, which includes submitting a resume, professional statement, and two letters of recommendation as detailed below.
Include information about your degree(s), employment experience, and specialized skills, training, and/or certification(s).
In this essential component of the application, explain your reasons for seeking this graduate program. Include any information that will advance your candidacy, such as personal and professional attributes and goals, volunteer and professional experiences related to the program to which you are applying, and other related life experiences. Describe your future academic plans and anticipated contributions to the specific profession for which this program will prepare you.
If you did not have an undergraduate grade point average (GPA) of 3.0 or higher and a B average in your major field, you must also address the following in your professional statement:
| Deadlines | |
|---|---|
| Fall Term | apply by April 15; audition by May 15 |
| Spring Term | apply by November 1; audition by week of Thanksgiving |
| Summer Term | apply by April 15; audition by May 15 |
Request official transcripts from each college you attended.
Degree: You must have completed, or will be completing, a baccalaureate degree in music or music therapy from an accredited institution with a cumulative index of 3.0 and a 鈥淏鈥� average in the major field by the start date of the desired term.
Prerequisite coursework (9 credits):
If not already complete, consult with the graduate music therapy program director for instructions and options.
If you meet the admission criteria, you will be invited by the program director to schedule an interview and聽an audition聽(audition requirements are listed below) to demonstrate your strongest musicianship/performance skills as well as basic competence in functional music theory, piano, and guitar.
The audition components are the same for the Equivalency Certificate program and for the Equivalency Master's degree.
The audition elements give the faculty information about your readiness for the clinical musicianship education that is at the heart of our programs, and give you a sense of the skills and knowledge that will be critical for a successful start to your studies for the certificate or master鈥檚 degree.
The three major components to the audition:
NOTE: You do not need to have previously studied guitar to prepare for the audition: You can learn the skills we are looking for using widely available beginner鈥檚 books or videos. We do assume that those with an undergraduate music degree have, at minimum, studied piano in a class format for at least two semesters. If you have not studied piano (or developed piano skills on your own), talk with the graduate program director before your audition about the necessary preparation.
This component can be submitted via video recording and we recommend that method, especially if your musicianship is best demonstrated with an accompanist or other musicians. Consult with the program director to determine the best way to present this part of the audition.
For many people, their strongest demonstration of musicianship will be on their primary instrument: the instrument they studied in private lessons during their undergraduate degree. For others, it may be an instrument they regularly play in public that didn鈥檛 fit the 鈥渇ormal鈥� studies model of their college or university.
Requirement:聽Perform one piece (or excerpt), between 4 and 6 minutes long, where you are the primary instrumentalist/vocalist. Your performance should demonstrate some or all of the following as appropriate to the piece: a strong sense of rhythm/groove/pulse, an intonation standard appropriate for the genre, interpretive phrasing, confidence, and obvious nonverbal communication with other musicians and/or your audience (which may be the faculty reviewing your video).
Components #2 and #3 are recommended for live audition. We highly recommend that you audition in person, so that you can get to know the faculty in person and you can see the School of Music (and its performance spaces) and the York Wellness & Rehabilitation Center, which includes the Lipson Music Therapy Clinic. However, if necessary, we can conduct the live audition via Zoom. Consult with the program director for instructions you intend to audition via Zoom.
Guitar and piano are the two most common instruments used by music therapists. Music therapy almost always uses harmonic progressions as one of its stimuli, so an accompaniment instrument is a must. Many music therapists use ukuleles, and some use autoharps and electronics, but both the guitar and piano have the capability of producing strong bass notes, which are critical for some clients, and have a wide range 鈥� which increases the choices the music therapist has within the session.
You will have classes in guitar and piano as part of the equivalency program at Naz, so at the audition we are looking only for the basics, presented solidly. The requirements are those that can be self-taught if classes/lessons are/were not available.
Requirement:
Sing, with self-accompaniment, two songs from the attached list.
The two songs must meet the following criteria:
NOTE: If you would like to play and sing a favorite song that is not on our list, check with the program director.聽If it meets the criteria above, you can use it in the audition.
Music therapists make changes within sessions to meet the needs and communicate with their clients.聽An understanding of basic music theory allows a music therapist to transpose a song to a new key.聽An ability to change the rhythmic foundation of an intervention can help a client increase or refine movement.聽Music therapists learn to try new things and make mistakes and try again.聽During the audition, the faculty will guide you through a demonstration of some of these skills.
Requirement:
Be prepared for the faculty to ask you to do any of the following (on guitar OR piano, whichever makes you most comfortable):
Use this list to choose songs that meet the audition requirements.
Songs in 3/4 or 6/8 meter
Songs in 2/4 or 4/4 meter
Contact Graduate Admissions at 585-389-2860 or gradadmissions@naz.edu.