Music Theory

Music Theory faculty member teaches a class in front of a white board

CCM's music theory programs focus on various musical elements and how they work together to create unique compositions.

Our world-renowned faculty — who come from diverse backgrounds and specialize in every era and style from Antiquity to the present — combine rigorous academic training with opportunities for specialization in a variety of areas, helping students learn through hands-on approaches, one-on-one advising, guest lectures and semesterly seminars/colloquium that encourage intelligent discussions between peers.

At the same time, the flexibility of the curriculum and the required cognate (for doctoral students) allow them the opportunity to explore particular fields of interest — whether they be in performance, musicology or composition — to broaden their horizons and gain greater knowledge of the music they are studying. CCM Theory's position within one of the United States' top music programs also means access to acclaimed instrumental/vocal teachers and students, guaranteeing high quality feedback and interaction.

Faculty

Headshot of David Carson Berry

David Carson Berry, 

Professor of Music Theory

513-556-9503

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Headshot of Steven Joel Cahn

Steven Joel Cahn, 

Professor of Music Theory

(513) 556-7820

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Headshot of C. Catherine Losada

C. Catherine Losada, 

Professor of Music Theory

513-556-9567

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Headshot of Samuel Y. Ng

Samuel Y. Ng, 

Professor of Music Theory

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Headshot of Miguel A. Roig-Francoli

Miguel A. Roig-Francoli, 

Distinguished Teaching Professor of Music Theory and Composition

513-556-1821

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Headshot of Christopher Segall

Christopher Segall, 

Associate Professor of Music Theory

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Composition, Musicology and Theory Division Head and Staff

Headshot of Jonathan Kregor

Jonathan Kregor, 

Division Head of Composition, Musicology, and Theory; Professor of Musicology

513-556-9464

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Headshot of Darlene Y. Miller

Darlene Y. Miller, 

Executive Staff Assistant

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The master's program is designed to provide a comprehensive course of study in music theory and analysis as well as related subject areas. A candidate is expected to acquire a broad knowledge of music theory and will be introduced to the issues, concepts, and methods pertinent to the field of study. Determination of a candidate's specific responsibilities will be made by an academic adviser and the director of graduate studies. The MM in music theory helps students acquire competence in the broad range of endeavors characteristic of music theory including:

  • Research
  • Writing
  • Conference paper presentations
  • Writing and Publishing a Master's Thesis
  • Teaching

To accomplish these goals, students will also need to develop the requisite skills in musicianship, languages, etc. Determination of a student's specific responsibilities will be made by a principal adviser, cognate adviser and director of graduate studies.

Learn more about the MM program

The PhD program in music theory is designed to provide a comprehensive course of study in the theory, literature, and philosophy of music and related subject areas. As opposed to the MM program, the coursework for the PhD program is made up of rotating specialized seminars that offer in-depth coverage of specific areas of interest. Students are expected to acquire competence in the broad range of endeavors characteristic of music theory, including:

  • Research
  • Writing
  • Conference paper presentations
  • Writing and Publishing a Doctoral Dissertation
  • Teaching ability to demonstrate intellectual breadth through the completion of a significant program of study in a secondary field (cognate).

To accomplish these goals, students will also need to develop the requisite skills in musicianship, languages, etc. Determination of a student's specific responsibilities will be made by a principal adviser, cognate adviser, and director of graduate studies.

Learn more about the PhD program

CCM's graduate admissions process begins on September 1 for entrance in the following year's fall semester. All application materials must be submitted on or before December 1 to be considered for specific scholarship awards. Visit the CCM Admissions website for additional application instructions.

Music Theory - MM, PHD

Pre-screening

Applicants must submit the required pre-screening materials via getacceptd.com/ccm on or before December 3 in order to be considered for admissions and invited for an audition.

All pieces should be performed from memory except for duo sonatas or the music composed after 1960.

Pre-screening Requirements
  • Submit two papers on music theory and/or music analysis
  • CV
  • Statement essay about motivation for undertaking a graduate degree program in music theory. This essay should be different than the essay uploaded during the UC graduate application process.

Additional Information

  • Prospective students who hold master’s degrees in other areas of music should apply for the MM in theory
  • The prerequisite for the PhD in music (music theory emphasis) is a master’s degree in music theory
  • Applicants should demonstrate keyboard facility, good musicianship skills and commitment to the discipline
  • For more information about the Music Theory program, contact Professor Cahn (cahnsj@mail.uc.edu)

Interview

After the application review process, applicants will be notified if they’re invited for an interview. The two-day interview and exams will take place on campus and virtually online.

Theory Graduate Assistantship Requirements (open to any CCM graduate program)

New Graduate Assistants teach theory and musicianship courses in the core undergraduate program.

  • Written diagnostic test: the 40-minute written diagnostic test covers undergraduate level concepts and skills in tonal harmony and voice leading. If deemed qualified by this test, applicants will be scheduled for the skills assessment and teaching demonstration. This will most likely be available online for applicants to take during a specified time frame prior to the audition.
  • If deemed qualified by this test, during one of the CCM Audition Weekends you will be scheduled for a musicianship interview as a well as a practice teaching demonstration with the theory faculty.
  • Musicianship skills assessment: the 15-minute musicianship skills assessment will test sight-singing, rhythm and keyboard skills
  • A teaching demonstration: the 10-minute teaching demonstration, applicants will deliver a mock lesson introducing the Neapolitan sixth as if to a sophomore “student” audience (a faculty interviewer). Applicants are responsible for preparing all aspects of their teaching demonstration (lecture, illustrations, musical examples) in advance.
  • Applicants are urged to consult Miguel A. Roig-Francoli’s Harmony in Context, 3rd ed., in preparation for the teaching demonstration.
  • Applicants who apply for a Theory Teaching Assistantship will be considered for admission and other types of financial assistance even if they do not yet meet the requirements for a TA.

For additional information, contact Professor Steven Cahn.

Students enrolled in a doctoral program at CCM are expected to demonstrate intellectual breadth through the completion of a significant program of study in a secondary field (cognate). 

Cognate in Music Composition

The cognate in Music Composition cognate requires a minimum of 9 credit hours of courses offered within the Composition Department (i.e. with the “COMP” prefix in the course number).

The core course requirement for the cognate is Composition Elective (COMP6030, 1 to 2 course units), which the student should take for at least two consecutive semesters. This course enables the student to compose their own music under the guidance of weekly lessons with one of our Graduate Assistants in Composition.

Beyond that, the student may take any other course within the Composition program, provided the course is at the graduate level (i.e. 6000 course number or above). Available courses for which the student may register include the following:

  • Composition Symposium (COMP6001, 1 course unit)
  • Advanced Orchestration (COMP6012, 3 c.u.)
  • Special Topics in Composition (COMP6011, 3 c.u.)
  • Composer/Performer Workshop (COMP6002, 1-3 c.u.)
  • Introductory courses in Electronic Music (Introduction to Electronic Music, Electronic Music Techniques (COMP6071, 6072, 3 c.u.)
  • Advanced courses in Electronic Music (Music Programming Projects, Interactive Music, Timbre Studies, COMP6077, 6076, 3 c.u.)
  • A variety of other courses available within the Composition program, such as Professional Aspects of a Composition Career, Shaping Time, Writing for Voice, etc.

Interested students first meet with a member of the Composition faculty to determine their interest and readiness to pursue a cognate in Composition. Once accepted, the student draws up a course plan in consultation with a member of the Composition faculty who acts as that student’s cognate advisor. After the student has completed their coursework in the cognate, they consult with their cognate advisor at least one semester before they take the DMA Orals Exam in their major to devise a focused course of study that will provide the basis for questioning during the cognate portion of the orals exam. The cognate advisor then questions the student on composition-related topics for 20 minutes during the cognate portion of the DMA Orals Exam. Once this requirement has been passed, the student has successfully completed the cognate.

Cognate in Musicology/Music History

The music history cognate will consist of three graduate-level MUHS topics courses or seminars (at least 9 semester hours at the 6000, 8000, or 9000 level). The student should consult with a musicology faculty member whose specialty is in an area of the student’s interest. If the faculty member agrees, they will become the student’s cognate advisor and will help the student draw up a suitable plan of study according to the following guidelines:

  • At least one of the courses must be an 8000- or 9000-level course.
  • Courses in ethnomusicology may be included if appropriate to the area of specialization
  • The following courses may not be used for cognate hours:
    • Any courses being used to fulfill the student’s degree requirement in music history
    • Any courses being used as substitution for a DMA document.

The cognate advisor will participate on the committee for the student's final oral examination. 

Cognate in Music Theory

The music theory cognate (12 credit hours) consists of three required courses (9 credit hours) and one graduate-level elective (3 credit hours). The cognate aims to provide students with a solid grounding in advanced tonal and post-tonal analysis, theory pedagogy and another practical/theoretical area depending on the student’s interest. Applicants will be interviewed by the cognate advisor (a member of the music theory faculty) to discuss their experience and interest in music theory. Approval will be granted to students with sufficient background and proficiency in analytical and/or theoretical studies in music at the bachelor’s and master’s levels.

Required Music Theory Cognate Courses (9 credit hours)

  • Pedagogy of Theory (THRY 7015) 3
  • Studies in Post-Tonal Analysis (THRY 8042) 3
  • Studies in Tonal Analysis (THRY 8041) 3

Cognate electives (3 credit hours)

Students may choose any one course from the following list of graduate-level courses:

  • Advanced Musicianship (THRY 6015)
  • 16th-Century Counterpoint (THRY 6001)
  • 18th-Century Counterpoint (THRY 6005)
  • Special Topics (THRY 6060)
  • Tonal Theory (THRY 7020)
  • Readings in Music Theory (THRY 7050)
  • Advanced Topics in Analysis (THRY 8001)
  • Set Theory 2 (THRY 8012)   
  • Schenkerian Analysis 2 (THRY 8016)
  • Introduction to Aesthetics (THRY 9001)
  • History of Theory 1: Antiquity to 1600 (THRY 9011)
  • History of Theory 2: 1600 to present (THRY 9012)
  • Rhythm and Meter (THRY 9050)
  • Seminar in Analysis (THRY 9082)
  • Seminar in Music Theory (THRY 9081)

Cognate in Ethnomusicology

Students enrolled in a doctoral program at CCM are expected to demonstrate intellectual breadth through the completion of a significant program of study in a secondary field (cognate). 

Requirements (9-15 credits)*:

  • 3 credits: Theory and Historiography in Ethnomusicology (required)
  • 1-3 credits: World Music Lab(s)
  • 3-6 credits: Electives in ethnomusicology or related discipline(s) in consultation with faculty advisor. 

* The following courses may not be used for cognate credits:

  1. Any courses being used to fulfill the student’s degree requirement in music history
  2. Any courses being used as substitution for a DMA thesis

The cognate advisor will participate on the committee for the student's final oral examination. 

Learn more about CCM's Ethnomusicology program

News and Events

1

CCM hosts public lecture on rock music and politics in South...

Event: April 9, 2025 2:30 PM

The UC College-Conservatory of Music's public lecture series continues at 2:30 p.m. on Wednesday, April 9, with a talk on rock and politics presented by guest speaker Minerva Campion, who serves as Professor of Political Science at Pontificia Universidad Javeriana, Colombia. This talk is free and open to the general public. It will be presented in Watson Recital Hall, which is located on the 1000 level of the Corbett Center for the Performing Arts in the CCM Village.

2

NEH grant funds CCM faculty project that explores Cincinnati's...

January 24, 2025

A faculty team at the University of Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music (CCM) has been awarded a National Endowment for the Humanities Landmarks in America History and Culture grant. The award of $190,000 will fund their project Cincinnati Sounds: Exploring a Musical City’s Spaces, Places, and Sounds.

3

CCM hosts Moveable Feast gala fundraiser on Jan. 24, 2025

Event: January 24, 2025 12:00 AM

UC College-Conservatory of Music hosts its Moveable Feast fundraising gala live and in-person on Friday, Jan. 24, 2025. Presented by CCMpower, a dedicated volunteer group of friends, advocates and alumni, Moveable Feast 2025: A Tempo generates essential support for the next generation of performing and media artists at CCM. Learn more about the event's "artistic menu" in our digital program!

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CCM winter apparel available for purchase online

November 27, 2024

Show your school spirit this spring with official CCM apparel! New UC College-Conservatory of Music apparel is available for purchase online. CCM's latest quarter zip and crewneck sweatshirt designs can be ordered online now through Dec. 8, 2024. You can preview both items below.

6

Attend a concert or show at CCM: Fall schedule of major events...

August 26, 2024

Experience world-class performances by the next generation of performing and media artists at the University of Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music (CCM)! The college’s fall 2024 schedule of major events is now available; tickets are on sale now through the CCM Box Office.

8

New CCM apparel available for purchase online

February 14, 2024

Show your school spirit this spring with official CCM apparel! New UC College-Conservatory of Music apparel is available for purchase online. CCM's Spring 2024 t-shirt and hoodie designs can be ordered online now through March 18, 2024.

9

CCM student wins first place in American Prize

January 30, 2024

The UC College-Conservatory of Music is thrilled to congratulate DMA composition students Kevin Li, who was recently named the winner of the 2023 American Prize in Composition university division, and Wenbin Lyu, who was awarded 3rd place in the same competition.

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