Bachelor of Music Education

The Bachelor of Music Education curriculum is designed specifically for musicians who wish to be certified to teach music in public schools.

The student qualifies for ensemble/general classroom music teaching in public schools upon completion of the Bachelor of Music Education degree requirements. The student at the same time achieves specialization in one of two areas:

• Instrumental/General Music
• Choral/General Music

Program requirements vary depending upon the area of specialization. Completion of the program leading to the Bachelor of Music Education degree qualifies the candidate for a State of Iowa Teaching Certificate. Applicants who qualify for certificates in other states are recommended for those certificates by the School of Education.

Candidates for this degree must complete a total of 120 credit hours:

• 18 credit hours in applied music
• 31 credit hours in music theory and history literature
• 25 to 27 credit hours of music education and methods courses
• 34 credit hours of professional education
• 7 credit hours of ensemble
• Plus the Drake University curriculum

All candidates for the Bachelor of Music Education degree must satisfy minimum keyboard proficiency requirements specified for choral or instrumental music instructors. A detailed description of these requirements is available from Dr. Nicole Ramsey (Assistant Professor & Director of Music Education). The required four-semester keyboard sequence helps prepare students to take the proficiency examination.

Students who choose keyboard as their major applied area must complete four credit hours of applied wind/percussion/string study for an instrumental emphasis or four credit hours of applied voice study for a choral emphasis.

At the end of sophomore year, students in the Bachelor of Music Education degree program are subject to a progress review by members of the Department of Music faculty. These results are then used to advise students concerning continuation in the program. A similar review is required for all transfer students in the Bachelor of Music Education degree program at an appropriate time in their study. Details regarding the sophomore checkpoint and the courses required for teaching endorsements by the state of Iowa may be found at the following two links:

Sophomore Checkpoint Requirements

Music Endorsement Courses

Special learning opportunities available within the degree include classes in conducting and keyboard, as well as methods classes in specific performance areas.

Drake University offers students opportunities for extensive classroom observation, recorded teaching lessons, senior seminars in music education, and a full semester of student teaching.

Completion of this degree qualifies the student for a State of Iowa Teaching Certificate, and the placement rate for graduates of the program in teaching jobs or graduate programs has been nearly 100% for the last 10 years.

Current requirements for the Bachelor of Music Education degree can be found in the catalog. Prior catalog requirements can be found here.

BME MUED Winds & Percussion Checklist

BME MUED Strings Checklist

BME MUED Vocal/Choral Checklist