B.Mus. Music Education
Teachers of music are specially educated to guide creative, artistic development in their classroom or to students on an individual basis. Besides schools, many music education majors find careers in nonprofit organizations such as churches, community centers, daycare centers or through private tutoring. There are many opportunities to share your passion for music with others.
The music education degree at Concordia University, Nebraska teaches the fundamentals of music theory, forms and analysis, as well as aural theory and choral and instrumental arranging. You’ll learn techniques of composing, arranging and analyzing music and educational principles to prepare you for teaching music to the next generation of musicians. Our contemporary curriculum develops musical knowledge and teaching skills by immersing students in field-based observations and teaching opportunities.
Pursue your passion for music and for teaching at Concordia University, Nebraska!
Program Highlights
WHY STUDY MUSIC EDUCATION AT CONCORDIA?
The music education program at Concordia University, Nebraska provides a dynamic learning environment that stimulates the highest standards of research, innovation and leadership in music teaching, performance, technology, education and advocacy for the sake of others and in service to God’s kingdom.
Concordia Nebraska is an institutional member of the National Association of Schools of Music (NASM), an organization of schools, conservatories, colleges and universities whose degrees and credentials adhere to national standards, making our music program one of rigorous academics, excellent performance and high professional quality.
- About a third of Concordia students participate in music through lessons, ensembles and classes.
- Several ensembles tour nationally, and the A Cappella Choir takes an international tour every four years.
- Music majors from 20+ different states call Concordia home.
- Students may spend a semester in Cambridge, England’s leading center for choral and church music.
- There are 12 organs on campus by 11 different builders.
- Most pianos in the music department were manufactured by Steinway, and we are on the way to becoming an all-Steinway school.
- Concordia students won the biennial Richard Hillert Award in Student Composition in 2018, 2020 and 2022.
- Concordia students won the biennial Norma Aamodt-Nelson Student Scholar Award of the Association of Lutheran Church Musicians in 2021 and 2023.
- A Concordia graduate was a 2023 winner of the Metropolitan Opera’s Eric and Dominique Laffont Competition.
Learn more about music performance at Concordia
MEET OUR EXPERT FACULTY
As experts in music education, our faculty and instructors bring years of experience to the classroom.
Meet our students
All of my professors set great examples by being extremely knowledgeable, talented, and effective in leading class and rehearsals. They show me what is possible to do with music and education and inspire me all the time to keep working towards my own goal of being a teacher.
Accreditation
Concordia University, Nebraska is accredited by the Higher Learning Commission, a regional accreditation agency recognized by the U.S. Department of Education.
The music program is accredited by the National Association of Schools of Music.
Degree Goals
A music education program graduate from Concordia University, Nebraska will be able to:
- Inspire others and excite the imagination of students, engendering a respect, appreciation and commitment for music.
- Evaluate ideas, methods and policies in music, the humanities and music education for their impact on the musical and cultural development of their students.
- Arrange and adapt music from a variety of sources to meet the needs and ability levels of individuals, school groups and in classroom situations.
- Teach different levels of students on instrument or in voice as appropriate to their chosen areas of specialization.
Music Minors
- Church Music
- Music
Career Outcomes
Music Teacher
- Teach children or adults to sing, play instruments and appreciate music theory and music history
- You might teach privately or in a school, to individuals, groups, ensembles or choirs
Church Music Director
- Manage a choir, ensemble or glee club in a church
- Compose music and lead practices performances of vocal and/or instrumental music
Private Music Instructor
- Teach students in a one-on-one setting, providing instruction in technique, performance, music notation and more
- Maintain or develop your own musical skills and study new pedagogical methods
- Plan individual lessons, schedule lessons and manage the other administrative tasks associated with running a small business, such as marketing and finances.
FAQs
The first thing you need to be a successful music teacher is a love of music. You should have some basic skills in playing instruments, singing and reading music. You’ll also need at least a bachelor’s degree.
At Concordia University, Nebraska, you can choose to earn your bachelor of music degree in music education, which focuses on fundamental music skills as well as teaching skills.
Students in the music education program at Concordia do two semesters of student teaching, first close to campus, learning while taking courses and using your music and education classes and the expertise of your professors to help you become an innovative and effective music teacher. In the second semester of student teaching, you will assume more teaching responsibility and complete your training nationally, so you gain the valuable experience you need to take into your future music classroom.
To teach music in a school, you’ll also need to obtain your teacher’s certification, the requirements for which vary from state to state. Concordia will help you through your certification process, making sure you’re fully equipped and prepared to teach after graduation.
As a Lutheran institution, Concordia University, Nebraska has a tradition of rigorous, broad-based academics and critical thinking. We encourage the pursuit of ideas, perspectives and answers while affirming Biblical truths and world-views. Our Promises of a Lutheran Education outline how we help our students balance the complexities of life in the kingdom of this world with life in the kingdom of God. At Concordia Nebraska, the passion that drives us is to honor God through our creativity. Study in our music education program and learn from accomplished professors who will mentor and inspire you. Master your skills in our world-class facilities. Experience the preparation you need for your career or graduate school.
The innovative Borland Center for Music and Theatre at Concordia University, Nebraska is home to enhanced practice rooms, performance spaces and acoustics to inspire your creativity, refine your musical abilities and prepare you to create music that can transform lives. The Borland Center features:
- A recital hall containing a 3-manual, 38-rank Casavant organ and a Steinway Model D 9-foot concert grand piano
- 3 ensemble rehearsal rooms
- 11 teaching studios
- 22 practice rooms
- A percussion studio
- A piano lab
- A black box theater
- A soundproof recording studio
Organ students also have access to the 3-manual, 47-rank organ by Orgelbau Kuhn of Männedorf (Switzerland) in Weller Chapel and to the 3-manual, 50-rank Schlicker organ at St. John Lutheran Church, across the street from Concordia.
Each year, in addition to other financial aid such as academic scholarships, grants and loans, Concordia University, Nebraska awards talent-based scholarships in voice, piano, organ, brass, woodwinds, percussion, strings and guitar.
A limited number of full-tuition scholarships are awarded every year to students intending to major in music and who demonstrate outstanding musical skill and potential. There are also a limited number of talent-based scholarships, in variable amounts, awarded every year to students who intend to participate in music. These scholarships are available to music majors as well as non-music majors.
Learn more about the music scholarships available as well as the audition process.
Related Programs
Elementary Education
As an elementary educator, you are certified to teach children in kindergarten through sixth grade. You will typically spend the day with the same group of students, teaching them foundational skills in a wide variety of subjects. The liberal arts education you will receive at Concordia University, Nebraska, along with subject-specific methodology courses in the education department, will prepare you to be an outstanding elementary school teacher.
Secondary Education
With a degree in secondary education from Concordia University, Nebraska, you will be equipped to teach grades 7-12, encouraging intellectual and emotional growth at a critical time in the lives of your students. You’ll engage in rich coursework, collaborate with faculty and gain invaluable experience first shadowing a professional teacher and then teaching in your own high school classroom.
Music
As a music major at Concordia University, Nebraska, you will participate in ensembles, either choral or instrumental or both, as part of the requirements for your major. Since ensemble participation doesn’t necessarily factor into your official course load, you may find that you have more opportunities within your schedule to take additional electives that interest you to help round out your career options.
1 Recent graduates attending graduate school or employed within six months of graduation.