The University of Memphis
Rudi E. Scheidt School of Music
Ph.D. in Musicology

Type of Program and Degrees Offered

The Ph.D. program operates fully within the Rudi E. Scheidt School of Music. The program does, however, require study in a minor area or areas outside musicology, and the minor is represented in the student’s doctoral committee. The University of Memphis offers a regional studies Ph.D in ethnomusicology which places special emphasis on southern regional music. There are also numerous courses in allied fields such as anthropology, geography, and communications.

Program Focus

The program is for students whose interests revolve especially around the vernacular musics of the southern United States. It is flexible and can be adapted to specific theoretical, applied, and genre interests of the students.

Special Resources

The School of Music operates a digital commercial music recording studio, High Water Recording Company, and two music publishing companies as an outlet for student and faculty research in southern regional music. Other facilities on campus include the Mississippi Valley Archive, programs in television and film, and a 25,000-watt FM radio station. Students are encouraged to undertake field research, and the Mid-South offers unparalleled opportunities for original research in the area’s folk, gospel, blues, country, and other musical traditions.

Full-Time Faculty in Ethnomusicology

David Evans. (Ph.D., UCLA 1976) Professor of Music. Ethnomusicology; American folk and popular music.

Affiliated Faculty

Jack Cooper. (D.M.A., University of Texas at Austin 1999) Associate Professor of Music. Jazz; commercial music.

Jon Frazer. (M.S., University of Memphis) Associate Professor of Recording Technology.

Timothy Goodwin. (M.M., University of Miami 1984) Associate Professor of Music. Jazz; commercial music.

Kenneth Kreitner. (Ph.D., Duke 1990) Professor of Music. Musicology; American music.

Janet Page. (Ph.D., Duke 1993) Associate Professor of Music. Musicology; Organology.

Ben Yonas. Music Business.

General Program Statement

The University of Memphis offers a regional studies doctoral degree program in ethnomusicology which places special emphasis on southern regional music. Established in 1978, this degree program stands as the only graduate program in ethnomusicology with a specific specialization in southern folk and popular music. Students are encouraged to undertake field research, and the Mid-South offers unparalleled opportunities for original research in the area’s folk, gospel, blues, country, and other musical traditions.

The degree program is flexible and can be adapted to specific theoretical, applied, and genre interests of the students. There are also numerous courses in allied fields such as anthropology, geography, and communications. The School of Music operates a digital commercial music recording studio, High Water Recording Company, and two music publishing companies as an outlet for student and faculty research in southern regional music. Other facilities on campus include the Mississippi Valley Archive, programs in television and film, and a 25,000-watt FM radio station.

Financial Support

No fellowships specifically tied to ethnomusicology. Normally at least one student in this Ph.D. program holds a graduate assistantship.

Further Information

Professor David Evans, The Rudi E. Scheidt School of Music, The University of Memphis, 129 Music Building, Memphis, TN 38152, USA. Phone: 901-678-3317; Email: dhevans@memphis.edu

School of Music Admissions: Kay Yager, The Rudi E. Scheidt School of Music, 129 Music Building, Memphis, TN 38152, USA. Phone: 901-578-3766; Email: kayyager@memphis.edu

Program Website

Music History, School of Music: http://memphis.edu/music/musichistory.php

Related Websites

High Water Records: http://www.highwatermemphis.com/

The content for The University of Memphis was last updated July 15, 2010.