Are you interested in:

• Singing, playing an instrument, playing piano
• Performing
• Teaching
• Composing
• Creative expression

The music education major is designed for the student who wishes to enhance her skills, training, and experiences in singing or playing an instrument or the piano in order to use music to uplift the communities in which she lives. She will do so as a consummate professional in the studio or classroom, as a director and conductor of ensembles, as a performer, composer, or enthusiastic supporter of the arts in her community. A student who chooses to major in music education will be prepared to teach both privately and in public schools, to perform, direct, or serve within her field of study; or she may become a leader in a different field, applying the disciplines she has acquired to master its challenges.

Types of jobs:

• K-12 licensed music educator
• Private studio teacher
• Nonprofit arts agency
• Arts critic
• Perform in small ensembles, musical theatre
• Concert soloist
• Church musician
• Community choral groups
• Music librarian
• Opera companies
• Music retail
• Musical theaters
• Recording industry
• Radio, television, and motion picture industries
• Create websites for professional musicians
• Military bands
• Marching band drill writer

Attend graduate school for:

• Master in Music Education
• Master’s programs in all performance areas, music history, music theory, conducting, composition, jazz studies
• Master’s/certificate programs in music therapy
• Ph.D. and D.M.A. in the areas above

Options for the major:

• Bachelor of Music in music education
• Minor in any additional related area of interest such as professional writing and presentation media or business
• Experiential opportunities
• Concert reviewer for Classical Voice of North Carolina
• Be a recruitment blogger for the music department
• Attend meetings of the Collegiate National Association for Music Education chapter
• Attend annual North Carolina Music Educators Association (NCMEA) conference
• Volunteer opportunities with the NCMEA Honors Chorus auditions and the NCMEA state orchestra festival
• Audition for the Concerto/Aria Concert
• Compete in National Association of Teachers of Singing auditions
• Internship with the Capital City Girls Choir
• Conduct undergraduate research to present on campus and at conferences

Professional associations:

• National Association for Music Education www.nafme.org
• National Association of Teachers of Singing www.nats.org
• American String Teachers Association www.asta.org
• North Carolina Music Educators Association www.ncmea.net
• Music Therapy Association www.musictherapy.org
• North Carolina Music Teachers Association www.ncmta.org
• American Choral Directors Association acda.org
• Music Teachers National Association mtna.org
•  

Career outlook:

Music therapist
Musician and singer
Music directors and composers
High school teacher
Middle school teacher
Elementary music teacher

Additional information:

Meredith’s music education major »