About the Program
At Teachers College we value music as human activity, as a way of knowing and relating to the world that serves individuals throughout their lifespan in personally relevant and culturally significant ways. We see music as a core component to schooling, and are committed to preparing teachers ready to embrace the rewards and challenges of public school teaching and to creatively seek new opportunities to address the persistent need for an education in music within the changing structures of our society.The faculty in Music and Music Education recognize the importance and uniqueness of the arts in our society and strive to offer flexible and individualized programs for the preparation of musician-educators. Faculty members are seasoned practitioners, who reflect a wide range of expertise in comprehensive musicianship, early childhood music, instrumental and jazz pedagogy, vocal and choral performance, assessment, improvisation, jazz, technology, and the full spectrum of public and private school music through graduate school and research practices.
The student experience consists of meaningful music making and learning. We aim to deepen the capacities of each student in their approach to pedagogy, research, and performance through creative explorations and systematic inquiry from both individual and collective perspectives. Each degree program includes core courses in these areas, along with a breadth of courses from across the College meant to empower graduates to shape and lead their educational communities in musically meaningful ways. Beyond the core, students have flexibility to plan with their advisor individual programs designed to meet particular needs and goals. Students in the degree programs can prepare for the following positions, among others:
- Teacher and administrator of music in colleges and universities
- Teacher of music in private school and studios
- Researcher and teacher-educator of music in institutions of higher learning
- Teacher, curriculum specialist, and teacher-educator in interdisciplinary areas of arts and humanities, music, and special education, new technology in music education, and adult education
- Patrick Freer, Ed.D.
“The music program shaped my focus on the learning process with my current cello students. I look back on experiences during my classwork that taught me to not be as concerned with the final product as with the act of learning and the progression of my students. I believe this has helped make me a more understanding, patient teacher.”
– Suzanne Hughes, M.A.
“My time at Teachers College was the most rewarding and fun experience of my academic career. While there I feel that I really learned to appreciate how music can be a lot of fun. The courses I took and the people I met helped me to gain more patience with my students and a sincere appreciation for where their curiosities about the instrument or music took them and our lessons.”
– Victoria Lebron, M.A.
"'The child is the curriculum.' I learned this teaching philosophy from Dr. Lori Custodero while at TC and have put it to practice for the last decade. While exposing my students to a wide array of musical styles, I'm constantly learning from them as well.”
– David Haiman, M.A.