<p>I'd like to hear from some parents whose kids went a Music Ed route either as undergrad or grad. I am looking for a strong liberal arts program in New England where music ed is an option. Frankly, the curriculum for these programs (BU, U.Mass Amherst) seems very restrictive, and I am not sure there's enough flexibility to explore other academic areas in depth. I also can't decide if a Music major will provide enough appropriate credits should he choose to delay the Ed part until grad school.</p>
<p>Have you kids gone straight into these programs and then off into the public schools as music teachers? Thanks for any experiences!</p>
<p>My son is not a music education major...but I know a LOT of music teachers and professors in music education programs AND a number of undergrad students who are currently majoring in music education. The reality is that majoring in music education does NOT allow for much exploration outside of the major. Between the music requirements and the requirements for teacher certification, it is a miracle that students are able to finish in four years. Remember that music ed majors still MUST participate in ensembles, take private lessons of some sort, and take the music theory and pedagogy courses required of a music major of any kind. Then you add to that the requirements for teacher certification (certain psych courses, and of course student observations and student teaching). However, the good news in our state is that there is shortage of certified music teachers and if one is competent, and is able to pass all the Praxis exams, it is very very likely that you will have a teaching job when you graduate.</p>
<p>I am not a music major, but a good friend is, as well as the fact that a lot of my friends are prospective music majors, and I tend to concur with thumper1's opinion. You basically dedicate everything to the music. Which doesn't really bother most people I know because they know this is what they want to do, and quite frankly, they're not interested in studying anything else. Also, music ed majors can't really focus on more than one instrument/voice like a performance major can, at least from what I've been told. Of course they know about more than one instrument, but they have one primary interest, while my music performance friends are much more commonly majoring in X and minoring in Y.</p>
<p>I was a music major in a LAC and got my masters degree in music ed (with a focus in music therapy) at the University of Kansas. There were some psych, education, and music ed courses that I needed to take. Fortunately, the mus ed program provided many courses at the graduate level that had similar enough content, so I could kill two birds with one stone. I was able to complete grad school in five semesters plus two summers. Were I to do it again, I probably would have still gone to a liberal arts college; I definitely had much better writing and analytical skills than my graduate school classmates had as a result.</p>
<p>Our niece completed her undergrad degree in music therapy about three years ago and has been working as a music therapist. She's been fortunate enough to have found jobs in both San Diego and now Denver. She did her undergrad degree at Colorado State University.</p>
<p>My sister is majoring in music ed right now, and she has more course requirements for her major than the most intellectually advanced major you could think of. It's crazy. She's definitely not going to finish in 4 years.</p>
<p>I am an "about to be" music ed parent. My D is applying to schools this year as a double major (music ed and performance). My assessment of music ed is a bit different from the OPs. When compared to a music performance major, music ed requires far more breadth outside the major area (music) than other music options. Virtually all music ed programs require courses in natural science, social science, math, and English. This is not true for most BM degrees in music performance. So, D's interest in a broad liberal arts education is more apt to be met with a BME degree than a BM degree. Because of the student teaching, it will likely require 5 years to get a double major. </p>
<p>In at least one instance, the music ed program to which D is applying actually requires 2 instruments (primary and secondary) but does not allow a double major. Picking up on a previous poster's comment about the need for qualified music teachers, most strong programs in music education have a placement rate of 95-100% for graduates looking for employment (some go on to graduate school and are not seeking employment).</p>
<p>Having looked at information about a number of music programs over the last year or so, I would say that neither a BM nor a BME degree allows much flexibility outside of the major. As noted in a earlier post, the requirements in music are simply too extensive to provide many degrees of freedom. However, if there is a general interest in music without the desire for performance or composition, for example, a BA degree in music might be something else to consider. The general rule of thumb for proportion of courses is 2/3 music and 1/3 liberal arts for music degrees (BM, BME) and the reverse for a BA degree in music. </p>
<p>Several good schools offer double degree programs that might be of interest as well (e.g., Lawrence). These combine a BA degree in a non-music area with a BM or BME degree. These programs would be 5 years and maybe 5+ for a BME degree. Good luck.</p>
<p>Our son is currently a sophomore music performance major at The College of New Jersey. He says he is switching to Music Ed this year. The tracks at his school are identical the first two years. There is little room in his schedule for much besides his music classes; theory, music history, private lessons, ensembles. I think he needs only 2 math/ and 2 science courses to satisfy degree requirements (which is fortunate since we'd like him to be able to finish in 4 years). There is a freshman writing seminar he loved last year. Otherwise, he's playing hours a day.
I agree with posters above about prospects for graduates. TCNJ especially boasts a 99% passing rate on the Praxis exams for its education majors in all areas and very good job placement numbers.
I think our son hopes to teach in the Philly area and perform as well.</p>
<p>National Association of Schools of Music (NASM) has certain requirements for the varying music degrees in order for the degree to be accredited. Additionally all colleges and universities have core curriculum requirements. States have requirements for education degrees and their certification. AND the individual music faculties (department, school, whatever) have their own requirements. So, the degree offered at a particular school must integrate all of these requirements, thus there is very little if any wiggle room for students, especially music education. There is no getting around it. Good Luck.</p>