Undergrad Music Education at UMB

Music Education

LICENSURE:
The Massachusetts Department of Education offers various types of educator licenses. Information is available by contacting them at

The Massachusetts Department of Education
Division of Education Personnel
Bureau of Teacher Certification
350 Main Street
Maiden, MA 02148-S023
Tel.: 617-388-3300
or through their Web-site at http://www.doe.mass.edu/

Teachers are now licensed in this state at four levels: temporary (valid for one year), provisional (five years), initial (five years), and professional (renewed every five years). Them is no more permanent certification; teachers must be re-certified every five years, usually through a program arrived at through consultation with their school’s administration. The Music Program in the Department of Performing Arts at the University of Massachusetts Boston offers a program leading toward the Initial License. This can in turn lead to the Professional License. There currently is no degree program in music offered beyond the Bachelor of Arts by the University of Massachusetts Boston Department of Performing Arts, although there are Master’s degree programs in education offered through the Graduate College of Education.

Requirements

Initial License in Music through the University of Massachusetts Boston include the following:

I. A bachelors degree in music (Standard I)
2. Completion of a prescribed pre-practicum educational component directly related to Standards II through VII of the document.
3. Successful completion of a practicum component meeting the guidelines of the Massachusetts Board of Education.
4. Passing the Massachusetts Teacher Tests. These were added in 1998 and are offered every January. April. July. and October. There are two tests:
Communication/Literacy (which includes writing) and Subject Matter (in this case, Music)

ADMISSION:

The program offers three tracks to licensure. Track I is for persons who have not yet completed a Bachelor of Music (or Bachelor of Arts in Music) degree. Track II is for those who already hold such a degree and who seek licensure without receiving an additional degree. Track III is for those seeking music licensure through a Master of Education degree program. The initial contact person for all three programs is:

Dr. Jon C. Mitchell, Coordinator of Music Education
Department of Performing Arts
McCormack Hall 2-614
University of Massachusetts Boston
Boston, MA 02125-3393
Tel.: 1-617-287-6981
e-mail: jon.mitchell@umb.edu

TRACK I:UNDERGRADUATE

Requirements for admission to the Music Education program at the University of Massachusetts Boston include the following:

1. Sophomore standing. Students must have completed Writing II (or the equivalent) and either Psychology 100 or Psychology 101. Completion or enrollment in Psychology 241 (Child Psychology) or Psychology 242 (Adolescent Psychology) is also a must.

2. An accumulative grade point average of at least a 3.0 in music classes and at least a 3.0 in classes taken in other areas.

3. Approval and endorsement of the Music Department faculty. An application supported by the applicant’s philosophical statement, transcripts, and interview are necessary. This endorsement, supported by a letter of recommendation will facilitate the applicant’s admission to the university’s Program for Initial Licensure.

Applicants should understand that admission to the program is in two parts: music and university-wide. It is the applicants responsibility to make sure that all requirements for both are met. Applications are available in the Teacher Education Program Office.

MUSIC EDUCATION COURSES:

The following are prescribed Music Education courses. All of these or their equivalents must be completed successfully by all individuals seeking certification through the Department of Performing Arts at University of Massachusetts Boston:

EDUCATION COURSES:

The following preferred courses are considered an intricate part of the Music Teacher Licensure Program:

EDC G 441: Contemporary Issues in Education
and one of the following;
EDC G 403: Creating Effective Learning Environments in Grades N-6
EDC G 424: Cultures of the High School

CULMINATING PRACTICUM (STUDENT TEACHING)

The College of Education has very strict eligibility requirements that have to be met before one is permitted to student teach:

1. A 30 accumulative grade point average in Music.
2. A 3.0 accumulative grade point average in Education courses.
3. Satisfaction of the university’s Writing Proficiency Requirement.
4. Recommendations of the department, one pre-practicum instructor, and one pre-practicum cooperating teacher.
5. All Education courses completed and all but one Music course completed.
6. Seventy-five hours of pre-practicum experience (observation). This consists of observation, assisting instructing, tutoring small classes, etc.
7. Evidence of having passed the Communication/Literacy and subject area (Music) parts of the Massachusetts Teacher Tests.
The Practicum fulfills the university’s capstone requirement.

TRACK II: POST-B.A.

Individuals who have already completed their Bachelor of Music (or Bachelor of Arts in Music) degrees will be accepted into the program on the basis of the following:
1. Official transcripts of all previous academic work
2. Two letters of recommendation
3. A completed application form, including a philosophical statement.

Applicants are again reminded that admission to the program is in two parts: music and university-wide. his the applicants responsibility to make suit tat all requirements for both are met.

Individuals will follow a prescribed program based upon the music education courses listed in Track I. In keeping with the other education programs at the university, students in Track II should take the following Education courses:

EDC G 606: Sociocultural Perspectives on Education
and one of the following:
EDC G 603: Creating Effective Learning Environments in Grades N-6
EDC G 624: Cultures of the High School

TRACK III: MASTER OF EDUCATION PROGRAMS:

Note: These are not Master of Music Programs; these are Graduate College of Education programs. After an initial interview with the Coordinator of Music Education, admission to the program is handled by the Graduate College of Education. Candidates follow all of the prescribed program for the Initial License. Listings of courses for these programs included on the accompanying sheets.

Two upper division undergraduate Music Education courses (preferably Music 340 and Music 34l) representing 6 units of credit may be counted toward this degree. These replace the following:

Elementary:
EDC 640: Reading in the Content Area
EDC G 626: Humanities in Elementary Education

Middle School:
EDC 640: Reading in the Content Area
EDC G 497P (Teaching and Learning in the Discipline)
EDC G 665 (Methods in Secondary Science Instruction)

Secondary:
EDC 640: Reading in the Content Area
EDC G 497P (Teaching and Learning in the Discipline)
EDC G 665 (Methods in Secondary Science Instruction)

Candidates are warned that the completion of additional coursework (i.e. Music 401-405) may be necessary in order to satisfy all of the standards set forth by the Massachusetts Department of Education.