rondo).
    2. Mozart Concerto in G Major, 1st movement ( no cadenza required), 2nd movement exposition.
    3. 1 piece of your choice in a different style from above.
    4. Orchestra excerpts: Beethoven Leonore Overture #3, solo / Ravel Daphnis and Chloe, solo.

    Horn 

    1. Major Concerto (all mts) Strauss 1 or 2. Mozart 2, 3 or 4. Haydn 1 or 2. 
    2. Gliere Etude showing technical playing. ex. Kling, Gallay, Maxime-Alphonse, etc.
    3. Sight reading in keys of F, E, E-flat, D, C and B basso.

    Oboe

    1. One slow and one fast Ferlin etude. 
    2. One major solo piece of the applicant’s choice. 
    3. A complete Movement of any concerto from the standard repertoire.
    4. Three standard orchestral excerpts. 

    Saxophone 

    1. A piece of standard French repertoire by a prominent saxophone composer (Ex: Desenclos, Dubois, Boutry, Ibert, etc.)
    2. A saxophone piece of contrasting style to #1, possibly more contemporary or displaying extended techniques.
    3. Major and Minor Scales, full range.

    Low Brass  

    Trumpet

    1. Two etudes showing the applicant’s level of technical and musical advancement.
    2. At least one major solo of the applicant’s choice.
    3. A complete concerto from the standard repertoire.
    4. Three to five standard orchestral excerpts.

    Trombone

    1. Any graduate level solo of your choice.
    2. Blazhevich Etude # 24. 
    3. Bordogni vocalize # 16.
    4. Sight reading.

    Bass-Trombone

    1. Any graduate level solo of your choice.
    2. Blazhevich Etude # 11. 
    3. Bordogni vocalize # 10 from Ostrander book.
    4. Sight reading

    Jazz Trombone

    1. Oleo by Sonny Rollins, All the Things You Are by Jerome Kern
    2. Ballad of your choice
    3. Sight reading.

    Euphonium

    1. Any graduate level solo of your choice.
    2. Blazhevich Etude # 24. 
    3. Bordogni vocalize # 16.
    4. Sight reading.

    Tuba

    1. Any graduate level solo of your choice.
    2. Blazhevich Etude # 11. 
    3. Bordogni vocalize # 10 from Ostrander book.
    4. Sight reading.

    Percussion (Repertoire should include keyboard percussion, snare drum, and timpani)

    Keyboard

    1. 4-mallet Marimba Solo: (representative repertoire) Klatzow Dances of Earth and Fire, Burritt Scirroco or Caritas, Druckman Reflections on the Nature of Water, Stout Rumble Strips or Sedimental Structures, Sueyoshi Mirage, Sammut Cameleon, Abe Japanese Children’s Songs, Ignatowicz Tocatta
    2. Bach (with two OR four mallets): A movement from the Sonatas and Partitas for Solo Violin or from Six Suites for solo Cello 
    3. Optional: 2-mallet solo by Gene Koshinski
    4. Sight reading

    Snare Drum

    1.  Delecluse: Douze Etudes (1 etude)
    2.  Tompkins: Nine French-American Rudimental Solos (1 etude)  
    3.  Sight reading.

    Excerpts

    1. Keyboard: Three Excerpts from the standard orchestral repertoire:
      • 2 Xylophone
      • 1 Glockenspiel
    2. Snare: Two Excerpts from standard orchestral repertoire:
      • Prokofiev-Lt. Kije
      • Rimsky-Korsakov - Scheherazade Mvt. 3 and 4
    3. Timpani: Two excerpts from the following list:
      • Beethoven 9 - 20 before letter S in 1st Mvt.
      • Tchaikovsky 4 – 1st Mvt. 4 before Letter S to V (includes roll)
      • Schuman, William - New England Triptych Be Glad Then, America - mvt. 1 - mm.1-14; 122-152
      • Mozart Sym 39 - Mvt. 1 meas. 1 – 21
      • Strauss Burlesque - meas 1 – 20