a tempo winter2008
Update on undergraduate music education
The Department of Music Education recently initiated several changes in the undergraduate degree program, and we want to give our alumni some insight into our rationale for change, and to share these changes with you. We have implemented these revisions to facilitate student learning of the skills needed to become an effective teacher. Music teachers should possess a deep understanding of the discipline and the ability to make informed choices regarding what to teach and how to plan and deliver instruction. They should be able to shape instruction, in the moment, to meet the needs of individual learners.
The college is fortunate to have dedicated and talented students who come here from active music programs across Ohio and beyond, bringing enthusiasm and curiosity to our classes. It is a privilege to observe changes in their comprehension of music and music instruction as they advance through the program and begin to realize their potential as music teachers. Over time, students have grown more articulate in their discussions of teaching, more observant and more reflective about their own teaching abilities. This is due in part to a renewed commitment by the faculty to focus on student achievement in the areas of teaching, musicianship and critical thinking. The department recognizes that successful music teachers rely on expertise in each of these areas. While we acknowledge that acquisition of expertise is a lifetime endeavor, we aim to encourage habits of mind that will support the continued development of our students, and benefit them throughout their professional lives.
As educators, we know that assessing our students tells us if our teaching methods are being absorbed. It follows that a next step was to create assessments designed to evaluate student progress and to thus inform and benefit our own teaching. The department has established three points in the curriculum for assessment of student progress: entry to introduction to field experience, entry to junior teaching methods courses and completion of student teaching.
Introduction to field experience
Pre-music education students begin a course sequence of aural skills, theory and history, which comprise the musicianship “core.” (The old theory-history modules were separated in 1997.) In addition, they take piano classes, techniques courses for secondary instruments and applied lessons on a primary instrument. Success in studio lessons, in the music core and in music education courses determines entry into the music education department’s introduction to the profession course.
Sophomore review
Prior to entry into junior methods courses, students meet with a committee of the music education faculty to demonstrate performance skills on a primary instrument, sight singing and the ability to harmonize at the keyboard. Each student submits a writing sample, a video of performance on a secondary instrument and a video of a teaching project, which includes written evidence of planning and reflection.
Student teaching
Student teachers document changes that take place in their teaching performance and in their students’ musical skills, in an electronic portfolio. Through systematic observations and self-analyses of their teaching, music education students reveal how they plan, deliver instruction and solve problems in classes and rehearsals. In effect, they display their ability to make appropriate decisions before and during teaching. This gives the department a window into how well prepared students are to deliver accurate, sequenced instruction in live classroom settings and into their ability to evaluate their own teaching performance as they attempt to effect positive change in the performance of their students.>
Creating three assessments in the music education program has resulted in clearer articulations of the expectations for our students. By pausing and viewing several aspects of student work at three points in the program, we are better informed to track students’ development as teachers and adjust our own teaching accordingly. For music education students, these reviews provide an opportunity to demonstrate their accomplishments, and to re mediate areas identified as requiring further development.
The department continues to refine the music education program in response to changes in the profession and in the requirements for state licensure. We now offer three specializations: classroom, choral and instrumental (band or orchestra), which are reflective of the three major areas in the music teaching profession.
The student teaching practicum has been extended from 10 to 15 weeks, giving students more time to work in classroom and rehearsal settings with practicing teachers who partner with us in shaping the development of future music teachers. We are grateful to these professionals who serve as mentors and who give generously of their time and expertise. The state of Ohio requires all applicants for licensure to take a three-credit course in how to teach reading. Currently, music education students take this class during the first two weeks of student teaching.
While many graduates of the music education program are teaching in Ohio, several have accepted competitive offers from states such as Florida, Georgia, North Carolina, Texas, Nevada, Oregon, Illinois, Virginia and Indiana, to name a few. We enjoy hearing from each of our graduates as they describe their initial and continuing experiences in the profession, and we are encouraged by their successes. We know that to be a successful music educator is to be a skillful, knowledgeable and caring individual. The department will continue to refine the music education program in order to support student skill acquisition in the areas of teaching, musicianship and critical thinking for the purpose of preparing music educators for the challenges of teaching music in the 21st century.
—Dr. Elaine Colprit, chair, music education