Nashotah House Theological Seminary will launch a Master of Sacred Music program in the 2024-2025 academic year.
A practical and academic master’s degree, the Master of Sacred Music (MSM) will train church musicians and clergy as professional musical leaders in the Anglican tradition. The two-year curriculum, offered in the residential format, is designed to deepen students’ musical skills and theological understanding through advanced study.
The seminary is now accepting applications for the MSM program. MSM will challenge students to undertake serious study of a kind not generally available to church musicians, including academically rigorous instruction that is rooted in the unique tradition of Anglicanism and grounded in daily worship.
Curriculum will consist of musical theology, biblical studies, systematic theology, pastoral ministry, and church history, including ensemble work, repertoire seminars, and studios. By participating in twice-daily community worship in the historic St. Mary’s Chapel, students will be immersed in the Anglican choral tradition throughout their course of study. Specializations will focus on voice, organ, and conducting.
“This degree brings together some of the best gifts Nashotah House has to offer: the beauty of the Anglican music tradition, the centrality of worship in our life together, the rigor of our theological and biblical studies, and the expertise of our faculty of scholar-practitioners,” said Dr. Garwood Anderson, dean of Nashotah House. “Through the MSM, we’re glad to offer these gifts more widely for the benefit of the church and her musicians.”
“Church musicians coming out of our Master of Sacred Music will be uniquely equipped to pursue their vocation,” said Dr. Geoffrey Williams, assistant professor of Church Music and director of St. Mary’s Chapel at Nashotah House. “A significant portion of the program will be spent developing their craft through ensemble work and studios, but equal time will be dedicated to deepening their theological understanding through advanced study. This pairing makes the MSM unlike any other program in the Anglican tradition.”