Music Education & Music Therapy | BME | MME | PhD |
Mission Statement
The Division seeks to maintain and enhance its international reputation as a leader in scholarship and teaching in music education and music therapy. The Division promotes, conducts, and disseminates research and scholarship appropriate to these professional/academic disciplines. The research mission permeates instruction at all levels. Research informs those who study in the Division so they can provide the best professional practice for their own students and clients, and research dissemination serves the public and professions by improving the knowledge on which professional practice is based.
The Division focuses on research and scholarship appropriate to music education and music therapy. This focus, pursued at both graduate and undergraduate levels, helps students learn the knowledge that underlies their professions, and learn to do research. The improved knowledge produced by the Division's research contributes to the welfare of the public and the professions.
The Division offers doctoral and post-doctoral study for students preparing to work as high-level teacher/researchers in the professions of music education and music therapy. This preparation includes development of high level research skills, strong positive affect toward the research process, understanding of the appropriate professional knowledge base, and other appropriate skills and wisdom.
The Division offers master's level study (including research and evaluation skills) for career advancement of music education and music therapy professionals.
The division offers initial certification study for students who wish to become music education and music therapy professionals. This preparation includes a strong research and evaluation component.
The Division offers in-service study for practicing professionals in music education and music therapy.
The Division also offers service coursework for students in other divisions of the university.
Music Education
The program helps students develop competence in music education. The curriculum emphasizes understanding of human behavior, musical and otherwise, and integrates with this core a variety of courses and activities that develop broad, high-level musical skills. The music education curriculum prepares individuals to teach music–instrumental, choral, and general–in grades K-12. It also prepares for teaching music to preschool, adult and geriatric populations.
Within the curriculum, which affords skill development in the spectrum of general music education, individual emphasis is reflected in the choice of major performance medium and performance ensembles.
Alternative careers for music education majors include church music, music librarianship, music journalism, music composition, and music performance.
Music Therapy
The program helps students develop competence for entry into the music therapy profession.The interdisciplinary curriculum emphasizes understanding of the human organism and its behavior, musical and otherwise and prepares individuals for health service careers in hospitals, community health settings, and private practice.
Alternative careers for music therapy majors include a variety of functional music applications.
