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Learning Outcomes

Music Competencies

The profession of school music teacher now encompasses a wide range of traditional, emerging, and experimental purposes, approaches, content, and methods. Each institution makes choices about what, among many possibilities, it will offer prospective specialist music teachers. Institutions may offer a comprehensive curriculum involving two or more specializations and/or focus on one or more particular specializations. The following standards provide a framework for developing and evaluating a wide variety of teacher preparation program goals and achievements.

1. Conducting and Musical Leadership. (Advanced Conducting) The prospective music teacher must be a competent conductor, able to create accurate and musically expressive performances with various types of performing groups and in general classroom situations. Instruction in conducting includes score reading and the integration of analysis, style, performance practices, instrumentation, and conducting techniques. Laboratory experiences that give the student opportunities to apply rehearsal techniques and procedures are essential. Prospective teachers in programs with less focus on the preparation of ensemble conductors must acquire conducting and musical leadership skills sufficient to teach effectively in their area(s) of specialization.
2. Arranging. (Music Theory) The prospective music teacher must be able to arrange and adapt music from a variety of sources to meet the needs and ability levels of individuals, school performing groups, and in classroom situations.
3. Functional Performance. (Secondary Instruments; Piano) In addition to the skills required for all musicians, functional performance abilities in keyboard and the voice are essential. Functional performance abilities in instruments appropriate to the student’s teaching specialization are also essential.
4. Analysis/History/Literature. (Music History) The prospective music teacher should be able to apply analytical and historical knowledge to curriculum development, lesson planning, and daily classroom and performance activities. Teachers should be prepared to relate their understanding of music with respect to styles, literature, multiple cultural sources, and historical development, both in general and as related to their area(s) of specialization.

Specialization Competencies

Institutions and other educational authorities make decisions about the extent to which music teachers will be prepared in one or more specializations. The following competencies apply singly or in combination consistent with the specialization objectives of each teacher preparation program in music.

1. Vocal/Choral Music. Listed below are essential competencies and experiences for the vocal/choral teaching specialization:
   1. Vocal and pedagogical skill sufficient to teach effective use of the voice. (Vocal Pedagogy)
   2. Knowledge of content, methodologies, philosophies, materials, technologies, and curriculum development for vocal/choral music. (Choral methods/materials; Specialized Elementary Methods)
   3. Experiences in solo vocal performance, as well as in both large and small choral ensembles. (Chorus)
   4. Performance ability sufficient to use at least one instrument as a teaching tool and to provide, transpose, and improvise accompaniments. (Assessed via entrance audition)
   5. Laboratory experience in teaching beginning vocal techniques individually, in small groups, and in larger classes. (Choral Methods and Materials)
2. Instrumental Music. Listed below are essential competencies and experiences for the instrumental music teaching specialization:
   1. Knowledge of and performance ability on wind, string, and percussion instruments sufficient to teach beginning students effectively in groups. (Secondary instruments)
   2. Knowledge of content, methodologies, philosophies, materials, technologies, and curriculum development for instrumental music. (Methods of String Instruction; String Pedagogy; Winds; Administration of Music Programs)
   3. Experiences in solo instrumental performance, as well as in both small and large instrumental ensembles. (Orchestra; Band; solo experiences will have been addressed during the undergraduate curriculum of the previous degree).
   4. Laboratory experience in teaching beginning instrumental students individually, in small groups, and in larger classes. (Practica associated with courses listed in 2b).

Teaching Competencies

The musician-teacher must be able to lead students to competency, apply music knowledge and skills in teaching situations, and integrate music instruction into the process of P—12 education. Essential competencies are:

1. Ability to teach music at various levels to different age groups and in a variety of classroom and ensemble settings in ways that develop knowledge of how music works syntactically as a communication medium and developmentally as an agent of civilization. This set of abilities includes effective classroom and rehearsal management. (MUED 731 )
2. An understanding of child growth and development and an understanding of principles of learning as they relate to music. (EDPY 705  Human Growth and Development)
3. The ability to assess aptitudes, experiential backgrounds, orientations of individuals and groups of students, and the nature of subject matter, and to plan educational programs to meet assessed needs. (EDRM 723  Classroom Assessment)
4. Knowledge of current methods, materials, and repertories available in various fields and levels of music education appropriate to the teaching specialization. (Instrumental Development and Related Materials, Choral Methods and Related Materials)
5. The ability to accept, amend, or reject methods and materials based on personal assessment of specific teaching situations. (Instrumental Development and Related Materials, Choral Methods and Related Materials)
6. An understanding of evaluative techniques and ability to apply them in assessing both the musical progress of students and the objectives and procedures of the curriculum. (Instrumental Development and Related Materials, Choral Methods and Related Materials)

Degree Requirements (45 Hours)

Three curriculum strands will be offered to meet the teaching certification standards and educational needs of the students who will enroll in the M.A.T. (Music).

Those three strands are:

• Vocal-Choral
• Instrumental — Strings
• Instrumental — Winds/Percussion

The three strands of the proposed curriculum will be unified by the following core courses. Students may be required to fulfill undergraduate prerequisites appropriate for their areas of concentration. None of the courses will be shared with MEd students.