Research Areas

As noted in the previous section, each program within MPAP has a unique set of primary research areas which operate as guiding frameworks for intellectual inquiry. 

Educational Theatre

Doctoral students develop authority in one or more of the following areas of specialization through coursework and independent research. These areas of research are often overlapping and interrelated, and students are encouraged to take coursework in all three areas.

• Drama in Education (i.e., studies in drama/theatre curriculum, special education, integrated arts, assessment and evaluation)

• Applied Theatre (i.e., studies in community-based theatre, theatre of the oppressed, the teaching artist, diversity and inclusion)

• Theatre for Young Audiences and Play Production (i.e., studies in acting, directing, dramaturgy, playwriting, dramatic literature, arts-based research methodologies)

Music Education

Music Education PhD: Music Therapy Specialization 

Research in this degree program can take place using a wide variety of methods including qualitative, mixed-method, quantitative, musicological, historical, and philosophical approaches. The determination of method is a consequence of the student’s interests and fundamental research questions. Students should come to the program with some general ideas about potential areas for doctoral research so that a suitable sequence of research methods courses can be taken in a way that provides the foundations needed for independent scholarly research. Students wishing to study clinical processes can do so at their own place of employment, through projects implemented at the Nordoff-Robbins Center for Music Therapy or through other cooperating clinical facilities. This means that a wide variety of clinical approaches and areas of practice can serves as the context for doctoral research studies.

Music Composition and Performance

PhD in Music Composition

At the center of the PhD program in Music Composition is the creation of new compositions. Research can relate to the composer’s compositions in a variety of ways. It can support explorations into orchestration, structure, pitch, tuning, use of electronics, interdisciplinary work, scoring for screens, theoretical interests, and studies of various musical aesthetics. Research should support both the compositional process as well in depth study leading to a dissertation. Dissertation topics reflect the individual interest of the composer in the 21st century. The PhD composer should address how this study relates to their own creative work. Requirements include creation of a significant composition and public presentation of that work, as well as an in-depth study and dissertation of no less than 100 pages.

PhD in Music Performance

Doctoral students develop authority in specific areas of specialization through coursework and independent research. These areas of research, which often overlap, relate closely to the repertoire and practices that distinguish their performing careers.

• Theory and Analysis (i.e., studies of aesthetics, compositional methods, and analytical methods, and their relationships to performance practice, perception, and reception)

• Musicology and Ethnography (i.e., studies and documentation of performance traditions in relation to specific historical eras, cultures, and socio-political contexts)

DMA in Music Performance

Students in the DMA program conduct innovative practice-based research culminating in a capstone project that is context-bound and driven by a practitioner’s questions and problem posing. The final product may take a variety of forms, but must include a 50-75 page written document of publishable quality. Examples of possible capstone projects:

Method Book

A textbook which demonstrates repertoire or techniques for the candidate’s instrument. Possible topics of the text could include: extended techniques, fingerings, reed making; or cover a group of topics such as repertoire, accompanying, improvisation.

Essay Collection

A collection of essays solely focused on the repertoire performed by the student throughout their DMA recital performances. These essays should address major performance based topics including: programming approaches, repertoire context, interpretation methodologies which directly correlates to the works presented by the candidate in their recital and/or recording project. An extended written essay on the student’s lecture-recital should also be included. This paper should be an in depth realization of the student’s research with accompanying illustrations and examples. The entire collection should be presented as a single body of work with a well-structured, consistent format.

Premiere Performance/Recording

Professional performance and recording of a new edition or premiere of a major work with comprehensive annotations and commentary on performance techniques, musical interpretation and editorial method. A recorded performance of the work is included.

Performance Study Score

An annotated score and extensive analysis of a major work or premiere work. This should also include an essay which explores topics including: interpretation, annotations, and observations made by the candidate and its relation to the score.

Research Paper

A historiographical and/or analytic examination of a piece or collection of music and thus is a significant contribution to the student’s primary field of music performance.

Music Technology 

The primary research areas of the Music Technology Ph.D. program include computer music, immersive audio, music psychology and neuroscience, sound and music computing and data science, as well as technologies for music experiences, interaction, education, creation, production, and accessibility. We work closely with our sister research center, the Music & Audio Research Lab (MARL) and collaborate with individuals and groups across the university and around the world. Two of our faculty are affiliated with the NYU-Max Planck Center for Language, Music, and Emotion (CLaME). Doctoral candidates engage in creative as well as data-driven approaches to the application of technology to music—our research methods emerge from the development and adaptation of new and existing technologies to create, study, perform, analyze, or disseminate music.