For music education professor Lisa Gruenhagen, lifelong music learning is a must

Dr. Lisa Gruenhagen, Associate Professor of Music Education at BGSU, can be found any given week working with all ages throughout the university and the Bowling Green community. For the past eight years, she has directed a general music outreach program at the Children’s Resource Center PATHE Program in Bowling Green, where BGSU music education students help to plan and teach music to students with special needs. In addition, Gruenhagen directs a program through the BGSU Optimal Aging Institute, offering ukulele classes to older adults and intergenerational groups. “A longtime passion of mine has been to bring lifelong music learning programs to the community,” says Gruenhagen, who is also a professor and mentor in the BGSU online Master of Music, Teaching Artistry Specialization program. Gruenhagen’s research focuses on lifelong learning through arts education, and this passion is shared with BGSU students and community members through her program involvement.

Her experiences in the field provide a wealth of knowledge and experience for Teaching Artistry students, whom she mentors on yearlong projects during their degree program. “One of my favorite aspects of this program is the yearlong teaching project that pairs each student with a mentor who supports and guides research that is situated in the student’s own classroom.” Gruenhagen believes that “the ongoing process of this project results in benefits for both the teacher and his/her students.” In addition to serving as a mentor, Gruenhagen has taught courses such as Introduction to Advanced Pedagogy and Technology, Curriculum and Historical Perspectives for Music Educators, and Field Based Teaching and Learning for Music Educators in the Teaching Artistry program. When asked why a music educator should consider enrolling in this degree, Gruenhagen shares that it is “an ideal way to further develop pedagogical skills and teaching practice while remaining in your current position. Each year, teachers in this program tell me how much they appreciate making connections with other professionals who share similar goals and interests regarding music teaching and learning.”

More information about the Teaching Artistry program can be found online, or contact Dr. Elizabeth Menard, Chair of Music Education.