Master of Science in Music Education
Kevin Jay Isaacs, Graduate Coordinator
Phone:(203) 837-8355
isaacsk@wcsu.edu
Debbie DelVecchio, Department Secretary
Phone: 203) 837-8350
Fax:(203) 837-8630
Program Overview
The Master of Science (M.S.) in Music Education program at WestConn is designed to further develop the student's cultural, musical and professional growth and to provide graduate course-work necessary for permanent teaching certification. Western Connecticut State University is an accredited institutional member of the National Association of Schools of Music (NASM)
Degree Program Mission, Goals, and Objectives
The music department at Western Connecticut State University is a friendly, vibrant, student-oriented unit committed to fulfilling the university and department mission to:
- Prepare students for careers in music education.
- Prepare students to be lifelong advocates for music and the arts.
- Encourage development of the creative, intuitive, and intellectual capabilities of students, faculty, and audience.
- Provide for the cultural enrichment of the individual, the unit, the university, the community, the region, and the state.
- Provide services to the individual, the unit, the university, the community, the region, and the state. The department of music believes the earnest pursuit of this mission will have a positive effect in promoting the arts and cultivating culture in our community and will greatly enhance Western Connecticut State University's influence throughout the region and state.
The goals of our mission statement are attainable through the following objectives:
- Prepare students for careers in music education.
- Help students understand the development of structures and organization of music throughout history and to enhance their appreciation and performance of diverse musical styles.
- Prepare students who desire further study with the necessary musical skills to pursue advanced degrees.
- Insure students gain the necessary and fundamental musical skills to enter the music teaching profession.
- Provide a comprehensive music education curriculum that prepares the student for the changeable climate of teaching profession.
- Give graduate students in music the training and experiences to expand their musical skills and professional opportunities, especially in teaching.
- Prepare students to be lifelong advocates for music and the arts.
- Offer a musical environment where students can hear, see, and experience musical events performed by their peers, faculty, and guest artists.
- Instill in all music education students the importance of being both an advocate for and an expert in their field and to represent proudly their discipline to their teaching peers, to their administration, and to their students' families.
- Encourage development of the creative, intuitive, and intellectual capabilities of students, faculty, and audience.
- Train students in the fine art of musical performance through applied study with instructors who are both teachers and mentors.
- Allow students numerous opportunities to practice their skills of musical performance through the large ensembles, chamber groups, and student recitals offered by the department.
- Offer a musical environment where students can hear, see, and experience musical events performed by their peers, faculty, and guest artists. -Create an environment where the faculty is encouraged to participate in projects that will continue their creative and professional development and provide a model for students.
- Provide for the cultural enrichment of the individual, the unit, the university, the community, the region, and the state.
- Help students, families, community members, and university colleagues learn to appreciate the value of the arts in their lives.
- Promote and encourage faculty development and cultural exchange through artistic and scholarly endeavors.
- Be a musical and cultural outlet for the university, community, and regional populations, through concerts, recitals, master classes, and lectures
- Provide services to the individual, the unit, the university, the community, the region, and the state.
- Serve as a regional resource center for the promotion and production of the arts.
- Serve as a regional resource center for elementary and secondary music education programs and educators.
- Offer the services and scholarship of the music faculty, staff, and students to the populations that are served by the university.
- Help students to develop skills in self-discipline, problem-solving, and interpersonal communication through caring and personalized guidance and academic advising.
Admission Requirements
All applicants who wish to be admitted to the Master of Science in Music Education program must submit the following materials to the Division of Graduate Studies:
- Application for admission to the Division of Graduate Studies, with a $50 application fee.
- One official transcript mailed (not hand-delivered) to the Division of Graduate Studies from each college or university previously attended (including all earned grades and degree). (For initial non-matriculating enrollment, an unofficial transcript indicating a 2.8 undergraduate grade point average or higher and the baccalaureate degree will suffice.)
- If an applicant's cumulative undergraduate grade point average is below 2.8, the applicant must present a score rated at the 35th percentile or higher on the Miller Analogies Test.
- A copy of a valid certificate to teach music in elementary and/or secondary schools.
- Any supporting documents such as letters of reference as required for particular concentrations or options.
- Evidence of successful completion of any required prerequisite course as established for a particular concentration or option.
- Evidence of an earned baccalaureate degree in music education from an accredited institution of higher education.
- An interview with the graduate program coordinator.
Students wishing to take courses for continuing education graduate credit (up to nine credits) must hold a baccalaureate degree in music from an accredited college or university.
Potential music graduate students are required to audition either in person or by submission of a video or audio cassette tape only when attempting to include ensemble or applied performance courses in their degree program. A maximum of 3 semester hours of ensemble and applied music may be used. Auditions and supportive materials are reviewed by the graduate program coordinator and either the conductor of the ensemble of the applied music instructor.
Degree Requirements
The M.S. in Music Education degree will be conferred upon matriculated students who have completed 30 graduate credits at Western Connecticut State University (minus transferred credits), using either the thesis or non-thesis approach in a program approved by the graduate program coordinator.
A maximum of 6 credits may be taken at the 400-level.
Transfer of Courses
WCSU accepts as transfer credit toward a graduate degree course work that was completed at a college or university regionally accredited as a degree-granting institution at the time the coursework was completed. No more than 9 hours of transfer credit will be accepted, except in the case of work completed at another campus of the Connecticut State University system. However, a student must complete at least 13 semester credits in residence (including thesis requirements, alternative research project, departmental seminar, and/or comprehensive examination) as required for particular programs.
Master of Science in Music Education
| Professional Education Requirements (6 SH) | ||
| ED 500 | Contemporary Educational Issues | 3 SH |
| ED 501 | Introduction to Educational Research (after 21 SH) | 3 SH |
| Thesis or Non-Thesis Requirements (3-6 SH) | ||
| MUS 590 | Music Department Seminar | 3 SH |
| OR | ||
| MUS 591 | Independent Thesis Research in Music | 6 SH |
| Music Literature (6-9 SH) | ||
| MUS 515 | Chamber Music | 3 SH |
| MUS 516 | Opera | 3 SH |
| MUS 541 | Early Music | 3 SH |
| MUS 542 | Music in the Baroque Era | 3 SH |
| MUS 543 | Music in the Classic and Romantic Eras | 3 SH |
| MUS 544 | Music in the Twentieth Century | 3 SH |
| MUS 545 | Topics in Music Literature | 3 SH |
| Music Structure and Organization (3-6 SH) | ||
| MUS 520 | Form and Analysis | 3 SH |
| MUS 522 | Twentieth Century Compositional Techniques | 3 SH |
| MUS 527 | The Structure of Music | 3 SH |
| Music Education (6-9 SH) | ||
| MUS 523 | Conducting | 3 SH |
| MUS 530 | Music Supervision and Administration | 3 SH |
| MUS 533 | Choral Techniques and Materials | 3 SH |
| MUS 534 | Instrumental Techniques and Materials | 3 SH |
| MUS 535 | Contemporary Strategies in Elementary Music Education | 3 SH |
| MUS 536 | Topics in Music Education | 3 SH |
| Applied Music (0-3 SH) | ||
| MUS 509 | Performing Organizations | 1 SH |
| MUS 510 | Applied Music | 1 SH |
| Elective (Other than Music) | 3 SH | |
| Must be approved by the Graduate Program Coordinator. | ||
| Total Semester Hours | 30 SH | |
Thesis Option
The thesis is a scholarly work researched and solely written by the student under the guidance of a thesis advisor and committee. Thesis students must register for MUS 591, Independent Thesis Research in Music, a 6-semester hour requirement. Before a thesis proposal is accepted, candi-dates must provide information about their research to the department chair. Thesis candidates must also pass a comprehensive examination similar to the examination given to those students who elect a non-thesis approach.
Graduate music majors who elect a non-thesis approach must register for MUS 590, Music Department Seminar, a 3-semester hour requirement. In addition, all non-thesis and thesis candidates must pass a comprehensive examination that is scheduled by the music department each spring.
