Coral Gables, Fla. (October 18, 2017) — Renowned for its innovation in music education, the highly-acclaimed Frost School of Music at the University of Miami recently revised all of its masters degrees in performance. Part of a larger initiative begun in 2016 aimed at fostering artist success in today’s competitive music marketplace, the programs now include six groundbreaking new artist development courses designed to prepare graduate performance majors for real-world applications.
To build a sustainable career in the 21st century, musicians need to be highly proficient at their instrument while also possessing a broad set of entrepreneurial and self-marketing skills. In response, Shannon de l’Etoile, Associate Dean of Graduate Studies explains, “FROST is leading the way in making our performance degrees more relevant for the needs of today’s performing artist.”
FROST masters degrees in Instrumental Performance, Keyboard Performance (Classical), Studio Music and Jazz Performance (Instrumental and Vocal), and Vocal Performance (Classical) have all been revised to include artist development courses as part of their curriculum offerings. The courses include Arts Leadership; World of the Working Musician; Media Creation; Peak Performance Strategies for Musicians; The Teaching Artist; and Communication, Marketing and Publicity for the Performing Artist.
“These classes are so popular, we’re expanding enrollment to meet the demand,” says de l’Etoile. “Each offering is a 3-credit course, so they’re very comprehensive and expectations are high in terms of academic rigor and learning outcomes.”
Peak Performance Strategies for Musicians, taught by Frost professors Raina Murnak and Scott Flavin, focuses on the psychology, physiology and mindfulness of performing. Murnak is Head of Contemporary Theory and Director of Vintage and Modern Pop Ensembles. An active vocalist for over 20 years, she believes that the new course offerings at FROST are the next wave in education. “The future stars of music will be those with the confidence to be original. Instead of training from what’s wrong, we train from what’s strong.”
Second year Master’s student, violinist Morena Kalziqi, feels that this class and World of the Working Musician, taught by Frost professor Gary Wood, have been an important part of her development at the Frost School. “I used to go from a practice room to a performance hall, but now I know there’s so much more. I’ve learned how to prepare mentally and physically for my ‘best’ performance in that moment, while building self-awareness for presenting myself as an artist.”
Ian Sawyer, a Trumpet Performance major who has taken three of the courses says, “I believe these artist development courses are what make the curriculum here at FROST stand out. I’ve had to re-evaluate not only how I practice, but how I live my day-to-day life.”
This fall, Murnak offered Peak Performance Strategies at Frost Online. Student Julian Perez agrees “this course is very informative on the foundational skills that any musician needs to create the best possible version of their performance. I particularly like the module that included Marina Abramović, which discusses fearless artistry and breaking boundaries within artistic performance.”
About Frost School of Music
The Phillip and Patricia Frost School of Music is one of the largest and best music schools located in a private university in the U.S., and one of the most comprehensive and relevant in all of higher education. With over 700 students and 100 faculty members it is a top choice for instrumental, keyboard and vocal performance as well as composition, music business, music education, music engineering technology, music therapy, songwriting, jazz, studio music, and more. It is one of two schools created in 1926 when the University of Miami was founded. The naming gift from Dr. Phillip and Patricia Frost in 2003 was a historic occasion.
The Frost School of Music seeks to transform lives through the study and performance of music, and to enhance music’s future as the result of the most innovative and relevant curricula in higher education. The Frost School of Music is devoted to excellence and a culture of collegiality, in which a diversity of people, musical styles, and careers are valued. The Frost School of Music is a community of musicians committed to advanced musicianship for all Frost students across a broad array of majors and programs. The Frost School of Music seeks to elevate the community through intensive, sustained outreach to underserved populations. The Frost School of music strives to enhance the cultural richness of the University of Miami, South Florida and throughout the world as the result of world class performance, scholarship and research.
The mission of the Frost School of Music is:
Contribute to the advancement of music performance, creativity and scholarship – Have a transformative effect on the community through engagement and outreach, and enrich the world with vibrant, innovative and brilliant cultural offerings.
For further information, visit: www.frost.miami.edu.
