This master's degree trains composers and songwriters in three separate directions: concert music, screen scoring, and songwriting. Each concentration has its own admissions instructions, so applicants choose a path when they apply.
Concert music students work with lessons, seminars, and composition courses, and they can shape their studies through electives suited to their interests. Their pieces may be performed through collaborations with percussion, strings, and vocal programs, university ensembles, and visiting groups. Those drawn to electroacoustic and computer composition can use the department's music production labs and campus computing facilities.
The songwriting track focuses on professional craft, asking students to examine popular song through its history and aesthetics. Applications to the Steinhardt School require a resume, statement of purpose, recommendation letters, transcripts, and evidence of English proficiency, and some concentrations may ask for more.
