Graduate Programs

The MM in Conducting (Instrumental) at Queens College is a two-year program, inclusive of major performance goals, leadership opportunities, and the acquisition and polishing of career skills.

The program enrollment is limited to no more than two students, attached variously to the Queens College Orchestra, the Studio Orchestra, the Chamber Orchestra, and other ensembles, where appropriate.

Requirements

Admission Requirements are the successful completion of:

• An Undergraduate Performance or Music Education Degree
• Video Submission (details here)
• Resume / CV documenting relevant performance experience as a conductor
• Personal essay of around 750 words describing your current professional goals and concomitant future plans. How has your background thus far served those goals and how do you expect graduate studies at Queens College to help you achieve them?
• PLEASE NOTE: Applications to the Instrumental Master of Music in Conducting Program will open again in the 2025-2026 academic year.

Successful candidates will show command of rehearsal skills, a readable and easily accessible physical conducting technique, insightful musical interpretation, and the potential for growth. Previous conducting experience is a requirement of the program, as is mastery of your own instrument or voice.

Degree Program

• Private lessons and Seminar, 4 Semesters (16 credits)
• Performance Practice e.g. 18th, 19th and/or 20th Century, 2 semesters (6 credits)
• Analysis for Performers, 1 semester (3 credits)
• Three semesters of electives, e.g. Languages, Theory, Musicology (9 credits)
• Writing about Music (2 credits)
• Orchestra, 4 semesters (4 credits)
• 36 Total Credits

The Master of Music in Jazz Studies includes private instruction, jazz ensembles, studies in jazz harmony, improvisation, arranging, recording techniques, and other courses suited to the needs of today’s jazz musicians. Students may major in either jazz performance or jazz composition.

Admissions

Students may apply to the program by first submitting the Queens College graduate application. The Queens College Office of Admissions requires you to pay an application fee of $75 when you apply.

After you have submitted your application and application fee, you must submit videos for prescreening to the School of Music using GetAcceptd.

Audition Requirements

1. Apply to Queens College: www.qc.cuny.edu/apply
2. Audition Prescreening: Provide three (3) videos of yourself performing (one composition per video). Three standards are preferred, but we will accept one original composition if you choose. These videos should demonstrate your ability to play in a jazz style with a rhythm section. Each tune should demonstrate your ability to improvise over chord structures. Please submit the links to the videos on the GetAcceptd platform.
3. Live audition: If you pass the Prescreening you will be invited to a live audition. For your live audition, prepare three compositions: one ballad, one medium tempo composition, and one up tempos example of rhythm changes. In addition, you are responsible for knowing some commonly played jazz standards (scroll down for our recommended list). You may be asked to play any of these songs from memory.
4. Pianists and guitarists should prepare the ballad as a solo piece.
5. Bassists should be prepared to play the melody of their songs as well as create basslines and solos in a variety of styles over chord changes.
6. Drummers should be prepared to play over traditional jazz forms as well as have a familiarity with world rhythms.
7. Singers should be prepared to sing three compositions (One ballad, one medium swing composition, and another song in any style of your choice). Bring charts in your key for the rhythm section. You will be asked to improvise over changes.
8. For all applicants: Sight reading will be a required part of the audition.
9. A rhythm section will be provided for you to play with at the audition.
10. After you audition on your instrument you will be given a short theory test.
11. Students who are unable to attend Queens College for the audition can request a virtual Zoom audition. However, in-person auditions are preferred and may be prioritized over students who only audition via the Internet.

Program Requirements

There are two tracks to the Master of Music in Jazz Studies: the performance and composer track. The requirements overlap, but there are differences.

The Master of Music in Composition provides necessary training for classical composers. It includes intensive work with a faculty mentor, participation in a community of composers in a workshop setting as works are developed, and preparation of the student’s works for performances with the College or other ensembles. Core courses expand students’ abilities to engage in musical discourse across music disciplines. It can be a terminal degree, but it also prepares students to pursue doctoral study in composition (PhD or DMA).

Requirements

• An undergraduate degree with a major in music (or its equivalent).
• International students are required to take the Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL). A minimum score of 79 is required for admission, or an equivalent score on the IELTS

After submitting your Queens College application:

• Please submit scores of two or three recent works to the GetAcceptd platform. Recordings are welcome but optional.

The Master of Arts in Musicology prepares students to enter PhD programs in musicology. It also serves music educators and others who may need a master’s degree and have a special interest in musicology. The program develops students’ abilities in the techniques of music analysis, academic research, and academic writing and introduces them to recent trends in music theory and musicology.

Requirements

• An undergraduate degree with a major in music (or its equivalent).
• International students are required to take the Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL). A minimum score of 100 is required for admission or an equivalent score on the IELTS.

After submitting your Queens College application:

• Please submit one or more recent papers to the GetAcceptd platform.

The Master of Arts in Music Theory prepares students to enter PhD programs in music theory. It also serves music educators and others who may need a master’s degree and have a special interest in music theory. The program develops students’ abilities in the techniques of music analysis, academic research, and academic writing, introducing students to recent trends in music theory and musicology.

Requirements

• An undergraduate degree with a major in music (or its equivalent).
• International students are required to take the Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL). A minimum score of 100 is required for admission, or an equivalent score on the IELTS.

After submitting your Queens College application:

• Please submit a recent paper, preferably on an analytical topic, plus one or two examples of composition in 18th- or 19th-century style. Upload these to the GetAcceptd platform.

The Master of Science in Education (Music) degree includes courses in advanced methods, conducting, and rehearsal techniques, as well as research in music education. It is designed to provide advanced professional training for those who already hold New York State Initial Teacher Certification and are teaching or seeking positions in choral, instrumental and/or general music in elementary and secondary schools. Electives are planned for the needs of the school music teacher or are drawn from other graduate music or education offerings. A limited number of students will be eligible to elect special concentrations in jazz studies or choral conducting or instrumental conducting each year. Courses are offered evenings and are geared to the schedule of the full-time teacher.

For more information about the Master of Science in Education in Music (Pre-K-12), visit our Graduate Admissions website. 

The Music Education Advanced Certificate Program includes courses in the foundations of education, pedagogy, instrument methods courses, conducting, and student teaching. This course of study provides a pathway to New York State Initial Teacher Certification for those seeking positions in choral, instrumental and/or general music in elementary and secondary schools. It is designed for applicants who have already earned a Bachelors degree in Music but do not have a background in Education. Electives are planned for the needs of the school music teacher or are drawn from other graduate music or education offerings. 

The Master of Music in Composition provides necessary training for classical composers. It can be a t

The Professional Studies and Artists Diploma Programs provide access to the finest music performance education. Ideal candidates may be:

• Classical instrumentalists/vocalists who wish to advance their study beyond the Master of Arts degree before entering a DMA program or professional positions.
• International students who possess advanced degrees in music from overseas institutions and are ready for advanced musical performance training in the United States but do not have the required English language skills to enter an MA program.