The Sweet Sound and Study of Music at UM: Graduate Programs in Harmony

by Margaret Savoie

Have you ever walked by the University’s Music Building and heard the delightful sounds of different instruments playing? That’s not the only fascinating thing happening in the Music Building, which is home to the music department’s master of music degree program featuring seven emphasis areas, including three that were added in 2017 that focus on ethnomusicology, music theory, and musicology.

Peattie Ethnomusicology is the study of the cultural context of music and non-noted traditions, music theory is the study of how music works and practices, and musicology is the study of the history and noted traditions of music.

“Musicologists are like art historians and ethnomusicologists are like anthropologists. Musicologists are concerned with history, historiography and the aesthetic taste, and how music is formed,” said Dr. Thomas Peattie, associate professor of music. Peattie explained, “You would never ask an art historian ‘what do you sculpt?’ so there is a misperception that those in music sit around only playing instruments. There is a serious academic component that is part of our whole enterprise here.” It is important to think of musicologists for their academic research.

John Peter John-Peter Springer Ford, a student studying for a master of music with emphasis in musicology, is a TA for Peattie, who is also his advisor helping with his research. This program allows students to work directly with their advisors and professors. “You have more chances to be able to go to office hours to be able to set up time outside of class with Dr. Peattie. It’s amazing because he has time to look at things multiple times and is really able to help me hone what I’m looking for.”

Ford’s thesis is on George Chadwick and Robert Barnett’s burlesque opera Tabasco which was written in 1894. “This is a work that has kind of been lost to history, so to speak,” said Ford.

Ford started his academic music career at Northeast Mississippi Community College with an Associate of Arts degree in Vocal Music. He then went on to finish his bachelor’s degree at Mississippi State in music education with an emphasis in voice. In 2019, Ford taught in China with the International Baccalaureate (IB) Program. As an advisor for one of the IB students, Ford found that he liked the research aspect. “I also liked the writing aspect and the different ways of looking at things because music history is almost like any other kind of history,” added Ford. Musicology was the perfect fit.

“I cannot speak highly enough about the faculty here at the University, especially the music department,” stated Ford.

Building off Ford’s comment, Peattie said, “We really are able to give a lot of hands-on attention to our students and their works.”

Music department chair, Prof. Nancy Maria Balach said, “The UM music department is invested in each graduate student and offers the freedom to focus on their individual music-related goals. Our students participate in key research alongside our esteemed faculty, are placed with advisors who guide them, and are offered assistantship opportunities that prepare them for the future.”

A distinguishing factor for UM’s master of music program is all three of the emphases introduced in 2017 work together. “Here because we are relatively small the three areas work closely together so all the students who come in take [courses] with all the professors in the academic area, rather than just focusing primarily on musicology. The students have to do theory courses and ethnomusicology courses,” Peattie continued. Currently the music department also offers a Ph.D. in music education with an option of adding an emphasis in gender studies.

A hope for the music department, according to Peattie, is growth and more cross-campus collaborations. Such collaborations would help the music department grow their program more and eventually lead to enough interested to build the Ph.D. program and invite more faculty and students to the university.

The Sweet Sound and Study of Music at UM: Graduate Programs in Harmony

Newsletter Fall/Winter 2021 Articles