- Academic Programs & Support
- Academic Programs
- Music Education
B.S.Ed.B.M.Music EducationMajor
The Music Education program prepares students to become music teachers licensed to
teach in North Carolina public schools. Graduates earn bachelor’s degrees in music
and in education and may teach general music at elementary schools, choral music at
middle or high schools, or beginning band, concert band and marching band at middle
and high schools. WCU is home to the 500-member Pride of the Mountains Marching Band,
which has performed in the Macy’s Day Parade and Rose Parade and won the John Philip
Sousa Foundation’s Sudler Trophy. The trophy is considered the nation’s ultimate honor
for college and university marching bands. In addition to admittance to WCU, prospective students who wish to study in the School
of Music must perform a live audition. Learn more about the admission and audition process
What You'll Learn
With support from faculty members who are active performers, researchers, composers and scholars, students complete foundational courses including individual music lessons, piano, music theory, aural skills, music history and band or chorus. Additional coursework for the choral/general music or instrumental concentrations ranges from teaching strategies to methods for using music technology in music education. Students complete a student teaching experience and present a public recital. In addition, students participate in ensembles from concert choir to Indonesian gamelan to marching band, and attend some of the more than 300 concerts and recitals the School of Music presents annually. The school’s visiting artist series enables students to perform alongside professional working musicians.
Where You'll Go
Graduates of the music education program are prepared to take exams to be licensed to teach music in North Carolina public schools at the elementary, middle or high school levels. WCU graduates enjoy an excellent rate of placement into teaching positions. Students also may pursue graduate degrees in music or education to expand their career options and be able to teach at institutions of higher education.
