Conducting
Master of Music in Conducting
University of Hawai’i at Mānoa
The conducting track in the Master of Music in Performance degree at the University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa seeks to develop future leaders in music by putting an emphasis on self-awareness as a musician and a conductor. The program is designed for musicians seeking to develop conducting skills through an immersive experience in all aspects of the art of conducting. Goals of the conducting track include advancing students’ professional work, becoming more effective school ensemble directors, and preparing students for doctoral studies. There are three concentration areas:
- Choral
- Orchestral
- Wind
Conducting track students in the Wind Band concentration will gain experience in all facets of a Division-I collegiate band program, including both artistic and administrative and/or managerial responsibilities with our athletic bands (including marching and pep bands) and concert bands (including podium time with all concert bands).
For the Master of Music wind conducting concentration, a graduate assistantship with the UH Marching Band may be available to students with excellent scholastic records and suitable experience.
Music in Performance: Conducting track students work one-on-one with all conducting faculty (choral, orchestral, wind band) in an effort to broaden understanding of the art & craft of conducting across many different types of ensembles. Practical experience is gained by frequent podium time in the rehearsal process and in concerts.
The Master of Music in Performance: Conducting track program is a 30-credit program emphasizing individual study with UHM’s conducting faculty and development of applied, analytical, and research skills, including ensemble participation. Students in all three concentrations (choral, orchestral, wind band) will regularly engage with all conducting faculty, including one semester applied study outside their principal concentration.
For graduate conducting majors, the Master of Music recital requirement is satisfied by either cumulative minutes of conducted repertoire on concert programs with UH ensembles throughout the four semesters of study (equivalent to a concert-length concert performance) or through a conducting recital, with advisor approval, featuring a student-recruited ensemble.
The University of Hawai’i
Conducting & Rehearsing Workshop
June 9-13, 2025
Registration opening soon
Improve your conducting technique, develop effective rehearsal strategies, and discuss score study, rehearsal planning, movement, and more with our outstanding faculty. Designed for instrumental conductors at all levels & experiences, our UH Conducting Workshop will help you become a more expressive and knowledgeable conductor.
CONDUCTING LABS
Participants will conduct and rehearse the UH Chamber Winds / Wind Ensemble, guided and assisted by our conducting faculty. Each participant will receive extensive podium time and specific feedback tailored to their specific needs. Movement, conducting technique, rehearsal strategies, and score study will all be addressed.
DISCUSSION SESSIONS
Daily discussion sessions on Baton Technique, Score Study, Rehearsal Techniques, Rehearsal Planning, and more, in informal meetings with our conducting faculty.
REPERTOIRE
Chamber:
- repertoire to be announced soon!
Full band:
- repertoire to be announced soon!
SCHEDULE
Full schedule to be released soon!
REGISTRATION
There are two tracks available, Participant & Observer.
Participants will attend all sessions and conduct the UH Chamber Winds / Wind Ensemble each day of the workshop. This track is recommended for conductors with a bachelor’s degree in music and at least one year of teaching experience.
In order to give all conductors adequate & meaningful podium time, a maximum of twelve Participants will be accepted, and will be handled on the basis of completed registration form/fees.
Observers will attend all sessions but will not conduct the ensembles. This track is recommended for musicians at all levels of experience. Observer registration is not limited.
Participant fee: $ ___
Observer fee: $ ___
Registration opening soon!
This fee does not include meals, parking, etc. Participants and Observers are strongly encouraged to carpool.
OUR CLINICIANS:
Dr. Emily Moss
Dr. Emily Moss began her position as Professor of Music and Director of Bands at the University of New Mexico in August 2023 where she conducts the Wind Symphony, oversees the graduate conducting program, and teaches other courses in conducting and wind literature. Her previous position at California State University, Los Angeles (2011-2023) included conducting the Wind Ensemble and Symphonic Band, teaching undergraduate and graduate conducting and music education courses, and administering the instrumental music education program. She also held a similar position at the Conservatory of Music at Brooklyn College of the City University of New York.
Originally from the Pacific Northwest, Dr. Moss began her collegiate music studies at the University of Washington in Seattle, earning a Bachelor’s degree in Music Education. After teaching middle school band for six years in both Washington and Arizona, Dr. Moss served as a teaching assistant with the University Bands at the University of Northern Colorado, earning her Master’s degree in Wind Conducting and the Doctor of Arts in Music Education and Bassoon Performance, studying with Kenneth Singleton, Richard Mayne, and Charles Hanson.
As a conductor and clinician, Dr. Moss is in high demand across North America and regularly gives band clinics at middle and high schools in her local area and beyond. She is also an accomplished bassoonist, actively performing during her degree programs in Washington and Colorado, with the Conservatory Orchestra and other ensembles at Brooklyn College, and for student and faculty recitals at Cal State LA. Dr. Moss has presented at conferences across the United States on a variety of topics and is a contributor to the esteemed Teaching Music through Performance in Band series. Her professional memberships include College Band Directors National Association (CBDNA) where she recently served as the President of the Western Division, World Association for Symphonic Bands and Ensembles (WASBE) where she serves on the Board of Directors, National Association for Music Educators (NAfME), and the National Honor Society Phi Kappa Phi.
She resides in Albuquerque, NM with her husband Noah and their two daughters, Ella and Sadie.
Dr. Jeffrey Boeckman
Dr. Jeffrey Boeckman is the Director of Bands at the University of Hawai‘i at Mānoa. He conducts the Wind Ensemble, teaches courses in conducting and wind literature, and oversees the entire UH Bands program. Under his direction, the UH Bands have embarked on an ambitious agenda of programming, commissioning, touring, and professional development, including collaborations with a series of guest artists, the development of a new chamber winds program, the UH Conductors Workshop, and a composer residency program, with the goal of developing the UH Bands into a national- and international-profile band program.
Dr. Kim Barclift
Dr. Kim Barclift is Assistant Professor of Music at the University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa. Her responsibilities include leading the instrumental music education program, the instruction of instrumental music techniques, supervision of student teachers, and instructing graduate courses in music education. She previously served as the Assistant Director of Bands at Elon University in Elon, NC, working with the concert band, wind ensemble, marching band, and basketball and volleyball pep bands. Additionally, Dr. Barclift supervised student teachers pursuing degrees in instrumental music education at the University of North Carolina at Charlotte. While pursuing her Ph.D. in Music Education at the University of North Carolina Greensboro, Dr. Barclift served as a graduate teaching assistant, where she was an instructor of Teaching Woodwinds Laboratory and Marching Band Techniques. She also assisted with undergraduate music education courses, including, Introduction to Teaching Instrumental Music, Foundations of Teaching Instrumental Music, Instrumental Music in Schools, and Foundations of Teaching for Musical Understanding.