Piano Performance, D.M.A.
Piano Performance, Doctor of Musical Arts
Prepare to teach piano at the university level.
The D.M.A. degree with Piano Performance major prepares students for professional-level piano performance and university teaching. Armed with sufficient knowledge in the literature of the instrument and the discipline of music as a whole, graduates of this program are prepared to teach both undergraduate and graduate students..
Program Application Deadline
Applications received and completed, including auditions and interviews, by February 15 will be given priority consideration for admission and graduate assistantship funding.
To be assured full consideration, please review all details on program and admission requirements, and ensure that you apply by this deadline.
Earn a D.M.A. in Piano Performance at Penn State
Penn State will help you take your musical talent and drive to the next level—the professional stage, a top-ranked doctoral program, and beyond.
The Master of Music options at Penn State allow you to specialize based on instrument, voice, or ensemble. All require 36 credits. In the Conducting option, you may specialize in band/wind ensemble, choral, or orchestral. In the Performance option, you may specialize in voice, piano, or orchestral instruments. The Pedagogy and Performance option offers specializations in voice and piano. The Composition/Theory option is a stand-alone program.
Next Steps
Is the D.M.A. in Piano Performance right for you?
This program is for individuals interested in continuing their studies in piano performance and music theory, history, and analysis in order to teach at the university level.
Degree requirements include a comprehensive examination, three memorized solo recitals, two recitals of chamber music, and a lecture-recital. Participation in one of the school’s numerous ensembles is also required.
Students have the opportunity to perform in the School of Music’s new recital hall (opened fall 2018), which is equipped with two Hamburg Steinway D grand pianos. The piano studios and large ensemble rooms have a variety of other large Steinway, Bösendorfer, and Yamaha grands. The piano laboratory is newly equipped with fully modern Yamaha Clavinovas.
The piano performance faculty includes distinguished artists and pedagogues whose experiences span national and international stages and universities.
Considering the D.M.A. in Piano Performance? Consider this.
You’ll study with distinguished artists and pedagogues with wide-ranging performance and teaching experience.
- You’ll get to perform in the School of Music’s beautiful new recital hall, which opened in 2018.
- The School of Music sponsors more than 400 public events, many of them free.
- Penn State hosts a diverse range of performances featuring artists from around the world.
- You may enter the Penn State Philharmonic Orchestra’s annual student concerto competitions.