Which schools should one consider for DMA (violin)?

musicprnt
Thu, 18 Feb 2016 23:22:01 +0000

All performance degrees have an academic component, and the person asked about a performance DMA. A DMA in music theory, or a DMA in musicology is a full on academic discipline, whereas a DMA on an instrument is a continuation of the peformance track they have done in a BM/MM from what I know of it.

As far as the fully funded DMA being a thing of the past, what has been said on here many times is that it is a lot more difficult to find a fully funded program than it once was, that even talented music students, who in the past would find that kind of deal, won’t any more, it is a reflection of the financial reality of many programs. It also depends on the program, it might be easier to get one in a program at a less competitive school, it all depends.

No one was telling the person not do do a DMA, what myself and others were talking about is the reality of a DMA, that it may not have the benefits they think, especially if they have to pay for it, that for example, it is not a general requirement to teach, the way a PHd often is at the college level. No one can or should tell someone what to do, the point was to simply talk about what a DMA was or wasn’t, because there are a lot of misconceptions out there. Especially if the person wants to go into violin performance, with as competitive as that is, a DMA may do very little to help with that shrug. I don’t know why the person wants a DMA, I was talking about the general trend to diplomana inflation that is going on, where years ago it was not all that common for performance students to get an MM, now it is becoming almost de rigeur, and that is starting to happen with the DMA.

One of the reasons for this board, why people are on here, is to try and give people as much information as possible, not necessarily just what they ask for. No one was trying to discourage anyone, all they were offering is what they see and know, and if they still want to go for a DMA, that is awesome.