The University of Kentucky School of Music is internationally recognized for excellence in performance, music education and research in music. For over 100 years, the School has helped musicians prepare for careers as performers, educators, researchers, and a wide array of leadership positions both in and outside of the field of music. More than 400 students benefit from world-class teaching and the broad academic offerings of a major university. Students have abundant opportunities to participate in prestigious ensembles – from orchestras to choirs to the Wildcat Marching Band – that perform throughout the U.S. and the world.
The degree programs in Conducting (Choral or Instrumental) include coursework in music history and literature, methods, and in a performance major.
The GRE is not required for admission to this program.
Applicants must meet the Graduate School admission requirements.
The GRE is not required for admission to this program.
Applicants must meet the Graduate School admission requirements.
Spring: November 30
Summer: November 30 (Contact DGS if you are applying for summer only)
Fall: April 3
The deadline for applications for international students for the fall term is February 1
UK subscribes to the philosophy that training in music education should be as practical and hands-on as possible. From the practical experience of conducting and rehearsing the school band, chorus, or orchestra to the development of a highly personal philosophy of teaching music, these seminars provide a rich foundation on which to build a successful career. In addition music education students may also specialize in the teaching of general music with a Graduate Certificate in Orff Schulwerk and/or Dalcroze Eurythmics. An elementary music education laboratory, complete with instruments, music books, method materials, and technological equipment is part of the Lucille Little Fine Arts Library and is used extensively by music education students at all levels and by elementary education students from the College of Education. A rich environment of successful school programs in Lexington/Fayette County and surrounding counties provide students with a wealth of opportunities for observations, work, and study throughout their graduate career.
Spring: November 30
Summer: November 30 (Contact DGS if you are applying for summer only)
Fall: April 3
The deadline for applications for international students for the fall term is February 1
Applicants must meet the Graduate School admission requirements.
The five full time members of the UK theory & composition faculty are engaged in active creation and research with particular distinction in popular music studies, pedagogy, Schenkerian studies, 19th century music, and commissioned compositions. UK offers PhD and MA degrees in music theory. Our program is small enough to enable extensive direct contact with faculty, and our graduates find themselves well prepared for their careers or further study.
The GRE is not required for admission to this program.
Applicants must meet the Graduate School admission requirements.
Spring: November 30
Summer: November 30 (Contact DGS if you are applying for summer only)
Fall: April 3
The deadline for applications for international students for the fall term is February 1
The University of Kentucky School of Music houses Kentucky’s first and only graduate program in music therapy. Students who have an undergraduate degree in music therapy may pursue the 30-credit hour Master of Music in Music Therapy degree, which includes a thesis or clinical project. A combined equivalency/master degree program is available for students without an undergraduate degree in music therapy. Advanced clinical training opportunities are available at UK HealthCare and in the Lexington community.
This program is approved by the American Music Therapy Association.
The GRE is not required for admission to this program.
Applicants must meet the Graduate School admission requirements.
Spring: November 30
Summer: November 30 (Contact DGS if you are applying for summer only)
Fall: April 3
The deadline for applications for international students for the fall term is February 1
Click here for Out-of-state education activity
All music therapy students must be onboarded by the University of Kentucky HealthCare office of Observation and Learning Experience (OLE) in order to complete clinical training requirements.
The Division of Musicology and Ethnomusicology of the UK School of Music offers a superior education in musicology with its diverse faculty of scholars, its dual emphasis on traditional research and creative explorations in the field, its focus on collaborations between scholarship and performance, and its access to the extensive collections housed in the Lucille Little Fine Arts Library and the John Jacob Niles Center for American Music. The Musicology and Ethnomusicology Division is presently made up of seven full-time faculty and one part-time instructor, whose specialties range from the Medieval period to contemporary music, from chant and opera to fiddle tunes, folk songs, and Korean drumming, employing a wide variety of methodological approaches. The expertise of several faculty members reinforces the School of Music’s designated strengths in Opera/Vocal Music and American Music.
The School of Music offers two degrees in Musicology/Ethnomusicology: an M.A. and a combined M.A./Ph.D. The UK School of Music does not offer an undergraduate degree in musicology or music history, however there is a large selection of undergraduate course for majors and non-majors. Undergraduate students who plan to study musicology at the graduate level might wish to consider the B.A. degree in music, since it offers the most opportunity for advanced study, but those with other undergraduate music degrees can also pursue graduate study in the field.
Applicants must meet the Graduate School admission requirements.
Spring: November 30
Summer: November 30 (Contact DGS if you are applying for summer only)
Fall: April 3
The deadline for applications for international students for the fall term is February 1
Spring: November 30
Summer: November 30 (Contact DGS if you are applying for summer only)
Fall: April 3
The deadline for applications for international students for the fall term is February 1
Students at the UK School of Music enjoy hundreds of opportunities each year to perform in solo recitals, chamber groups and our more than 30 diverse instrumental and vocal ensembles. Our ensembles have performed at prestigious venues including the Kennedy Center and Carnegie Hall and have enjoyed international tours to China, Italy, France, Spain and more. Our students have performed with renowned artists including Lang Lang, Itzhak Perlman, Joshua Bell and more. Our faculty are world reknown performers you can see in places like Rome, Prague, Paris, London, Moscow, Hong Kong, New York, and Los Angeles every year practicing their craft.
Admission to the music performance program is granted only after the successful completion of an audition in the student’s chosen instrument. Be sure to check for an special audition requirements for each of the following instruments:
The GRE is not required for admission to this program.
Applicants must meet the Graduate School admission requirements.
Spring: November 30
Summer: November 30 (Contact DGS if you are applying for summer only)
Fall: April 3
The deadline for applications for international students for the fall term is February 1
The GRE is not required for admission to this program.
Spring: November 30
Summer: November 30 (Contact DGS if you are applying for summer only)
Fall: April 3
The deadline for applications for international students for the fall term is February 1
The Division of Music Theory and Composition also offers extended training in theory pedagogy for D.M.A. and Ph.D. students in performance, composition, and other areas of emphasis, preparing them for faculty appointments that include duties in teaching theory. The program involves individual mentoring with theory faculty in addition to coursework. GRE not required.
Orff Schulwerk is “Music for Children”, a way to teach and learn music using poems, rhymes, games, songs, and dances as basic materials. The Schulwerk was created by composers Carl Orff and Gunild Keetman in Europe. The emphasis is on students as improvisers and performers. It is the most exciting way to teach and learn music. The University of Kentucky has offered Schulwerk certification for teachers for over twenty years, taught by a most prestigious team of master teachers. These training courses, if taken for credits, can be used to count towards a Graduate Certificate in Orff Schulwerk and a MM degree concentrating in Orff Schulwerk. GRE not required.
Dalcroze Eurhythmics is an approach to music education created by Emile Jaques-Dalcroze. The Dalcroze approach has three branches: Eurhythmics trains the body to respond kinesthetically to rhythmic and dynamic concepts. Solfège trains the ear, eye, and voice in pitch, melody, and harmony. Improvisation enables students to respond to concepts according to their own invention, through movement, voice, and at an instrument. The Dalcroze Institute at the University of Kentucky emphasizes music-teaching strategies to develop imagination, coordination, and expression.
The UK Dalcroze Institute is especially designed for music teachers who wish to acquire knowledge and skills in Dalcroze pedagogy and musicianship, but eurhythmics training benefits all musicians and many others such as dancers, music therapists, and actors. Summer workshops are open to all musicians and dancers, even those with little to no piano training. Participants will be immersed in the principal subjects of the Dalcroze approach. Very few institutions in the United States offer Dalcroze Eurhythmics training. The offering of Eurhythmics at the University of Kentucky answers a demand for professional development opportunities for artists in this region and has attracted participants from overseas, especially from Asia where Eurhythmics is very well received.
To earn the Graduate Certificate in Eurhythmics, students must take three online Dalcroze classes (offered during the Fall, Spring, and Summer II), participate in at least two of the 10-day summer training workshops, and complete a capstone project. GRE not required.
The School of Music Certificate in Baroque Trumpet develops performance and interpretation skills for the natural trumpet. Students will examine the stylistic aspects of Baroque music through study of primary sources from the Baroque era, study of prominent secondary sources on Baroque interpretation, and preparation and performance of music from the Baroque era on the natural trumpet.
The Baroque Trumpet is a valveless ancestor of the modern valved trumpet. It reached its zenith during the Baroque era, and today is once again becoming an important instrument in the fields of music performance, musicology, and music education. Already in many parts of Europe it is expected that performances of music written prior to the 19th century be played on the valveless Baroque trumpet, and this is now a growing field in the United States.
This certificate may be earned concurrently with a graduate degree in the School of Music, or as an independent pursuit in the certificate only. GRE not required.
College of Fine Arts
105 Fine Arts Building
Lexington KY 40506
