So, You're Going To Get a Doctorate? 5 Tips Before Your First Year

If you're reading this, maybe you found out last month that you got into your dream DMA/Ph.D program; congratulations! This is a huge step for any musician, and you should be excited and proud. The adventures and experiences coming your way will be both challenging and hopefully rewarding. If you're currently looking at apartments in a new city and realizing you have no idea what to expect or where to start, never fear!

Here are five things to consider that may make your introduction a little smoother:

*disclaimer: there are MANY doctorate programs and many specializations around the world, not every program works the same. These are generalizations from my own experiences as a former DMA student.

1. Expectations and Thinking Critically

   As I've talked to several colleagues lately who were thinking about getting doctorates in music, I realized one of the most common misconceptions and deterrents about the process is "being good enough at my instrument". Now, don't get me wrong, obviously one of the biggest undertakings in pursuing a graduate degree is the audition process. However, it is not the primary focus or deciding factor on your total success within the program. Once you reach the doctoral level, everybody around you is exceptional at their instrument. That's why they're there. What students usually forget is that the doctorate is also 50% to 75% academic material, research, writing, and defense.

   
   

   The real thing that trips people up is the change in expectation from what you need to contribute in class. Unlike many lecture-style undergraduate courses, many graduate classes are small to medium sized seminars. Students are often expected and/or required to articulate thoughts and opinions clearly, synthesize information from dense sources, and ultimately maturely deliberate with their classmates on the subject matter. These experiences will train you up for the boss fight: your general/comprehensive exams and culminating defense, where you may be asked to speak at length on your own research with no help or direction. The best advice a teacher gave me before my defense was this: "We don't do these tests to make sure you regurgitate information. We want to make sure you can hold a conversation as an expert before releasing you into the wild." Best advice ever.

   
   

   The takeaway: start thinking critically about your contributions, and be prepared to take notes and synthesize information.

   
   

2. Balancing Leadership vs. Student Experience

   For some people, the graduate school offer also comes with an assistantship (the ability to work as an employee for the department in some capacity in exchange for a stipend or tuition-waiver). The most common mistake I see many graduate students make is butting heads with their advisor on how they think a curriculum or class should be run. After all, they let you teach the course, why shouldn't you get a say?

   
   

   Here's the thing we're all bad at recognizing: Being a graduate assistant and being hired as a faculty member/adjunct are NOT the same thing. An assistantship allows you to sharpen your teaching skills under the umbrella of your advisor's system, first and foremost, as a student. For better or for worse, you are there to assist your advisor in enacting their curriculum and ideas. The program was there before you, and it will be there after. That's not to say you can't have a very open minded professor who may ask for your input and encourage you to take on a larger role, which can be a great thing too!

   
   

   The takeaway: You are above all else a student. Learning when to contribute as a leader vs. when to listen and learn as a student is incredibly important. A great advisor will help you learn the distinction.

   
   

3. Read the Handbook

   To continue on the "be prepared" track, this one is simple: read the handbook. Nearly every department has a dense, beefy handbook on rules and guidelines that we all rolled our eyes at as an undergraduate. However, I'm here to tell you that doctorate programs are nothing if not intensely bureaucratic, and when I came in from a small program, it was a huge culture shock.

   
   

   At OU, each doctoral student needed a committee of approved faculty, and every recital, every proposal, and every standard doctoral test had to be initiated by a paper memo sent to the committee. When you start thinking about navigating the schedules and tracking down of four different full time professors, suddenly this became a month long process. Meetings were scheduled, papers had to be signed, and there were a myriad of regulations and rules that could have easily been broken or overlooked that hampered your timeline if you didn't check carefully enough. You would do well over the Summer to peruse any handbooks or guidelines thoroughly and write down any questions you have.

   The takeaway: There is no such thing as too early or too prepared. Start now!

   
   

4. Choosing Your Secondary Area and Important Classes (Be Open Minded!)

   Many programs require or encourage doctoral students in any music related program to take on a "secondary area". This doesn't mean you're getting a double major, but it may mean you take an extra set of lessons in this other area, and might come up as a section in your exit exams or inform your dissertation.

   
   

   Instead of thinking of this as just another box you have to check, think of it as a way to pad your resume. Same with those oddball classes that may come up sometimes. The job market, especially in music, is becoming increasingly competitive. The harsh reality is that in the current climate, institutions are looking to hire less people than every before. The more subjects you are able to teach, the better your chances of finding that coveted job. Try even asking your current faculty: you may find out your theory teacher has a doctorate in trumpet, or your tenure conducting faculty actually has a degree in theory.

   
   

   In my example, I have several degrees in percussion performance, but my secondary area was in conducting. When I had open choice of classes, I also opted for courses on Pedagogy of Music Theory and teaching ear-training. Thanks to the lessons and classes that I took on, I can now say in job interviews that not only am I capable of teaching lessons and running a studio, but I can also conduct several large ensembles and teach basic theory.

   
   

   The takeaway: In a day and age where university departments are looking to cut costs and save money, making yourself valuable by doubling up on skills is a great move.

5. Program Smarter, not Harder

   This is a huge one that often goes overlooked. As mentioned earlier, at the doctoral level, everyone is good at their instrument. How do you stand out when you graduate in a job interview where there's an audition?

   
   

   Here is a tough statement that some people might disagree with: Don't get caught up in "clout-chasing" when it comes to programming for your recitals. The hardest pieces aren't always the smartest decisions, especially late in your degree.

   
   

   As a student, you get a finite amount of time with school resources before you're under pressure to graduate and find a job. Programming Maki Ishii's "13 Drums" or John Psathas' "One Study" might be good picks for your first year recital, but when you have limited time to make an impression for a search committee, you might be wishing you had made different choices in the last semester of your degree. Think about doubling your last degree recital as a mock job audition. If you're lucky, you'll even have video evidence of the performance for job applications, and it will be fresh in your hands.

The Wrap-Up

These tips aren't meant to be the end all be all for everyone's experience. Getting a doctorate in any of the numerous fields of music can look different for anyone. The process can be intense and difficult, but can also be some of the best years of your life.

If you're one of the lucky students this Summer who are about to embark on your own DMA/Ph.D journey in the Fall, the best advice anyone can give is to enter the experience open-minded and humble. Some of the most important lessons I learned as a musician (as both a former student and a now-professor) came from my DMA experience, and as challenging as it was, it was also incredibly rewarding to have devoted myself to the art-form in that way. I hope that if you're heading out on your own journey this August, that it is just as rewarding and successful for you as well!