The Bachelor of Music in Music Education program is designed so that students finish the complete undergraduate degree in eight semesters. All undergraduate Music Education students at Peabody become certified to teach music in K-12 schools upon completion of their degree. Each student seeking certification completes a student teaching internship during the fall of their final year on campus, to allow for their recital and capstone project completion during the spring of their last semester. We work with all students in their final semester on campus to become certified in Maryland (and, as appropriate, other locations), and assist them in applying to graduate programs and for teaching positions, based on their own plans and career goals.
The Music Education major is designed for the outstanding musician and scholar who is equally interested in elevating their skills as both a performer and a pedagogue. The goal of this professional preparation program is to guide and mentor prospective music teachers as they build the knowledge, skills, and dispositions that enable them to shape their own identities as inspiring music educators for future generations of musicians. Graduates of the program are certified to teach K-12 music in Maryland, and in all other states with which Maryland shares reciprocity.
Music Education is an extension major, not a stand-alone program, and must be studied alongside an applied music major. The Music Education program awards a Bachelor of Music degree with two majors: Music Education and Performance, or Composition, Computer Music, Hip Hop, Jazz Performance, or New Media. As such, students are only admitted to the department on the basis of a successful Performance audition or Composition interview in addition to their Music Education interview. Music Education students receive the same attention to their musical development (applied study, music theory, music history) as students in the Performance programs at Peabody and are held to the same standards. Music Education students at Peabody are striving and learning to be both the best musicians and best music teachers they can be.
The curriculum for Music Education requires students to select a specialization in either instrumental music teaching or vocal/general music teaching. Coursework consists of 34 credits which are common to both specializations in addition to a distinct set of coursework specific to each specialization. Visit the e-catalogue to see the Music Education major requirements.
Peabody also offers a Five-Year BM/MM program in Music Education, sometimes called a 4+1.
Music Education majors in good standing can apply for the 4+1 during their fifth semester at Peabody. Applications are due May 1, and—because the selection process considers the results of the 309 jury—final decisions are announced only after all spring grades have been recorded. The director of undergraduate and graduate studies, in consultation with faculty and the administration, makes the final decisions about admittance to the 4+1 program. Once admitted to the Music Education Five-Year BM/MM program, students may take four of their required MM courses at the graduate level during the junior and senior year of undergraduate study, enabling them to complete both a BM and an MM in Music Education, with a thesis, in five years.
Visit the e-catalogue for more information.