Program Overview

Music, Vocal/General Music Education Concentration, B.M.

The Vocal/General Music Education Concentration in the Bachelor of Music degree is offered by the College of Liberal Arts at MTSU. This program is designed for students who aspire to be K-12 general music teachers and/or choral directors.

Program Description

Students in this program will observe and teach in public schools beginning their first year. MTSU has close to a 100% placement rate for students training to be music educators entering the field as professional music educators. Vocal/General Music Education students perform in ensembles such as Schola Cantorum, Women's Chorale, Men's Chorale, Opera Theater, and the MTSU Singers vocal jazz group. They learn from Music Education faculty who have K-12 teaching experience in public schools and are active in state and national professional organizations.

Admission Criteria

To be admitted into the Bachelor of Music degree program, all entering students must pass an audition before the faculty on their major instrument or voice. Students who do not pass the audition may be allowed, at the discretion of the faculty, to enroll in private music lessons or class instruction for one semester only. At the end of the semester, the student must reaudition for admission into the program. In addition, all prospective new or transfer undergraduate music majors and minors are required to take the Music Theory and Aural Skills Diagnostic Exam to determine appropriate placement in the music theory program.

Career Opportunities

MTSU has close to a 100 percent placement rate for students training to be music educators. Vocal/General Education majors generally go into teaching in public schools, but they may pursue graduate studies in school administration, conducting, or other music-related fields. Some future career possibilities include:

• Church/community chorus director
• Conductor
• General music teacher at elementary/middle schools
• Choral director at middle/high schools
• Musicologist
• Music theater director
• Private vocal teacher
• School administrator
• Singer/performer
• Talent agent
• University professor
• Vocalist

Employers of MTSU Alumni

Employers of MTSU alumni include:

• Iowa public schools
• Jackson (Tenn.) school district
• Macon County Schools, Tennessee
• Maury County Schools, Tennessee
• Memphis City Schools
• Metro-Nashville Public Schools
• Middle Tennessee State University
• Mississippi public schools
• Murfreesboro City Schools
• North Carolina public schools
• Oklahoma public schools
• Rutherford County Schools, Tennessee
• Shelby County Schools, Tennessee
• Wilson County Schools, Tennessee
• Williamson County Schools, Tennessee

Program Requirements

True Blue Core (41 hours)

The True Blue Core requirements include courses in the Foundational Skills areas of Written Communication, Information Literacy, Non-Written Communication, and Quantitative Literacy.

Major Requirements (60 hours)

The Music Core (27 hours) includes:

• MUS 1010 - Recital Attendance (6 semesters required)
• MUS 3140 - Basic Conducting
• MUTH 1110 - Theory and Aural Skills I
• MUTH 1120 - Theory and Aural Skills II
• MUTH 2110 - Theory and Aural Skills III
• MUTH 2120 - Theory and Aural Skills IV
• MUTH 4130 - Orchestration and Arranging
• MUHL 1610 - The World of Music
• MUHL 3010 - History of Western Art Music I
• MUHL 3020 - History of Western Art Music II

The Vocal/General Music Education Concentration (33 hours) includes:

• MUS 1530 - Class Piano I
• MUS 1540 - Class Piano II
• MUED 2000 - Philosophy and Introduction to Music Education
• MUED 2210 - Instrumental Techniques for Music Classroom
• MUED 2310 - Choral Music Lab
• MUEN 3150 - Choral Music Lab (0 credit hours)
• MUPD 2180 - Diction for Singers I (English and Latin)
• MUPD 2190 - Diction for Singers II (Italian) or MUPD 2200 - Diction for Singers III (German)
• MUPD 2210 - Diction for Singers IV (French)
• MUS 2530 - Class Piano III
• MUS 2540 - Class Piano IV
• MUED 3190 - General Music in the Middle and Senior High School
• MUED 3200 - Music in the Elementary Grades for Music Majors
• MUED 3220 - Choral Music in the Middle and Senior High School
• MUS 3160 - Advanced Choral Conducting
• MUTH 4110 - Form and Analysis
• MUEN 3- - - - Ensembles (9 hrs. participation required)
• MUAP 2350 - 2999 - Private Instruction (4 credit hours)
• MUAP 4350 - 4799 - Private Instruction (3 credit hours)
• MUAP 4800 - Partial Senior Recital (0 credit hours required)
• MUED 4680 - Music Education Seminar

Secondary Education Minor (27 hours)

See Secondary Education Minor for further information.

Faculty

• Dr. Jamila L. McWhirter, Professor
• Dr. Jennifer Vannatta-Hall, Professor

Information

Students who aspire to become K-12 general music teachers and/or choral directors choose to study Vocal/General Education in the School of Music. MTSU students observe and teach in public schools beginning their freshman year. MTSU music education faculty have K-12 experience teaching in the public schools. Faculty are active in state and national professional organizations and present their scholarly work at conferences, workshops, and in journal publications. Vocal/general students perform in ensembles such as Schola Cantorum, SOAL Chorale, TEBA Chorale, Opera Theater, and the MTSU Singers jazz group.

Public Accountability Notice

Middle Tennessee State University has been accredited by the National Association of Schools of Music (NASM) since 1970. The Bachelor of Music degree programs with concentrations in Instrumental Music Education and Vocal/General Music Education K-12 are accredited by the National Council for Accreditation of Teacher Education (NCATE).

Professional Licensure Disclosure

MTSU discloses that the Bachelor of Music (BM) in Music, Vocal/General Music Education is a teacher licensure preparation program accredited by the Council for the Accreditation of Educator Preparation (CAEP) and approved by the Tennessee Department of Education. Admission to an undergraduate teacher licensure preparation program does not guarantee that students will obtain a teacher license. Successful program completion meets the educational requirements to apply for a practitioner teacher licensure in Tennessee.