[Fineartsdirectors] Graduate Degree in Music Education

[Darla Meek]

Dear Elementary Music Colleagues,

The Texas A&M University-Commerce Department of Music presents an exciting option for elementary music teachers who want to earn a Master of Music with emphasis in Music Education:  the TAMU-C Music Education Cohort!  Participants earn their graduate degree in four consecutive summers while still working full-time.

This 30-hour, summers-only program was the first of its kind in North Texas.  It was created specifically for full-time elementary music teachers.  Students will be challenged to develop a greater understanding and mastery of the music teaching-learning processes, to improve personal musicianship, and to become leaders within the music education profession.

The program offers a combination of coursework in music education (pedagogy, movement, elementary classroom instruments, conducting), music history, research, philosophy, theory, and performance study. Students also complete an independent study project on a subject of their choice within the realm of elementary music.

Features of the program:

•      All classes are held during the month of June—Summer I term.

•      No GRE Exam is required for admittance into the program.

•      No diagnostic entrance exams in theory or history are required.  All cohort students will take “Introduction to Graduate Study” as a refresher course as part of the degree.

•      If you have taken levels courses (such as Kodály or Orff Schulwerk levels) you may be able to substitute your work for the Pedagogy and Movement classes.

•      You can earn up to 45 CPE hours for each methods class you take.

•      All face-to-face classes will be held at the new, beautiful Mesquite Metroplex Center in Mesquite, Texas. https://new.tamuc.edu/mesquite-metroplex-center/

•      This third cohort features blended courses and an entirely virtual option for some of the courses.

•      If you have a particular conflict, it may be possible for us to work around it. Do not hesitate to ask!

What is a cohort?
A cohort program is a fully planned curriculum with a specified starting and ending date.  Students are admitted to the program as a group that moves through the program together, taking courses in a planned sequence. Students will graduate together in August.

What are the advantages?
1.  Because the program is fully scheduled from the outset, students find it easier to plan ahead and better manage their schedules between work, home, and study.

2.  In most degree programs, there are only a few courses that must be taken in a particular order. While this gives students flexibility, it also means that students in any given course will be at different stages in the learning process.   In a cohort program, faculty members know exactly what courses students in the cohort have taken and in what order. Therefore, the curriculum in a cohort program is more cohesive with stronger links between courses.

3.  Most graduate students are full-time music teachers who are studying part-time while working and fulfilling family responsibilities. Sometimes it is difficult for such students to feel as though they are a part of the university's community. However, a cohort provides a strong sense of belonging, and creates a network of support that is invaluable long after the participants complete the program.

4.  Because this is a summers-only program, students will be able to assimilate their new learning during the interposing academic years.

Our first cohort of Masters students graduated in 2015, the second cohort graduated in 2019, and the third group started last summer. This is the last opportunity to apply for the third cohort. The next opportunity to apply will be when the fourth cohort begins the summer of 2025.

SPECIAL NOTE: If you would like to join the third cohort this summer, these are the classes you will take:

Summer 2022
MUS 531         Elementary Pedagogy I, grades K-2
MUS 531         Movement in the Elementary Classroom
MUS 550         Seminar in Music Education

Fall 2022
MUS 520         Introduction to Graduate Study (Tuesday evenings, virtual)
(This course is a prerequisite for graduate-level history and theory classes, so it must be taken before Summer 2023.)

Summer 2023
MUS 531         Elementary Pedagogy II, grades 3-5
MUS 552         Music History TBD
MUS 532         Graduate Theory Seminar
MUS 531         Movement for the Music Educator

Summer 2024
MUS 523         Music History TBD
MUS 526         Methods and Literature for Elementary Choirs
MUS 589         Independent Study in Music Education

Summer 2025
MUS 552         Graduate Applied Voice Class
MUS 595         Research in Music Education


Our affordable tuition rates can be found in the Admissions page of the website: https://new.tamuc.edu/admissions/ Prospective students are encouraged to seek out the scholarship opportunities that can be found in the FINANCIAL AID section on the same page.

Current students are working professionals, just like you, who are passionate about teaching with excellence. Classes are very active—singing, dancing, playing instruments, composing, researching.  You will leave overflowing with ideas to use with your students, new skills, and a renewed sense of the importance of what you do.

Feel free to contact me with any questions you may have. I am looking forward to hearing from you!

Sincerely,

Darla Meek, MM | Lecturer and Music Education Coordinator
Department of Music | Texas A&M University-Commerce
PO Box 3011 | Commerce, TX 75429
Tel. 903.886.5294 | Fax 903.468.6010 |

THE TEXAS A&M UNIVERSITY SYSTEM


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