Music Education

[NGPercussion]

Any music education majors post here? I just finished my freshman year of studying music. Studied music theory, aural skills, touched on music history and form/analysis, took a year of piano, a semester of guitar, a semester of strings, and my eighth year of percussion. Also played in the marching band, concert band, and indoor drumline, as well as some solos.

[Janszoon]

You seem to be making some great posts, but what can I do to get you to stop doing so in green?

[Burning Down]

I just finished my third year of studying music in university. I hope to be a teacher by the end of it, but I have a couple of years to go before I graduate. Music education is not a program at my school, however, music education classes are available to those who wish to go in that direction. I haven't taken any yet because they are 4th year courses.

I only had to take aural skills in first year and keyboard in second year. Next year I get to take courses learning the basics of how to play other instruments. Percussion is mandatory, the other instruments groups are electives but they are recommended for people who want to be teachers in schools.

I played in the flute ensemble for the first two years and concert band and orchestra this year. Also finished my 14th year of flute lessons (yeah I started playing at age 7).

By the way I am working on getting an Honours Bachelor of Music (B.Mus) degree, but I could also go for the simpler B.A. in Music and then get an M.Mus in grad school if I choose to do so.

When I finish my undergraduate education, I can do a 1-2 year Bachelor of Education program and then get licensed to teach in schools here. I'm aiming to teach in high school but I might start with elementary for a couple of years.

It's cool to know that there is somebody else taking music in university here. I thought I was the only one!

[NGPercussion]

Nope! I thought I was the only one...how much theory have you had? I'm earning a Bachelors of Music Education degree from my university. If you want to read up on more theory, I can hook you up with two really good books that you can download online for free (legally).

Originally Posted by Janszoon

You seem to be making some great posts, but what can I do to get you to stop doing so in green?

Sorry about that! I was informed by someone else via PM that it is kinda hard on the eyes, so I stopped. I like the color, so I just did it on here as well..didn't realize it was hard to read for some. Sorry!

[Scarlett O'Hara]

Originally Posted by NGPercussion

Nope! I thought I was the only one...how much theory have you had? I'm earning a Bachelors of Music Education degree from my university. If you want to read up on more theory, I can hook you up with two really good books that you can download online for free (legally).



Sorry about that! I was informed by someone else via PM that it is kinda hard on the eyes, so I stopped. I like the color, so I just did it on here as well..didn't realize it was hard to read for some. Sorry!

Praise the Lord. Thanks for that I was getting bothered by the green too.

[MoonlitSunshine]

It's funny, I've done hardly any musical education personally (just at 2nd level), but I have four old friends who went on to do music, and a tonne of others now through them... It's great in a way, cause it means I can study a real subject (I joke!) and still learn about the theory through them!

BD, I don't know what a BMusEd (or bemused, as they like to call themselves here) consists of over there, but it's a pretty vicious timetable of constant lectures in my college: do you find that it's a lot of work?

[Astronomer]

I studied music (double degree Bachelor of Arts/Bachelor of Music) but couldn't get a job when I finished so I became a primary school teacher

[Burning Down]

Originally Posted by NGPercussion

Nope! I thought I was the only one...how much theory have you had? I'm earning a Bachelors of Music Education degree from my university. If you want to read up on more theory, I can hook you up with two really good books that you can download online for free (legally).

I have lots of theory courses under my belt, through private education, however at school I had to take one theory course in first year and one in second year. The first year course is a basic theory course, but it builds off the stuff you already had to know to get into the program, and then second year the course is more advanced.

I have a collection of material on theory already, maybe 12 or 13 books dealing with topics that range from basic theory like how to read music and tabs all the way to post-tonal counterpoint, so I think I'm good for now, but thanks

Originally Posted by MoonlitSunshine

BD, I don't know what a BMusEd (or bemused, as they like to call themselves here) consists of over there, but it's a pretty vicious timetable of constant lectures in my college: do you find that it's a lot of work?

I'm not in a music education program at the moment because my university doesn't offer it as a separate program, just courses (that I haven't taken yet). But the regular B.Mus program can be tough at times. Although my school only admits 30-40 people each year into the music program, so the classes for the first couple of years are not exactly like lectures, they are more like grade school classes. Though classes like History of Western Art Music and Pop Music History are lectures because they are also offered as electives to students from other programs. The timetable is not bad - each semester there is usually a day that I either have off or where there is only one class.

For a lot of the classes though, like theory or analysis for example, there are usually weekly or bi-weekly assignments to be completed, i.e. you get a short assignment on Monday and it's due the following Monday. Which is not bad, but it adds on to the bigger assignments you need to have prepared for the history courses and any other elective courses. I'm also taking classes in Political Science, where professors rely on you handing in a lengthy research paper or opinion paper in order to mark you. So the work load is heavy at times. Not to mention that I have to devote time to practice flute! All the lesson teachers recommend 2-3 hours a day, of course, but that's not entirely possible with all the other stuff required of you, unless you don't have a social life

[Janszoon]

Originally Posted by NGPercussion

Sorry about that! I was informed by someone else via PM that it is kinda hard on the eyes, so I stopped. I like the color, so I just did it on here as well..didn't realize it was hard to read for some. Sorry!

No worries! It was just a friendly suggestion.

[NGPercussion]

Originally Posted by Burning Down

I have lots of theory courses under my belt, through private education, however at school I had to take one theory course in first year and one in second year. The first year course is a basic theory course, but it builds off the stuff you already had to know to get into the program, and then second year the course is more advanced.

I have a collection of material on theory already, maybe 12 or 13 books dealing with topics that range from basic theory like how to read music and tabs all the way to post-tonal counterpoint, so I think I'm good for now, but thanks

Nice! I only have one real theory course so far, but we covered everything from very basic reading into chords, scales and modes, cadences, nonharmonic tones, sequences and periods, and basic analysis.

Originally Posted by Burning Down

I'm not in a music education program at the moment because my university doesn't offer it as a separate program, just courses (that I haven't taken yet). But the regular B.Mus program can be tough at times. Although my school only admits 30-40 people each year into the music program, so the classes for the first couple of years are not exactly like lectures, they are more like grade school classes. Though classes like History of Western Art Music and Pop Music History are lectures because they are also offered as electives to students from other programs. The timetable is not bad - each semester there is usually a day that I either have off or where there is only one class.

I am and personally, its quite a course load. My first semester, I took Introduction To Western Music, Guitar Techniques, Marching Band, Keyboard Techniques I, Applied Percussion, Recital Attendance, Freshman Survival Skills I: Fine Arts, Character & Wellness, Communication Skills, Physical Geology (and lab).

This semester, I was in Concert Band, Applied Percussion, The Theory & Practice Of Music I, Aural Skills I, Keyboard Techniques II, Recital Attendance, String Techniques, Introduction To Philosophy, College Composition I & II, and Freshman Survival Skills II: Fine Arts.

And next semester I am in Marching Band, Applied Percussion, Recital Attendance, Aural Skills II, The Theory & Practice Of Music II, Trumpet Class, Clarinet Class, Applied Piano, Applied Cello, Basic Conducting, Educational Psychology, and Introduction To Teaching (and Practicum).

Originally Posted by Burning Down

For a lot of the classes though, like theory or analysis for example, there are usually weekly or bi-weekly assignments to be completed, i.e. you get a short assignment on Monday and it's due the following Monday. Which is not bad, but it adds on to the bigger assignments you need to have prepared for the history courses and any other elective courses. I'm also taking classes in Political Science, where professors rely on you handing in a lengthy research paper or opinion paper in order to mark you. So the work load is heavy at times. Not to mention that I have to devote time to practice flute! All the lesson teachers recommend 2-3 hours a day, of course, but that's not entirely possible with all the other stuff required of you, unless you don't have a social life

Yeah, keeping up with practicing is a major pain for me...and you're lucky you only get an assignment or two per week! My theory class meets MWF, and has assignments every day due the following class period. Same with Aural Skills.