Bachelor of Music Education Program
The BME program in Music Education at Missouri State University is a 127 hour teacher preparation program leading to K-12 certification. It includes 48 hours of General Education, 40 hours of core requirements in music education, 20 hours of additional certification requirements in music education, and 19 hours in professional education courses. This distribution of coursework is commensurate with the shared belief in the Professional Education Unit (PEU) that teacher candidates (professional educators) must acquire a balanced foundation of content, professional knowledge, and pedagogical skills that allows them to transform what they know into powerful skills for professional practice, effecting active engagement of students in the learning process. (Conceptual Framework).
Emanating from the collective vision described in the Conceptual Framework, the Bachelor of Music Education Teacher Education (BME) program and courses are structured to comply with the NASM and NCATE Standards for Initial Preparation of Beginning Teachers; Missouri Standards for Teacher Education Professionals (MoSTEP) quality indicators; and MDESE Beginning Teacher Discipline Specific Competencies. Designed as an integrated curriculum, the
program is competency-based and rich in guided field-based learning experiences. Sequential development of the candidate as a competent and reflective practitioner is effected through I) curricular progression from content (disciplinary knowledge/knowledge of how students grow and learn) to application (effective delivery of content, responsive to diversity in learning styles, abilities, age, and background) to synthesis (cross-curricular/community collaboration) to assessment (impact of teaching on learners) and change, and through 2) complementary learning experiences that begin the freshman year as guided observation experiences in the K-12 setting and progress through systematic critique of master teachers, peer teaching, and self assessment.
Refinement of the program is ongoing and occurs through review of structured assessments (artifacts) in student portfolios, infusion of ISTE recommendations in technology for teachers, exit interviews and first year teacher interviews (Beginning Teacher Assistance Program - BEARS), Department of Elementary and Secondary Education requirements, feedback from the BME Committee, and research that informs teacher education. Curricular coherence is formally evaluated through program review of the Professional Education Committee (PEC), the governance body of the PEU. This review requires documentation of regular involvement of a program assessment, review and design team that includes school and community partners, an assessment plan, annual faculty evaluations, collection of outcome data particularly in regard to use of technology and in response to the diverse learner, and sequential and intensive field experiences.
BME Students can now:
*Earn a Missouri Teaching Certificate in K-12 Instrumental or Vocal Music
*Be provided a 4-Year degree program of study (including 1 semester of student teaching)
*Experience 125 hours of teaching experiences in addition to the student teaching experience
*Participate in nationally acclaimed performing ensembles
*Study in their applied area with nationally recognized performers
*Be introduced to state of the art technology as an integral part of their degree
Pedagogical techniques which represent current practice in music education in a variety of educational contexts are reflected in the materials previewed, experienced and evaluated in music education classes. Students have an opportunity to assess their personal attributes necessary for teaching music by engaging in experiences designed to familiarize them with the wide variety of resources and materials available while engaging in hands-on, experiential classroom teaching situations.
The Music Education faculty subscribe to and endorse the Professional Education Unit Conceptual Framework which places emphasis on development of reflective educators/practitioners and enumerates the 10 general learning outcomes. These outcomes are referenced on the PEU website.
