A master’s in choral conducting at ok×ÊÔ´Íø Meadows builds leaders in choir and vocal ensemble performance.

Graduate programs

Master of Music in choral conducting

Shaping the next generation of choral leaders

Program format

In person

Commitment

Full time

Duration

Two years

Overview

The Master of Music in choral conducting prepares students to excel throughout this stunningly varied profession, including teaching and conducting at secondary and collegiate levels, as well as working with community, church, symphonic and professional ensembles. This rigorous program also prepares students for further study at the doctoral level should they wish to pursue it. In the master’s degree program, students will study and develop nonverbal communication skills, rehearsal technique, musicianship, score study and analysis skills, performance practice, historical context, community engagement, and creative entrepreneurship.

Students applying to the Master of Music in choral conducting program at the Meadows School of the Arts must submit video evidence of their work as part of their application. Finalists for the degree program will be invited to campus for an audition, comprehensive diagnostic skills testing and an interview with the director of choral activities.

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Student success

Students with an advanced degree in choral conducting from the Meadows Division of Music are equipped with the training and versatility to inspire any group of singers. This program advances students’ knowledge of music history, choral repertoire, vocal technique, performance practice and interpretive issues. Students also develop skills in verbal and nonverbal communication, rehearsal technique, score reading, musicianship, organization, repertoire selection, scholarly writing, and community engagement.

This program prepares you to excel with all types of choral ensembles:

Church choirs

Community choirs

Junior high and high school choral programs

Collegiate and semiprofessional choirs

Symphonic choruses

Top 20%

Best National Universities

U.S. News & World Report (2026)

1

fellowship offered each year, including a scholarship that covers the full cost of tuition and fees and an assistantship to compensate for work with the choral program

4–6

full-length choral performances each year in which students sing and conduct

Requirements

  1. Application
  2. Application fee
  3. Official transcripts
  4. English language proficiency documentation (if applicable)
  5. A baccalaureate degree from an accredited institution

View all requirements

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Tuition and financial aid

Tuition and costs

Explore the cost breakdown of tuition for graduate programs.

Financial aid

Find information on scholarships and financial support available at ok×ÊÔ´Íø.

Curriculum and learning

Featured courses

MUHI 6384

Survey of Choral Literature

A survey of choral music from the medieval era to the present day. Examination of representative compositions is made with regard to genre, form, compositional procedures and stylistic aspects. Discussion of the works also includes the social-political conditions, intellectual-artistic states of mind of patrons and composers, and other external influences.

MUCO 6211

Instrumental Techniques for Choral Conductors

A study of the performance techniques of string, woodwind, brass and percussion instruments in works for chorus and orchestra. Includes a comprehensive concentration on bowing techniques and methodologies, transposition, and historical perspective.

MUCO 6252

Vocal and Choral Techniques

A study of all aspects of the choral rehearsal. Topics include development of choral tone, study of the changing voice and laboratory conducting projects on a variety of choral rehearsal techniques.

Outside the classroom

Featured news

Meadows School of the Arts, one of the nation’s premier institutions of performing, communication and visual arts, presents approximately 400 events each year, including elaborate main stage productions, student-produced works, recitals, seminars, exhibits and workshops. By showcasing newsworthy and innovative projects, student and faculty awards, and alumni spotlights, the Division of Music encourages its students, and the ok×ÊÔ´Íø community, to celebrate their successes while pursuing a love of music.

Faculty

ok×ÊÔ´Íøâ€™s Meadows School of the Arts music program faculty members are nationally and internationally recognized for their accomplishments as artists, performers, composers, scholars and educators. They are committed to the highest standards of teaching and combine strong academic credentials with extensive professional and artistic experience. Students benefit from the broad experience and active mentorship they provide.

Facilities

The Meadows School of the Arts boasts a multitude of environments for performing arts and learning.

Concert performances take place in Caruth Auditorium, O’Donnell Hall and Perkins Chapel, with opera productions in the Bob Hope Theatre.

An inspiring collection of more than 110,000 books and scores, 31,000 audio and video recordings and 100,000 items in special collections are housed in the Jake and Nancy Hamon Arts Library.

Music students benefit from 50 individual practice rooms and a laboratory for class instruction in piano, theory and improvisation. The school also features 30 Steinway grand pianos, three harpsichords and eight pipe organs. 

Other facilities include an Electronic Music Studio for research, creation, production and instruction of electro-acoustic music and an on-campus music therapy clinic that offers student therapists opportunities for faculty-supervised, clinical practicum experiences. 

Caruth Auditorium is a concert hall for music education and performance students at ok×ÊÔ´Íø Meadows School of the Arts.

Caruth Auditorium

A 490-seat concert hall with an acoustical construction that can be “tuned” for any type of musical presentation.

O’Donnell Hall is a multi-purpose music education and performance facility in the Meadows School of the Arts at ok×ÊÔ´Íø.

O’Donnell Hall

The versatile, 168-seat O’Donnell Hall is used as a classroom, lecture hall, recital hall and screening room for music, art history, photography and advertising classes and seminars.

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Frequently asked questions

The Master of Music in choral conducting prepares emerging choral conductors for varied professional and academic careers through a rigorous, performance-based curriculum emphasizing conducting technique, musicianship, artistry, scholarship and community engagement.

You will develop the artistic and leadership skills you need to succeed as a conductor and the versatility to adjust to the needs and backgrounds of any group of singers. This program advances your knowledge of music history, choral repertoire, vocal technique, performance practice and interpretive issues. We also develop your skills in verbal and nonverbal communication, rehearsal technique, score reading, aural skills, organization, cohesive programming, scholarly writing and community engagement.

A Master of Music in choral conducting (M.M.) prepares emerging choral conductors for varied professional and academic careers through a rigorous, performance-based curriculum. Graduates of ok×ÊÔ´Íø’s program are equipped to lead choirs in K–12 settings, churches, community and semiprofessional ensembles, and symphonic choruses.

Graduate choral conducting students at ok×ÊÔ´Íø conduct regularly in our curricular Meadows choral ensembles. Some podium time is treated as a conducting master class, in which the student receives live feedback in front of the choir. Because developing one’s own authority on the podium is also essential, conducting students sometimes lead sectionals and rehearsals on their own and review video footage in a conducting lesson to allow for one-on-one feedback from faculty. During your coursework in instrumental conducting, you will also conduct an instrumental ensemble to gain experience responding to the unique demands of an orchestra or wind ensemble.

Yes. Choral conducting graduate students at ok×ÊÔ´Íø have full access to coursework across the Music Division. Some courses – such as conducting, rehearsal techniques, research skills and analytical techniques – are required explicitly. If you have not previously studied English, French, Italian and German diction, you will take a diction review course. With your elective credits, students often take additional courses in vocal pedagogy, oratorio repertoire, musicology, composition and opera performance.

Conducting is, by its nature, an interdisciplinary and collaborative activity. The graduate choral conductors assist in leading the three curricular Meadows Choirs in collaboration with our choral faculty. The Meadows Choirs collaborate widely across campus, performing with instrumental ensembles, contributing to Perkins School of Theology’s annual Advent Service, recording new works by student composers each spring and facilitating clinics for local school choral programs. As a culminating degree experience, graduate student conductors bring together multiple choral ensembles in a cohesive and varied conducting recital.

Because ok×ÊÔ´Íø maintains an intentionally small graduate conducting cohort, we are nimble in connecting students with areas of interest. Previous graduate conducting students have assisted with conducting Meadows Opera Theatre productions, rehearsals and performances for the Sacred Masterpieces voice class and world premieres by our student composers for the Emerging Sounds concerts. Because of their diverse experiences on campus, ok×ÊÔ´Íø’s graduate choral conductors regularly attend acclaimed summer festivals and secure satisfying positions of artistic leadership following their graduate study.

Yes! ok×ÊÔ´Íøâ€™s small, individualized graduate conducting programs enable us to tailor your educational experience to your goals. The faculty assess what gaps in knowledge and skill are most critical to address for you to reach your unique goals. Within and beyond the coursework required for the M.M. in choral conducting, faculty design custom activities to help you grow as a conductor. If you desire to continue your graduate study after your master’s degree, we will ensure you are holistically prepared through your coursework and podium time with our choirs.