<p>musicmajor2 writes: “So I guess what I’m asking is what are grad schools with good music programs going to want the most?”</p>
<p>For you, given that you do not want a performance program, the grad school is looking for solid academic credentials. Most people on this board looking at music grad studies are looking at performance, so the grad school will want a solid audition.</p>
<p>How will the grad school determine solid academic credentials?</p>
<p>Obviously your transcript is very important, and some grad schools like Yale will want your GRE scores. </p>
<p>Less obviously, for music history and theory, the school will want one or more samples of your writing. The school will assess not only your writing ability, but more importantly your capacity for original thought and serious research. Some school will want both an historical essay and an analytical essay. Normally a good grad school would not consider a 1000-word paper to be substantive enough to determine your ability to work with an idea. Thus you need to be certain that by the end of your third year, you have take a couple of classes that require extended papers and that you have taken the papers seriously.</p>
<p>If you apply for theory, a school may want samples of your writing of harmony, counterpoint and fugue. So if you are taking a class in fugue presently, retain your best fugues. As well, for theory, schools may require a couple of analyses (often of a tonal work and a post-tonal work). You may even be asked for a Shenkerian analysis.</p>
<p>For composition, your portfolio of works will be crucial. Retain recordings of public performances of your works along with details about the compositional process and the performances. </p>
<p>For almost any graduate program you will need two or three letters of reference from professors that can asses your academic performance, your scholastic ability, and your capacity for original research. Cultivate positive close relationships with at least two or three professors. If you are in jumbo classes of over 600 students, then you need to select some intimate classes that will allow a prof to get to know you without your being a complete nuisance in your search for attention. Try to take two or more classes with individual professors that will be able to write glowingly of you.</p>
<p>Your original question was quite different from the one you guessed you were asking: “how hard is it going to be to get into a good grad school for music.” Yale’s Department of Music (not to be confused with its School of Music) recently had 117 applicants and accepted 6. This is a lower acceptance rate than Yale University. Of course acceptance rates tell only part of the story. Much of the rest of the story depends on the calibre of the applicant pool. Given that music grads are usually considerably more academically talented than the average grad (note the very high med school acceptance rate for music grads), the applicant pool of 117 was probably very very strong. Of course, it will be considerably easier to get into schools of lesser calibre than Yale. </p>
<p>As mamenyu notes, ask your professor. Also, consult the websites of better grad schools.</p>