Master of Music (M.M.)

 

Advance Your Career in Music at West Chester University

Whether you're deepening your craft as a performer or advancing your impact as an educator, the Wells School of Music's Master of Music degree meets you where you are.

Music enhances communication, bridges differences, and improves our well being. At West Chester University, the Wells School of Music channels that belief into a Master of Music degree built around your goals, not a fixed path. Choose from twelve concentrations across two tracks: Music Education, for those shaping the next generation of musicians, or Music Performance, for those refining their own craft at the highest level. Both are full time or part time, both can be completed in as few as two years, and both are grounded in the same faculty, facilities, and community that make the Wells School of Music one of the region's most active centers for musical training.

 

Tracks in Our Master of Music Program

MUSIC EDUCATION

Build the skills to teach, lead, and inspire the next generation of musicians. Five concentrations, one degree, complete flexibility to shape it around your goals.

Music Technology (34 credits)

Learn to operate the equipment shaping modern recording, production, performance, and composition, including acoustic, electric, and electronic instruments, sound recording and playback, and broadcasting.

Music Technology FULL CURRICULUM

Orff Schulwerk Method (34 credits)

Master a teaching approach built on children's natural instincts to play, imitate, and experiment. Graduates earn National Certification from AOSA alongside their degree.

ORFF SHULWERK METHOD FULL CURRICULUM

Kodaly Methodology (34 credits)

Approach music education through its social and cultural roots, teaching musical concepts through group learning, especially for young children. Graduates earn National Certification from OAKE.

Kodaly Method FULL CURRICULUM

Research (34 credits)

Study the research methodologies shaping music education today and build a final project on that foundation, with the most flexibility of any track for in person or online coursework.

Research FULL CURRICULUM

Performance (34 credits)

Develop the skills to help your own students learn and share music in creative, diverse, and inclusive ways, from songwriting to ensemble performance.

Performance full curriculum

Many electives can be completed remotely, and all five tracks offer a summers only plan designed for current teachers.

MUSIC PERFORMANCE

Advanced training in traditional and contemporary performance techniques, built around one of seven areas of focus. 30 credits (34 for Piano Pedagogy), full or part time, in as few as two years.

Instrumental Performance (30 credits)

Build technical proficiency, musical style, and artistry through coursework in literature, pedagogy, history, and theory, preparing you to perform, teach, or pursue doctoral study.

Instrumental Performance Curriculum

Piano Performance (30 credits)

Develop advanced piano literature, pedagogy, and performance skill alongside music history and theory, preparing you for performance, teaching, or doctoral study.

Piano Performance Curriculum

Organ Performance (30 credits)

Focus on advanced organ literature and performance technique, organ design, and the history of sacred music, with added emphasis on hymn improvisation for a career in sacred music.

Organ Performance Curriculum

Vocal Performance (30 to 36 credits)

Prepare for a career in classical vocal performance, doctoral study, or professional voice teaching through foreign language diction, art song, vocal pedagogy, and advanced lessons.

Vocal Performance Curriculum

Piano Pedagogy (34 credits)

Learn to teach piano at every level, from beginner through collegiate, with additional focus on performance skill, technique, and musicianship.

Piano pedagogy Curriculum

Instrumental Conducting (30 credits)

Develop advanced competencies in instrumental conducting, score study, and rehearsal technique alongside WCU's conductors and instrumental ensembles.

Instrumental Conducting

Choral Conducting (30 credits)

Develop advanced competencies in choral conducting, score study, and rehearsal technique alongside WCU's conductors and choral ensembles.

Choral Conducting Curriculum

Every track includes four semesters of applied private lessons, three instrumental literature courses, and two recital performances, with remaining courses chosen alongside your advisor.

 

Benefits of Earning Your English Master's at WCU

Accreditation

The Wells School of Music's M.M. programs are accredited by the National Association of Schools of Music Commission on Accreditation. Music Education concentrations carry additional accreditation from the Council for the Accreditation of Educator Preparation, the Organization of American Kodaly Educators, and the American Orff Schulwerk Association.

Outstanding Facilities

All Wells School of Music graduate programs are housed in the Swope Music Building and Performing Arts Center, steps from the heart of campus. Swope offers private instructional spaces, three large rehearsal halls, 56 practice rooms, state of the art classrooms, a music education computer lab and Apple Training Center, an instrumental rental office, the Center for Music and Technology, the Presser Music Library, and a partnership with the Philadelphia Orchestra. Major performances take place in the 125 seat Ware Family Recital Hall, the 385 seat Madeleine Wing Adler Theatre, or the historic Emilie K. Asplundh Concert Hall, seating over 1,200 since 1927. The Wells School of Music hosts hundreds of performances every year.

Exceptional Faculty

Wells School of Music faculty compose, conduct, perform, and record internationally, with credits that include the Philadelphia Orchestra, the Chicago Symphony Orchestra, and the Russian Philharmonic. Students also learn from and perform alongside world class guest artists, including principal players from the Chicago Symphony and the Los Angeles Philharmonic. With an average class size of 11, you'll get direct, individualized guidance from faculty across instrumental, choral, and band conducting, performance, and music education.

Graduate Assistantships

The Wells School of Music offers paid graduate assistantships that provide research, administrative, performance, and community partnership opportunities on and off campus.

Community

The Wells School of Music is a welcoming, tight knit community of musicians at every level. You'll build lasting relationships with classmates and faculty, with opportunities for field placements and international travel. West Chester's location also puts you within driving distance of Philadelphia, Washington D.C., and New York City, home to some of the country's richest performing arts scenes, from the Philadelphia Orchestra to Broadway.

 

What Can You Do With a Master of Music Degree?

A Master of Music from WCU prepares you for a career built around your specific goals, whether that's performing, teaching, conducting, or composing. Recent graduates hold positions as professors at U.S. and international universities, performers and musicians on Broadway and in United States military bands, and conductors of professional ensembles. Others have gone on to doctoral programs and Artist Diplomas at institutions including Indiana University, the Peabody Conservatory, and Juilliard.

The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reports a salary range for music teachers between $40,181 and $80,132, with variation based on education level, certification, and experience. Many WCU graduates report salary increases after earning their M.M. Beyond teaching, your degree opens doors to roles including music director, composer, private instructor, and music producer, and prepares you to pursue a Doctor of Musical Arts.

Where are our graduates?