Music (P-12)

Music Undergraduate Macon Residential

Although music instruction in school is important in the development of those students who are talented in music, its primary purpose is to improve the quality of life for all students by developing their capacities to participate fully in their musical culture.  Understanding of music enriches the capacity to understand the human experience and appreciate the differences in varied cultures. The skills required in the composition and performance of music and in the reading of and listening to music are integral parts of music education.

The P-12 Music Education Certification Program collaborates with the Townsend School of Music to help students become practitioners who know both music content and educational pedagogy.  In order for teachers to create a classroom environment where music can be appreciated and performed, they must have a strong background in music content, including music history and theory, performance, orchestration, conducting, sight reading, vocal and instrumental pedagogy, and appreciation.  Music educators should be aware of how to layer student learning to facilitate the development of performance and appreciation skills.  Furthermore, teachers should be aware of the nature and needs of both child and adolescent learners and of effective ways to engage all learners in the learning process. 

In a combination of music classes, education theory and methodology classes, and field experiences, students will develop the skills necessary to blend theory and practice. 

Music Education Program Objectives

Content and Process:  To Know

• To be knowledgeable about how students learn music in classes and rehearsals and how that learning can be assessed. 
• To be knowledgeable about appropriate music repertoire, teaching materials, and evaluation of student performance or response. 
• To possess an understanding of how music enhances the quality of student's lives enabling fuller participation in the pluralistic culture of the United States and the diverse cultures outside our country. 
• To be knowledgeable about diverse genres, styles, and periods of music in order to better facilitate student understanding of both musical tradition and diversity. 

Application:  To Do

• To engage music students in a well planned sequence of learning experiences which lead to clearly defined skills and knowledge.
• To instruct music students in a manner conducive to the development of creative skills such as improvisation and composition, including strategies involving electronic technology. 
• To engage students in learning tasks which involve problem-solving and higher-order thinking skills so that music education moves beyond acquisition of facts and toward a synthesis of knowledge. 
• To engage students in learning tasks, including cooperative learning, which are challenging, thought-provoking, and related to the real world of music as it is experienced outside school.                         
• To emphasize learning which demonstrates the relationships within the arts and the interrelatedness of music with disciplines outside the arts, especially social studies and language arts.
• To utilize learning tasks which involve current technology in order to individualize and expand music learning. Technology should be incorporated into learning tasks in order to achieve educational objectives, not for its own sake.
• To assess specific music student learning objectives with appropriate, reliable, and valid techniques.
• To encourage music students to take the initiative and share the responsibility for their learning.

Attitude:  To Be

• To be committed to high quality music instruction and to work together with other professionals, parents, and community members to improve the teaching and learning of music.
• To reflect the joy and personal satisfaction that are inherent in music.

Music Educators National Conference, 1994.

Resources

• View the P-12 Music Education Certification Program Plan (Word Doc)