Music Education, BME

for the degree of Bachelor of Music Education in Music Education


Students pursuing this major select one of four concentrations:


A minimum of 130 hours of credit is required for graduation. This curriculum prepares its graduates for teaching music in grades pre-kindergarten through twelve.

For teacher education requirements applicable to all curricula, see the Council on Teacher Education. In order to be recommended for licensure with the Illinois State Board of Education, candidates are required to maintain a UIUC cumulative grade-point average of 2.5. All music education students must earn a grade of C- or better in all music and education courses required for licensure.

Students complete a concentration in instrumental (band or strings), choral, technology, or general music education.

for the degree of Bachelor of Music Education in Music Education


Graduation Requirements

Minimum hours required for graduation: 130 hours.

Students who wish to study voice or an instrument for credit are required to satisfy the instrumental or vocal qualifying audition designed for students outside the School of Music.

A minimum of twelve hours of 400-level courses in Music must be taken on the Urbana-Champaign campus.

In order to be recommended for licensure with the Illinois State Board of Education, candidates are required to maintain a UIUC cumulative grade-point average of 2.5. All music education students must earn a grade of C- or better in all music and professional education courses required for licensure.

The School of Music teacher education program requires a content area  (music core, techniques courses, BME electives) GPA of 2.75, and professional education (professional education, concentration specialization courses) GPA of 2.5 (A=4.0).

Candidates should consult their degree audit for a listing of courses used to compute these grade-point averages.

University Requirements

Minimum of 40 hours of upper-division coursework, generally at the 300- or 400-level. These hours can be drawn from all elements of the degree.  Students should consult their academic advisor for additional guidance in fulfilling this requirement.

The university and residency requirements can be found in the Student Code (§ 3-801) and in the Academic Catalog.

General Education Requirements

Follows the campus General Education (Gen Ed) requirements. Some Gen Ed requirements may be met by courses required and/or electives in the program.

Composition I4-6
Advanced Composition3
fulfilled by MUS 244 or EPOL 202
Humanities & the Arts (6 hours)6
fulfilled by MUS 133 and MUS 313 and MUS 314
Natural Sciences & Technology (6 hours)6
Social & Behavioral Sciences (6 hours)6
fulfilled by EPSY 201 and any other course approved as Social & Behavioral Sciences
Cultural Studies: Non-Western Cultures (1 course)3
fulfilled by MUS 133
Cultural Studies: US Minority Cultures (1 course)3
Cultural Studies: Western/Comparative Cultures (1 course) 3
Quantitative Reasoning (2 courses, at least one course must be Quantitative Reasoning I)6-10
Language Requirement (Completion of the third semester or equivalent of a language other than English is required)0-15

Orientation Requirements

FAA 101Arts at Illinois1
MUS 100First-year Seminar for Music Majors0
Total Hours1

Music Core

Music Theory and Musicianship
MUS 101Music Theory and Practice I2
MUS 102Music Theory and Practice II2
MUS 107Musicianship I2
MUS 108Musicianship II2
MUS 201Music Theory and Practice III2
MUS 202Music Theory and Practice IV2
MUS 207Musicianship III2
MUS 208Musicianship IV2
Musicology
MUS 110Introd Art Mus: Intl Perspect3
MUS 133Introduction to World Music3
MUS 313The History of Music I3
MUS 314The History of Music II3
Keyboard
All students must demonstrate keyboard competency when they audition, by proficiency examination when they matriculate, or by enrolling in MUS 172 or MUS 173
MUS 172Grp Instr Pno for Mus Major I2
MUS 173Grp Instr Pno for Mus Maj II2
Performance Studies
Applied Music Lessons (MUSC 400-level courses)12
Lesson enrollment in the applied major is normally expected during the first six semesters, two (2) semester hours each semester.
Credits earned in applied music lessons beyond the requirement are generally considered elective
Ensemble (MUSC 400-level courses)6
All music education majors are required to participate in an approved ensemble every semester in residence.
Total Hours50
 

Professional Education 

Music Education
MUS 090Seminar in Music Education0
MUS 240Orientation to Music Teaching and Learning K-HS1
MUS 243Introductory Music Ed Tech2
MUS 244Social Foundations of Music Ed3 or 4
or EPOL 202 Foundations of Education-ACP
MUS 342Music in Childhood3
MUS 343Music in Adolescence3
MUS 350Music Teaching in Ensemble Settings5
MUS 434Assessment and Evaluation in Music Education3
MUS 439Differentiating Music Instruction3
Conducting
MUS 242Elements of Conducting2
or MUS 330 Advanced Choral Conducting I
Education
CI 473Disciplinary Literacy2
EPSY 201Educational Psychology3
Student Teaching4-8
Student teaching coursework may be taken for 4-8 credits. Eight hours of student teaching apply toward graduation. Enrolling for at least 12 credits is needed to retain full-time status. You must register for both EDPR 438 and EDPR 442 during the semester of your student teaching. If public school licensure is not desired, the student selects alternative courses totaling 13 semester hours in consultation with the music education advisor, seven semester hours of which must be from the student's applied major, music theory, or music history.
Educational Practice in Special Fields
Educational Practice in Secondary Education
Total Hours34-39

Required Concentration. Choose one below: 

Total Hours:13-14

Music Education Electives

Select credits to reach 130 from the following courses, if not taken to satisfy a requirement in one of the above sections:
MUS 106Beginning Composition2
MUS 174Grp Instr Pno for Mus Maj III2
MUS 175Grp Instr Pno for Mus Maj IV2
MUS 199Undergraduate Open Seminar (Sections GT1-GT5, Group Guitar)1
MUS 330Advanced Choral Conducting I2
MUS 331Advanced Choral Conducting II2
MUS 332Advanced Wind Band Conducting and Rehearsal Strategies3
MUS 333Cond/Teach Strings-Grp Setting3
MUS 336Service Learning in Music Education3
MUS 344Instrumental Methods for Secondary Ensembles2
MUS 346Choral Methods for Secondary Ensembles2
MUS 348Choral Literature1
MUS 404Contemp Compos Techniques2
MUS 407Elect Music Techniques I3
MUS 409Elec Music Techniques II2
MUS 433Music Interdisciplinary Curriculum2
MUS 435Jazz Aural Skills I2
MUS 437Popular Music Pedagogy2
MUS 440Marching Band Procedures2
MUS 444Healthy Music Practices2
MUS 446Songwriting2
MUS 447Advanced Music Ed Technology2
MUS 449Teaching Young Singers2
MUS 499Proseminar in Music (Section ART, Audio Recording Techniques)2
MUSC 449World Music Performance Ensembles1
THEA 399Undergraduate Group Seminar (Section RS)3
THEA 453Introduction to Theatre Sound3
THEA 454Sound Design I3

Summary of Credit for the Bachelor of Music Education in Music Education

General Education
Orientation1
Music Core50
Professional Education34-39
Concentration13-14
Music Education electives to bring the total hours earned to 130
A minimum of 40 credits at the 300- or 400-level must be completed for this degree
8 of these hours are fulfilled by MUS 201, MUS 202, MUS 207, and MUS 208, each of which has at least 2 prerequisites and may count as advanced
A maximum of 8 hours of upper level coursework may be earned through ensembles, MUS 447 through MUS 498
MUSC 487 through MUSC 499 do not fulfill advanced hours
Total Hours130

for the degree of Bachelor of Music Education in Music Education


Sample Sequence

This sample sequence is intended to be used only as a guide for degree completion. All students should work individually with their academic advisors to decide the actual course selection and sequence that works best for them based on their academic preparation and goals. Enrichment programming such as study abroad, minors, internships, and so on may impact the structure of this four-year plan. Course availability is not guaranteed during the semester indicated in the sample sequence. This sample curriculum plan makes the assumption that students will have demonstrated keyboard competency by proficiency examination when they matriculate or they will need to enroll in MUS 172 and/or MUS 173.

Students must fulfill their Language Other Than English requirement by successfully completing a third level of a language other than English. This sample curriculum plan makes the assumption that the foreign language graduation requirement has been satisfied by completing three years of study of a single foreign language in high school For more information, see the corresponding section on the Degree and General Education Requirements page.

First Year
First SemesterHoursSecond SemesterHours
MUS 1000MUS 1022
MUS 1012MUS 1082
MUS 1072MUS 1103
MUS 1333MUS 2401
Applied Major Lessons2Applied Major Lessons2
Ensemble1Ensemble1
Music Ed Concentration course2Music Ed Concentration course3
Composition I or General Education course4General Education course or Composition I3
FAA 1011 
 17 17
Second Year
First SemesterHoursSecond SemesterHours
MUS 2012MUS 2022
MUS 2072MUS 2082
MUS 3133MUS 3143
MUS 2432MUS 3423
MUS 3433MUS 242 or 3302
Applied Major Lessons2Applied Major Lessons2
Ensemble1Ensemble1
Music Ed Concentration course2Music Ed Concentration course2
 17 17
Third Year
First SemesterHoursSecond SemesterHours
MUS 3505MUS 4343
MUS 4393MUS 244 or EPOL 2023
CI 4732EPSY 2013
General Education Course3Music Ed Concentration course3
Applied Major Lessons2Applied Major Lessons2
Ensemble1Ensemble1
 Music Ed Elective2
 16 17
Fourth Year
First SemesterHoursSecond SemesterHours
MUS 0900EDPR 4384
Music Ed Concentration course2EDPR 4424
Music Ed Elective (Ensemble)1Music Ed Elective 4
Music Ed Elective 2 
General Education course3 
General Education course3 
General Education course3 
General Education course (choose one that counts as Quantitative Reasoning and Natural Science & Technology)3 
 17 12
Total Hours 130

for the degree of Bachelor of Music Education in Music Education


  1. The well prepared music teacher has in-depth understanding of content area knowledge that includes central concepts, methods of inquiry, structures of the discipline, and multiple forms of music literacy.
  2. The well prepared music teacher plans and designs instruction based on content area knowledge; diverse styles, genres, and repertoires; diverse student characteristics; student performance data; curriculum goals; and the community context.
  3. The well prepared music teacher differentiates instruction by using a variety of strategies that support critical and creative thinking, problem-solving, and continuous musical growth and learning.
  4. The well prepared music teacher understands and uses appropriate formative and summative assessments for determining student needs, monitoring student progress, measuring student growth, and evaluating student outcomes.
  5. The well prepared music teacher is an ethical and reflective practitioner who promotes a culture of professional inquiry.

for the degree of Bachelor of Music Education in Music Education


School of Music

Music Faculty

College of Fine & Applied Arts