Graduate Programs
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Graduate Programs

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Cello graduate Mia Pixley

Deepen your expertise and refine your artistry.

Master of Music

A degree track at the master’s level with a dynamic, two-year course of study that allows for professional development and artistic refinement.

The Master of Music degree program readies you for life as a professional musician, teacher, entrepreneur, and critical thinker. During this two-year course of study, you’ll learn how your training broadens your options, and you’ll refine the skills you need to launch a successful career. You’ll hone your craft, explore the relationship between artistic freedom and a rewarding career path, and further develop the attributes that make you who you are as a musician and person.

Advanced Certificate Program

The Advanced Certificate program is a one- or two-year program focusing on private lessons, performance classes, and humanities courses at the graduate level.

The Advanced Certificate is for students who have already earned a Bachelor's degree. It is designed as an entry point for the Master of Music degree program for students who have not met the minimum English proficiency score for the Master of Music. The first year of the Advanced Certificate will be an immersion in English language learning in preparation for entering the Master of Music program beginning the second year. With credits from the Advanced Certificate year transferring into the Master of Music, the student will complete the degree within two years. Should a student choose not to transfer to the Master of Music program, or they have not met the requirements for English proficiency, the second year of the Advanced Certificate program is meant as an intensive study of their instrument through ensemble playing and performance opportunities.

The Advanced Certificate is also designed for students with a Bachelor's degree who want to spend additional time focusing on performance skills without the full academic requirements of a Master of Music. Note that admission to the Advanced Certificate is limited. We strongly encourage applicants to look at applying to the Master of Music program first.

If you would like more information on the Advanced Certificate program please contact nccyl@fspz.rqhude.mcfs@ylppa .

You may find statistic and disclosure information on all non-degree programs on our Gainful Employment page.

Departments and Faculty

Brass

Composition

Conducting

Guitar

Percussion

Piano / Keyboards

Strings

String and Piano Chamber

Technology and Applied Composition

Woodwinds

Voice

Why SFCM?

An education at SFCM will transform you as
an artist, intellectual, professional, and individual.

Learning Outcomes

Upon graduating from SFCM, you will be able to...

  1. Music Rendition

    Produce music based on given parameters. These may include a fully- or partially-notated score, a set of performance instructions, or the details of a composition assignment. (Artist, Individual)

  2. Integrative Artistry

    Perform a musical work with the applicable stylistic and expressive qualities, as understood through common practice and historical research. This includes a commitment to personal artistry and finding one’s creative and interpretive voice. (Artist, Individual)

  3. Music Literacy

    Analyze and competently discuss a wide range of musical works, including their historical and cultural context, and the elements of music theory that constitute the works’ particular character. (Artist, Intellectual)

  4. Professionalism

    Employ a range of skills to meet the demands of a professional career. This includes being able to recognize the requirements of their chosen field, design or locate resources and employ them effectively, practice self-care, demonstrate appropriate etiquette and communication, and produce the requisite materials of a qualified candidate. (Professional, Individual)

  5. Integrative Learning

    Synthesize ideas and experiences from across the curriculum and transfer learning to new and complex situations within and beyond campus. (Artist, Intellectual, Professional, Individual)

  6. Written Communication

    Express information and ideas using the written word across multiple platforms and genres. This includes audience awareness, the ability to present and successfully defend an original thesis, and a mastery of spelling and grammatical conventions. (Artist, Intellectual, Professional, Individual)

  7. Oral Communication

    Effectively present ideas and information to an audience using spoken language, by utilizing visual aids, body language, intonation, and other non-verbal elements. (Artist, Intellectual, Professional, Individual)

  8. Information Literacy

    Identify a need for information and to be able to locate, evaluate, and utilize sources for that information legally and ethically. (Intellectual, Professional, Individual)

  9. Quantitative Reasoning

    Use logic and visual representations of data to analyze and interpret problems in everyday life situations. (Intellectual, Professional)

  10. Critical Thinking

    Evaluate and generate arguments and ideas with an open mind, using clear, evidence-based reasoning to explore all sides of an issue and form a considered opinion. (Intellectual, Individual)
SFCM Students playing string instruments

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