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Music Education (PreK-Grade 12), B.Mus.

The B.Mus. program in Music Education prepares graduates to be innovative musicians, effective and engaging educators, and advocates of the arts in the schools and communities they serve.

A career in music education demands that you excel as both a musician and teacher. Students are enrolled in both the School of Education’s Department of Teaching and Leadership and The College of Visual and Performing Arts, providing you with opportunities to nurture and develop optimal teaching competencies; artistry and musicianship; and philosophical, theoretical, and historical perspectives of music and music education. Graduates of this program possess a heightened awareness of individual needs and social justice such that they enter the field as music educators of excellence who are capable of creating learning environments that ensure successful outcomes for all students. This program meets the academic requirements for New York State initial teacher certification in Music (all grades).

Why Music Education at Syracuse?

  • 92% of School of Education students are employed or in graduate school within 6 months, and music education students have a 100% pass rate on the New York State edTPA examination.
  • Choose a course of primary applied study on your chosen instrument, or voice in either the classical or jazz/commercial music tradition. Students build a student musical foundation through participation in performance ensembles and classroom experiences.
  • Multiple field experiences starting in your sophomore year, including two full-time student teaching placements in urban, rural, and suburban school settings. Candidates in the program benefit from contact with a variety of teaching professionals.
    Participate in EDU Sims, which are standardized simulations of common interactions in classroom and school environments to help you identify your strengths and develop your professional skills.
  • Develop a knowledge of inclusive and diverse environments that may include students of all levels of ability.
  • Two jobs for the price of one—a major in Music and a major in Music Education gives you a leg up in both fields, preparing you for lesson planning or project management, problem solving in the studio or the classroom!
  • Music education majors have the opportunity to study abroad for a semester at the Conservatoire Strasbourg in Strasbourg, France, and other Syracuse Abroad centers and world partners. You can also take part in School of Education short-term study abroad programs. Through the Himan Brown Fellowship, School of Education students are also eligible for exclusive funding to support study abroad experiences.
  • Weekly Setnor student convocations and the Music Educators’ Academy, which includes collegiate chapters for several music professional organizations, bring renowned artists and educators to the School of Music to provide experiences and insights that broaden and deepen your professional development.
  • Audition for the School of Music’s Performance Honors Certificate, which allows for the additional musical instruction, support, and recital performances in your junior and senior year equivalent to the performance degree requirements.
  • With a Syracuse University bachelor’s degree, you are eligible for the 25% alumni tuition scholarship for a School of Education master’s program.

Because you will be a student in two different schools within Syracuse University, you will receive faculty support and expertise from both the School of Education and the Setnor School of Music, including academic advising support, teacher certification, and job search assistance.

You’ll work closely with our faculty of nationally recognized scholars and researchers in music as you develop your professional identity and portfolio—with cutting-edge artistic skills, innovative music education pedagogies, and inclusive and socially responsible practices.

The program’s legacy is the work of a long list of innovative performers and educators. Our graduates are in K-12 schools, preschool, and community settings including:

  • Instrumental, Choral, and General Music teachers and instructors
  • Teacher leaders, department chairs, or school administrators
  • Performers, conductors, composers, or music industry professionals.
  • Further studies in Music Education, Music Performance, Arts Administration, or another area of interest

Program Details

As a student in the Music Education program, you will combine studies in performance, music theory and history, education methods, classroom practicums, and academic requirements from the liberal arts core. While you engage in your comprehensive preparation as a music teacher, you also elect one of five specialty emphases: brass, choral/general, woodwind, percussion, or strings. This additional combination of knowledge and skills provides you with a level of flexibility in teaching that increases your marketability as a teaching professional. Sample courses in your program may include:

  • The American School
  • Introduction to World Music
  • Choral/Instructional Rehearsal Techniques
  • Music in the Elementary School
  • Instrumental Methods and Pedagogy
  • Principles of Learning in Inclusive Classrooms

Student often use their flexible courses to complete a minor in Music Industry, Jazz Performance, Management, or other areas of academic interest. Your first semester will include performance area instruction, music theory, keyboard skills, writing, and participation in the Professional Development School. More information on academic requirements available in the Syracuse University Course Catalog.

Note: An audition is required for admissions to the Music Education B.Mus. program.

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