Shenandoah Conservatory muscic, theatre, dance
Graduate degrees in Music Education
Master of Music Education
The Master of Music Education (MME) degree is designed to provide students with opportunities to enhance and develop skills and knowledge. The curriculum includes three general areas of study: 1) music education; 2) applied music, accompanying and conducting; and 3) music literature and theory. Graduate study culminates with either a thesis or a research/teaching project.
Applicants must possess a baccalaureate degree in music, or equivalent, with a minimum grade point average of 2.5 (on a 4.0 scale) prior to admission into the program. Transcripts from all post-high school study must be submitted. International students must earn a minimum TOEFL score of 550. As part of the Shenandoah University graduate application, applicants submit a writing sample that addresses their intent for joining the program and lists their professional goals. Most applicants present a baccalaureate degree in music education and are licensed teachers. Specific teacher licensure requirements are generally met through an approved undergraduate degree. In addition, all MME applicants must complete a 200-word (no more) writing sample (with citations in the American Psychological Association Manual of Style format) on a current topic in music education. A performance audition is not required.
Doctor of Musical Arts in Music Education
As part of its commitment to ensuring academic excellence, and as part of its mission to ensure that musicians from the Commonwealth of Virginia and beyond have access to exceptional training at all levels, the Conservatory will focus resources on further enriching the quality of the Bachelor and Master programs in Music Education as it continues its in-depth analysis and redesign of the DMA in Music Education degree.
Professor Jeffrey Marlatt, Director of Music Education, recently explained, “Following an intensive review of the DMA in Music Education degree, full-time Music Education faculty voted to suspend admission to the program to allow for curricular revisions that can best ensure the success of the 21st Century music educator. Music Education Faculty are committed to identifying resources necessary to provide a program of premier quality. We are proud of our DMA graduates and students and the leadership they provide within their public school and collegiate classrooms, within professional organizations, and within the profession of music learning and music teaching."
Conservatory Dean and Professor of Music Michael Stepniak further affirmed the Conservatory's commitment to Music Education and academic excellence, noting "Music education at Shenandoah is essential to the mission of the Conservatory, and our Conservatory is proud to have a rich and singular tradition of providing musicians from our Commonwealth and beyond with access to exceptional training in Music Education. I'm very proud that our Music Education Faculty have taken this initiative and continue to be aggressive in ensuring that our degree programs are of exceptional quality and value to all our students.”