Music Education

Your Future In Music Education

Do you love music and children? Are you considering a teaching career? A Bachelor of Music degree in General, Choral and Instrumental Music from the University of North Texas will prepare you for a career in music education. Employment options include:

• Director of a middle school or high school band, choir or orchestra
• Elementary school music specialist
• Private instructor
• Administrator of church education or early childhood education programs

After obtaining teaching experience, many music educators pursue a master's degree to specialize in an area of interest. Our alumni include more than 1,600 K-12 music teachers.

What we offer

The Division of Music Education develops professional educators through an innovative and cutting-edge curriculum. You'll be prepared to achieve an all-level music teaching certification and explore a wide array of career options.

In addition to traditional classroom learning, your education is enhanced by observing and working in actual school settings or assisting in one of our outreach programs. Few music education programs offer these unique and varied opportunities for students. The outreach programs include the:

• Denton New Horizons Senior Band
• Start Up The Band Program
• UNT Early Childhood Music Program
• UNT String Project

Our faculty members are dedicated teachers as well as nationally and internationally known performers, clinicians, conductors, writers and researchers. They've performed in internationally acclaimed venues, given presentations around the world and published research in prestigious journals in the field. You'll also have the opportunity to:

• Access one of the nation's largest music libraries.
• Discover your potential in classes with an average 11:1 student-to-faculty ratio.
• Meet some of the world's top music scholars and artists through specialized events hosted by various divisions in the College of Music.
• Perfect your instrumental or voice techniques in one of our 300 practice rooms.
• Perform in state-of-the-art performance halls with exceptional acoustics.
• Take advantage of countless solo, chamber music and ensemble performance opportunities.

Scholarships are available to help you pursue your degree. These scholarships are awarded based on leadership skills, teaching expertise, performance ability and academic scholarship.

A Living-Learning Community brings together music education students who live on campus to enhance academic and social experiences.

The College of Music is a community of diverse talent and inspiration. It is accredited by the National Association of Schools of Music (11250 Roger Bacon Drive, Suite 21; Reston, Va. 20190-5248; telephone 703-437-0700). This accreditation means the college meets or exceeds the association's strict academic standards for excellence in education.

What to expect

You'll need to be admitted to the College of Music through an audition in addition to applying to the university. Auditions are held on campus during the spring semester for enrollment the following fall. Music Education students will also interview with faculty members at their audition to enroll in this major.

If you can't audition in person, you can submit a video or audio recording. If accepted into the College of Music by video audition, you'll interview in person during your freshman year then declare your major in Music Education. You'll also take a placement exam in piano once you are accepted into the college.

Your course work will focus on:

• Conducting
• Educational strategies
• Instrumental or vocal techniques
• Music history
• Music teaching methods
• Music theory
• Performing in ensembles
• Piano

Toward the end of the degree program, you'll need to pass proficiencies in music education, piano and your performance concentration (instrumental or vocal).

The degree program culminates with 16 weeks of student teaching at an area elementary or secondary school. Before applying for student teaching, you'll have to pass all proficiencies, meet all GPA requirements and satisfy all prerequisites for student teaching from UNT's College of Education. You'll also be assigned a cooperating teacher and a university supervisor who will help develop your teaching skills.

During student teaching, you must pass the pre-TExES and the TExES tests, which complete certification to teach in Texas.

The Career Center, Learning Center and our team of professional academic advisors are among the many valuable resources available to you at UNT. The Career Center can provide advice about internships, future employment opportunities and how to get hands-on experience in your major. The Learning Center offers workshops on speed reading, study skills and time management. Academic advisors are available to help you plan your class schedule each semester.

How to enroll at UNT

High school students

For detailed information on recognized high school graduation programs and SAT/ACT requirements, visit our admissions website.

In your senior year, apply for admission at ApplyTexas.org by March 1 and request that your high school transcript be sent to the UNT admissions office. Do you live out of state? For your convenience, you can apply through The Common Application.

Advanced Placement and International Baccalaureate courses can count toward college credit at UNT.

Transfer students

If you're attending a Texas community college, you should consult our online transfer guides, the UNT Undergraduate Catalog and an academic counselor or advisor to review your degree plan. Proper planning will allow you to receive the maximum amount of transfer credits.

Our Transfer Center will help you make a successful transition to college life at UNT by connecting you with a peer mentor and other campus resources. Each year, 4,000 students transfer to UNT.