Which schools should one consider for DMA (violin)?
SSD plans to apply at the end of this year, but it’s never
too early to start narrowing down a list of school, right? 
Thanks in advance for any replies!
By the time of the DMA, the student should have some idea of which teachers they like, what particular focus they are looking for (orchestral, chamber, solo), and what city they want to be in. That will help to narrow down the list pretty quickly, I would think.
Absolutely, totally agree with above statement by @Musicalkids. Your S should also have developed a sense of his options based on the acceptances of peers to DMA programs.
One route I’ve seen some take is to apply to schools where they know they will be given TA responsibilities and that the tuition will be covered through scholarships. This may mean looking at state schools that aren’t flagships.
Not my business, but I’ll share some observations from the last 10 or so years. We know several DMA’s teaching in community music schools along with MM and BM graduates, several gigging the same jobs as BM graduates, and some who have non-tenure track positions and adjunct positions at colleges, but the level of their students is not high and salaries are low. Not saying that a DMA isn’t right for your S’s goals - just that we’ve seem some go from BM to MM to DMA all at fine conservatories and music schools and then realize they still weren’t employable at the level they assumed they’d achieve. Those that have done better have often been major prize winners, also been able to teach theory courses or conduct the orchestra, etc.
I agree with the above. Why does the student want a DMA? I assume they already have a MM? The goal of why a student wants a DMA should be clear before applying and a student should not just assume that a DMA will lead to more jobs teaching or better jobs. It certainly will not improve your chances at getting a performance job.
From what i have seen, the reason kids are going for the DMA are, in no particular order 1)that it is extending their training, which hopefully will make them better at performing and increase their chances of making it to where they want to go, as soloist, chamber musicians, orchestra musician, etc and 2)that having that will allow them to teach at a college program, that the DMA credential will allow them to do that.
Could a DMA allow a student to get better technique, become better? I think there is always room to improve, but to be honest, when I see kids going for a DMA it to me looks like another attempt to not have to go out there and try to make a career. Especially if a kid has done a BM and MM already, to be honest I doubt very much it will improve poor skills (if that is the problem the student has), and it the kid has solid skills, it is unlikely to improve them that much. Obviously, depends on the kid, but one thing I strongly feel (and as such, take it for what its worth), is that after a while, the skills are pretty much there and improvements are going to be in the small details and nuance, and might be things someone could work with after school just as easily.
As far as teaching goes, there may be programs that require a DMA to teach, but if you look at the teachers out there, most do not have a DMA (I am talking performance here, not “academic” music like theory, musicology, etc), most people who end up teaching at the college level generally have been performers, and most of the ones I see have either a BM or MM, DMA’s right now are rare (maybe someday like with other teaching that will become the norm, but I doubt it, I think music programs are looking for teachers with the right background, having been performers and so forth, not credentials, and will going forward as well).
The irony is I suspect that a DMA would be more effective with lower level music schools in colleges and things like community music schools, rather than decent college programs, they may see the DMA and think they can use it to attract kids to the program (I know of one local community music school that advertises a couple of their violin teachers have DMA’s from relatively decent schools and in their ads and what they tell people makes it seem like they have Itzak Perlman teaching or something…).
My observations and my kids’ and their friends experiences are in line with @musicprnt’s above post.
I wanted to add - although your S (or is it D?) should be aware - that instead of a DMA, some students with the time and money to extend their training pursue an Artist’s Diploma if they feel they aren’t quite ready to win professional auditions or start up a performing career. This type of program may also be called a Performer’s Certificate or several other school specific names. It is a non-academic certification - not a degree. The requirements generally include very minimal academic course, if any. The student has the opportunity to concentrate on private studies and may also be required to play in orchestra and/or chamber music with in a conservatory or music school environment. The playing level expected for acceptance into these programs is usually higher than for a DMA and these programs are generally pursued by those with performing aspirations.
Another path he might want to consider is Bard’s new training orchestra: http://www.bard.edu/theorchnow/about/ It is for advanced students - it’s fine to already have an MM - although they provide another Masters. Fully funded!
@momofadult:
Yep, you pretty much nailed the artitst diploma kind of thing, usually those are students who already have a BM or MM, and are looking to polish up their playing, and usually you already have to be a top player to get into them (the studio my son is in has several students like that, some of them have already won major competitions like the Queen Elizabeth and such). The DMA path is kind of a trap IMO, while some students really get something out of it, others IME come out of it not achieving what they wanted, I have heard kids, for example, who started an instrument late, who saw that as a way of ‘catching up’, but extra time alone at that stage generally does little IME, among other things, several strings teachers have told me that the basic playing technique at that point gets almost to be hardwired, and lacking technique is extremely difficult,.if not possible, to break after a certain age (what the age exactly is, how much can be taught or not taught, though, is subject to debate, sometimes quite emphatic, especially over more than a few beers from what I can tell lol).
This is interesting. Have never really understood the DMA thing. I had assumed it was mainly for teaching or academic pursuits as opposed to performance.
And the AD and PDs at IU were mainly foreign students with profession backgrounds. They seemed to be working on their English, performing a lot and making connections. They were all superb.
StringMama, I sent you a private message with a suggestion. A DMA is a wonderful degree.
Thank you.
My step-stepdaughter already has a few schools in mind. In fact, she’s had the same short list of schools before she even started as an undergraduate… back when she was still a high school junior or senior, I think.
Those are schools that her current or former violin professors/teachers have gotten DMA or AD/PD from… or have teachers that she has taken lessons from over the years.
Like I said, it’s a short list, which includes
Boston
Eastman
Minnesota
Indiana
USC
Maryland
and one other that escapes my mind right now
I just wanted to see what other schools she may wish to consider.
Our family is fluent in English, French and Russian, but probably only
looking at U.S. schools.
Of course, I’d love to hear opinions about any of those schools as well.
Thanks again!
adding to my above post: CCM (not sure how I could have forgotten about them)
There is a certain amount of degree inflation going on in the arts in general, as with other areas of study. I have observed that, in a country and culture that does not offer generous funding for the arts (music and dance are the areas I know personally), staying in school is one way to continue funding for the study/practice/performance of one’s art. If a program offers full funding and a stipend for teaching, it doesn’t mean a lavish lifestyle, that’s for sure, but it does mean a few years to work on music or dance or whatever without having to get a full time day job to support oneself.
As for school choices, I know I for one stopped my involvement in such things at the undergrad level. Teachers and peers were the main source of information, and there were, at the grad level, there were aesthetic and technical issues that were a bit beyond me I think it is hard for anyone to answer your question because at this level, it depends.
Some above touched on it, but the reason why a DMA is critical to the decision.
If the goal is to be a performer, perhaps an Artist Diploma / Performers Certificate is a better route than a DMA.
If the goal is to teach at the college level, then perhaps seek a college position where you can study for the DMA concurrently.
Just adding to the list - we’ve known recent DMAs from
U Michigan
Juilliard
Rice
U Texas Austin
Stonybrook
Northwestern
U Wisconsin
All the students I’m thinking of had BM and MMs from major conservatories before the DMA school picks.
Other DMAs I’m aware of from a few more years back (8 - 10) include Peabody and Michigan State (I think that one came with a big stipend and official assistant teaching - state school possibilities might be worth exploring both for the $$ and experience)
I absolutely agree with @compmom’s assessment of degree inflation. DMAs in violin are becoming very common. Quite a change from the Dark Ages of my school experience.
The DMA has become a way to stay in school longer and polish things, the real question to ask is it worth it? For one thing, from what I have been led to belief, the fully funded DMA, where the person gets a stipend and tuition paid for, is more and more a thing of the past. The old statement about grad studies in performance were if you had to pay for it, it meant you weren’t good enough, but these days that is no longer true, grad programs basically are getting to the point where full ride is rare from what I know (doesn’t mean it doesn’t exist, just means it is not as common.
It could be that like with academics, teaching at a college level will eventually require a DMA, but right now that is not a rule, and if you look at faculty on teaching staffs DMA’s are relatively few. It certainly wouldn’t hurt IMO, but in general teachers generally are hired because of their background and also in more than a few cases, via networking, someone recommends someone. The real question here (and I have no answers for it, just throwing it out), is it better to spend the time getting a DMA, or spend that time out building up credentials as a performer/teacher? I don’t think tight now there are any hard and fast rules with that.
“The DMA has become a way to stay in school longer and polish things, the real question to ask is it is worth it?” How in the world can you possibly know why this particular musician wants a DMA? The OP asked for suggestions on places her step daughter might consider. Isn’t it fair to assume that her step daughter has done some basic research on the DMA and it is not just a way for her to “stay in school longer.” I’m sure you understand that a DMA is not just a performance degree although that is part of it. A DMA has a very large academic component. Students who pursue a DMA may have an interest specifically in that academic component. Additionally, the “fully funded DMA” is NOT a thing of the past.
StringMama, as I mentioned in an earlier post, a DMA is a fine degree, and it is “worth it” for the right person. Don’t let anyone talk your step daughter out of it. Many schools including a few you listed above offer a full tuition waiver and a stipend. Good luck to your stepdaughter.
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.
Agree that funding still exists and that might be one of the criteria to check. I do think it is hard to add to the list(s) already posted without knowing more. McGill? Manhattan or Mannes? San Francisco Conservatory? Peabody? NEC? Curtis? UCSD? (Some of these schools have excellent contemporary classical programs…)