For a student pursuing a bachelor of music education degree, the required coursework will consist of general studies and music education subjects. Some of the required general studies may include the following areas: communications, humanities, social sciences, natural sciences, quantitative sciences and others, depending on the university you attend. Music education programs generally include some of the following required courses: human development, educational psychology, principles of music education, ensemble conducting, orchestration, concert choir, music education for elementary and secondary school and others.
The higher the degree you acquire in music education the more job opportunities you may encounter as an educator. Acquiring an associate degree in music education allows you to teach preschool levels and private schools. If you possess a bachelor's degree in music education, you can teach band, vocal, instrumental and general music education in public schools. To teach at a higher level, such as community colleges or universities, a master's or doctoral degree is usually required.
Alternative ways of music education, such as the international Suzuki method, which applies the process of learning a mother tongue, have proven that early music education can help students develop other skills, such as language, emotional, social, motor coordination, memory and pre-literacy. According to Carolyn Phillips, former director of the Norwalk Youth Symphony, Connecticut, music education can be a contributing factor in the development of language, creativity, discipline, self-expression and spatial intelligence.
The National Association for Music Education is an organization that intends to preserve music as a required course throughout the U.S. school system. One of the initiatives proposed by the association is the National Standards for Music Education, which promotes areas in music education to be used as guide for teaching objectives. These include: singing, melodic improvisation, performing as groups or individually, music notation and reading, music as it is related to our culture and history and others.