Music Education (Bachelor of Science)

Cupola atop a building on the Molloy University campus

Music Education at Molloy

The Bachelor of Science in Music provides students a dynamic pathway to a music teaching career. 21st century music classrooms require diverse and innovative teachers. Our program’s progressive and humanistic orientation recognizes and develops students’ strengths across a variety of musical traditions. students receive rigorous foundational training on their primary instrument or voice and enjoy opportunities to develop a wide range of skills. Musicianship, educatorship, and technology comprise a core skill set for music educators to engage with students, both inside and outside of public school settings.

Molloy University is an accredited institutional member of the National Association of Schools of Music (NASM).

 

Learning Outcomes:

Students will be able to

  • Demonstrate proficiency in reading, writing, and realizing musical notation. Students recognize and apply notational, analytical, and performance practices from a wide range of eras, styles, and cultures to performance and educational settings.
  • Demonstrate proficiency in performing on their primary instrument or voice and in ensemble settings.
  • Apply an extensive, functional musical skillset toward educational settings. (This skill set includes proficiency in voice, keyboard, wind, brass, string, percussion, ensembles, conducting, arranging, solo performance and ensemble performance.)
  • Be well acquainted with musical literature and conventions from diverse cultures and periods, along with their respective sociocultural and historical contexts.
  • Be aware of current issues, philosophies, scholarship, methods, materials and practices in music education. Students evaluate, select, reject, adapt and apply these to specific teaching situations as appropriate.
  • Apply evaluative techniques to assess students’ educational needs. Students design developmentally and culturally appropriate lessons and programming to address these needs.

Program Features

Molloy University’s Music Education program features specific course content and opportunities that will prepare you to enter the music education profession.

  • Music

    Music course content promotes the development of foundational skills across several areas. These include:

    Applied Lessons on Primary Instrument or Voice

    Performing Ensembles

    Music Theory & Aural Skills

    Music History

    Composition, Orchestration, & Music Technology

    Conducting

  • Music Pedagogy

    Music education majors develop a critical skill set in techniques, methods, and best practices of teaching music. This happens through coursework that includes:

     

    Vocal Techniques

    Guitar

    Piano

    Brass Methods

    Percussion Methods

    String Methods

    Woodwind Methods

    Music for Children Methods

    Secondary Music Methods

  • Education Courses

    One of the great strengths of our Music Education program is that students engage deeply with educational theories, practices, and policies that impact students in profound ways that extend beyond producing great concerts. Students take 10 credits of coursework through the School of Education and Human Services before student teaching:

    Critical Examination of Issues in Education

    Foundations of Education

    Law and Professionalism in Inclusive Settings

    Strategies for All Learners in the Diverse Classroom

  • Hands-On Learning in Public Schools

    Music education majors observe and participate in PK–12 instruction across several semesters of the program. In their final three semesters of the program, music ed majors will engage in public school music classrooms at primary and secondary levels:

    Phase I: Teaching candidates attend two on-campus seminars and complete 30 hours of observations by the end of the semester.

    Phase II: Pre-Student Teaching: All teaching candidates are required to complete a total of 70 hours of field experience. Progress is evaluated through two observations by a field supervisor from the School of Education and Human Services.

    Phase III: Student Teaching: All teaching candidates spend 30 hours per week in school districts. Music teacher candidates split their 14-week program to spend 7 weeks in an elementary school setting and 7 weeks in a secondary school setting.

    In compliance with New York State Education Department criteria, at least one of the field placements will be in a high-needs, diverse school district.

Career Opportunities

A degree in Music Education from Molloy University will prepare you for a variety of teaching careers both inside and outside of PK–12 public school settings:

  • Early Childhood Music Teacher
  • Classroom Music Teacher (PK–12)
  • Vocal Music Teacher (PK–12)
  • Instrumental Music Teacher (PK–12)
  • Community Music School Teacher
  • Teaching Artist
  • Private Studio Teacher

Music Education-Adjacent career opportunities include:

  • Non-Profit Arts Organizations
  • Non-Profit Education Organizations
  • For-Profit Arts Organizations
For-Profit Education Organizations