Bachelor of Arts in Music Education - Instrumental

This program is designed for students devoted to developing their musical abilities and refining performance skills in order to teach in secondary schools. In the liberal arts setting, in addition to performance, this program will include musical components of theory, composition, history, and literature, as well as the pedagogical aspects necessary for teaching these skills and knowledge. The curriculum provides a balanced program of applied music, theoretical and historical studies, professional education studies, and fieldwork experiences. Emphasis is placed on contemporary music education with training and experiences designed to meet the needs of today's schools. The mission of our music education program is to prepare outstanding educators who can make a difference in the lives of their students. Integral to the music education program at Grand Canyon University is the opportunity for students to perform. Instrumental and choir concerts; voice, piano, and instrumental recitals; and smaller vocal and instrumental ensembles are a staple of the musical landscape at GCU. The Music Education program, in conjunction with the Theatre program, produces the University Theatre series, which presents a series of major productions annually. Auditions for all of the productions are open to the entire student body. All courses are directly aligned with the Interstate New Teacher Assessment and Support Consortium (INTASC) principles, and applicable specialized professional associations.

General Education Requirements

General Education coursework prepares Grand Canyon University graduates to think critically, communicate clearly, live responsibly in a diverse world, and thoughtfully integrate their faith and ethical convictions into all dimensions of life. These competencies, essential to an effective and satisfying life, are outlined in the General Education Learner Outcomes. General Education courses embody the breadth of human understanding and creativity contained in the liberal arts and sciences tradition. Students take an array of foundational knowledge courses that promote expanded knowledge, insight, and the outcomes identified in the University‛s General Education Competencies. The knowledge and skills students acquire through these courses serve as a foundation for successful careers and lifelong journeys of growing understanding and wisdom.

Competency	Requirements	GCU Course Options	Total Credits
University Foundations	Upon completion of the Grand Canyon University's University Foundation experience, students will be able to demonstrate competency in the areas of academic skills and self-leadership. They will be able to articulate the range of resources available to assist them, explore career options related to their area of study, and have knowledge of Grand Canyon's community. Students will be able to demonstrate foundational academic success skills, explore GCU resources (CLA, Library, Career Center, ADA office, etc), articulate strategies of self-leadership and management and recognize opportunities to engage in the GCU community. Students with fewer than 24 credits will fulfill the University Foundations requirement with a specified lower-division course. An upper-division selection will be made available to students that enter the university with more than 24 credits.	UNV-103/303, University Success: 4 credits UNV-108, University Success in the College of Education: 4 credits	4 credits
Effective Communication	Graduates of Grand Canyon University will be able to construct rhetorically effective communications appropriate to diverse audiences, purposes, and occasions (English composition, communication, critical reading, foreign language, sign language, etc.). Students are required to take 3 credits of English grammar or composition.	UNV-104, 21st Century Skills: Communication and Information Literacy: 4 credits ENG-105, English Composition I: 4 credits ENG-106, English Composition II: 4 credits	9-12 credits
Christian Worldview	Graduates of Grand Canyon University will be able to express aspects of Christian heritage and worldview. Students are required to take CWV 101.	CWV-101, Christian Worldview: 4 credits	4 credits
Critical Thinking	Graduates of Grand Canyon University will be able to use various analytic and problem-solving skills to examine, evaluate, and/or challenge ideas and arguments (mathematics, biology, chemistry, physics, geology, astronomy, physical geography, ecology, economics, theology, logic, philosophy, technology, statistics, accounting, etc.). Students are required to take 3 credits of intermediate algebra or higher.	PHI-105, 21st Century Skills: Critical Thinking and Problem Solving: 4 credits MAT-134, Applications of Algebra: 4 credits BIO-220, Environmental Science: 4 credits	11-12 credits
Global Awareness, Perspective and Ethics	Graduates of Grand Canyon University will be able to demonstrate awareness and appreciation of and empathy for differences in arts and culture, values, experiences, historical perspectives, and other aspects of life (psychology, sociology, government, Christian studies, Bible, geography, anthropology, economics, political science, child and family studies, law, ethics, crosscultural studies, history, art, music, dance, theater, applied arts, literature, health, etc.).	HIS-221, Themes in U. S. History: 4 credits PSY-100, Psychology in Everyday Life: 4 credits SOC-100, Everyday Sociology: 4 credits If the predefined course is a part of the major, students need to take an additional course.	6-8 credits

Course List

Course #	Course Title	Course Description	Credits
MBE-115	Private Applied Instruction I	This course includes private instruction in the major instrument. Emphasis is on advanced technique and literature.	2
MUS-125	Music Theory I	This course is a study in rhythmic, melodic, and harmonic dictation; basic keyboard performance; and sight singing. Computer-assisted ear training is utilized. Study is devoted to the structure of music which includes harmony, melody, form, and rhythm. Skill development in analysis and composition is emphasized. The music of the "common practice period‟ will be studied. Prerequisite: Theory Placement Examination.	4
MEN-139A	Wind Ensemble 1A	Wind Ensemble is made up of music majors, minors, and students from other disciplines. Musicians are provided an opportunity to increase their performance skills through an active and challenging involvement with the creative process. Wind Ensemble also offers non-music majors an avenue in which to continue making music throughout their college careers. The literature performed is selected from the finest contemporary and traditional repertoire. Prerequisite: Instructor's permission/audition.	0
MBE-125	Private Applied Instruction II	This course includes private instruction in the major instrument. Emphasis is on advanced technique and literature.	2
MUS-155	Music Theory II	This course emphasizes skill development through analysis and composition. Prerequisite: MUS 125.	4
MEN-139B	Wind Ensemble 1B	Wind Ensemble is made up of music majors, minors, and students from other disciplines. Musicians are provided an opportunity to increase their performance skills through an active and challenging involvement with the creative process. Wind Ensemble also offers non-music majors an avenue in which to continue making music throughout their college careers. The literature performed is selected from the finest contemporary and traditional repertoire. Prerequisite: Instructor's permission/audition.	0
MUS-355	Music History I	This writing-intensive course is a survey of music from primitive times to the mid-18th century. It presents the growth of music in the Middle Ages and Renaissance through the contrapuntal schools, culminating in the work of J. S. Bach and the development of opera and oratorio during the baroque period. Prerequisite: MUS 125.	4
MUS-260	Music Theory III	This course emphasizes advanced rhythmic, melodic, and harmonic dictation; basic keyboard performance; and sight singing. Computer-assisted ear training is utilized. Music examples are selected from Bach through Wagner. This course also includes an advanced study in analysis and part writing utilizing modulation and chromatic harmony. Prerequisite: MUS 155.	4
MEN-239A	Wind Ensemble 2A	Wind Ensemble is made up of music majors, minors, and students from other disciplines. Musicians are provided an opportunity to increase their performance skills through an active and challenging involvement with the creative process. Wind Ensemble also offers non-music majors an avenue in which to continue making music throughout their college careers. The literature performed is selected from the finest contemporary and traditional repertoire. Prerequisite: Instructor's permission/audition.	0
MBE-215	Private Applied Instruction III	This course includes private instruction in the major instrument. Emphasis is on advanced technique and literature.	2
POS-301	Arizona and Federal Government	This course is a survey of Arizona history and government, as well as American government. It meets the teacher certification requirement for Arizona government and American government.	2
MUS-365	Music History II	This writing-intensive course is a survey of music from the mid-l8th century to modern times. Study is devoted to the rise of homophonic music, the art song, the nationalistic schools, and the principal composers of the classical, romantic, and contemporary periods. Prerequisite: MUS 355.	4
MEN-239B	Wind Ensemble 2B	Wind Ensemble is made up of music majors, minors, and students from other disciplines. Musicians are provided an opportunity to increase their performance skills through an active and challenging involvement with the creative process. Wind Ensemble also offers non-music majors an avenue in which to continue making music throughout their college careers. The literature performed is selected from the finest contemporary and traditional repertoire. Prerequisite: Instructor's permission/audition.	0
MBE-225	Private Applied Instruction IV	This course includes private instruction in the major instrument. Emphasis is on advanced technique and literature.	2
MUS-275	Music Theory IV	This course emphasizes ear training material and includes music from the 20th century. It also includes an analysis and composition of music of the late 19th through the 20th century. Prerequisite: MUS 260.	4
EDU-313N	Educational Psychology	This course provides a thematically arranged study of the theories and principles of psychology that have influenced instructional practices. Behavioral and cognitive approaches to learning, motivation, and instruction are explored. Prerequisite: No Fingerprint Clearance required.	3
MUS-390	Form and Analysis	This course is a study of the various organizational structures in music, from motive, phrase, and period, through binary and ternary forms to the most complex, such as the variation, rondo, and sonata. Works of the masters are analyzed from the standpoint of form. Prerequisite: MUS 275.	4
MED-200	Instrumental Techniques: Low Brass	This course is a practical study of low brass instruments in which students learn to play, care for, and teach each instrument.	1
MED-205	Instrumental Techniques: High Brass	This course is a practical study of high brass instruments in which students learn to play, care for, and teach each instrument.	1
MEN-339A	Wind Ensemble 3A	Wind Ensemble is made up of music majors, minors, and students from other disciplines. Musicians are provided an opportunity to increase their performance skills through an active and challenging involvement with the creative process. Wind Ensemble also offers non-music majors an avenue in which to continue making music throughout their college careers. The literature performed is selected from the finest contemporary and traditional repertoire. Prerequisite: Instructor's permission/audition.	0
MBE-315	Private Applied Instruction V	This course includes private instruction in the major instrument. Emphasis is on advanced technique and literature.	2
ESL-223N	SEI English Language Teaching: Foundations & Methodologies	The historical, legal, theoretical, and sociological foundations of programs of instruction for students with non-English language backgrounds are presented. The study of models, prototypes, and methodologies for ESL instruction is included. Practicum/field experience hours: 10. Prerequisites: Fingerprint Clearance.	3
MUS-330	Fundamentals of Music & Culture for Diverse Learners	Students study the historical, philosophical, and sociological influences which have shaped music, ethnomusicology, music education, and the issues faced by educators today, as well as the challenges of the future which await people now entering the teaching profession. The course also examines the unique learning needs of exceptional students. Emphasis is placed on definitions, etiology, characteristics, and prevalence of various exceptionalities; laws and litigation protecting the rights of students with special needs and their families; current issues affecting persons with special needs; social perceptions, assessment, inclusion, transition; and basic curriculum accommodations and supportive services for teaching students with special needs in the music classroom. Practicum hours: 15. Prerequisites: Fingerprint Clearance.	4
MUS-386	Instrumental Conducting	This course is a study of the fundamentals and techniques of instrumental conducting. Rehearsal techniques, score reading, artistic interpretation, baton technique, and rehearsal techniques are explored. Prerequisite: MUS 390.	4
MED-210	Instrumental Techniques: Clarinet and Saxophone	This course is a practical study of the clarinet and saxophone in which students learn to play, care for, and teach each instrument.	1
MED-215	Instrumental Techniques: Double Reeds and Flutes	This course is a practical study of flute and double reed instruments in which students learn to play, care for, and teach each instrument.	1
MED-220	Marching Band Techniques	This course is a practical study of organizing and training marching bands for high schools and at the collegiate level.	1
MED-225	Instrumental Techniques: Percussion	This course is a practical study of percussion instruments in which students learn to play, care for, and teach each instrument.	1
MEN-339B	Wind Ensemble 3B	Wind Ensemble is made up of music majors, minors, and students from other disciplines. Musicians are provided an opportunity to increase their performance skills through an active and challenging involvement with the creative process. Wind Ensemble also offers non-music majors an avenue in which to continue making music throughout their college careers. The literature performed is selected from the finest contemporary and traditional repertoire. Prerequisite: Instructor's permission/audition.	0
MBE-325	Private Applied Instruction VI	This course includes private instruction in the major instrument. Emphasis is on advanced technique and literature.	2
ESL-433N	Advanced Methodologies of Structured English Immersion	In this course, students continue to examine the fundamentals of the legal, historical, and educational foundations of Structured English Immersion and other instructional programs for English Language Learners. Theoretical principles of language acquisition and the role of culture in learning are examined. Methods of assessment are identified and analyzed. Students identify strategies to promote English language development and improve student achievement. They plan, deliver, and evaluate instruction for English language learners. Practicum/field experience hours: 15. Prerequisite: Fingerprint Clearance and ESL 423N or ESL 223N.	3
MUS-406	Jazz Techniques	This course is a study of major jazz techniques and styles, including repertoire, instrumentation, improvisation, innovations, and major jazz ensembles.	2
MED-320	Technology for Music Educators	Students will study and utilize a variety of music technologies such as computer software, hardware, networking, multimedia, interactive media, and the Internet in order to foster inquiry, collaboration, and interaction in classroom to meet the needs of a diverse student population.	2
MED-370	Music Methods and Assessment in the Secondary School	This course is a study of methods for developing and conducting the music program in junior and senior high schools. Methods, materials, topics, and issues in music education will be used to prepare music education majors to enter the teaching profession. Practicum hours: 30. Prerequisite: MUS 450.	4
MED-410	Advanced Rehearsal Techniques	This course is a study of advanced problems in rehearsing and conducting at the high school level and an examination and analysis of the prevailing instrumental philosophies, including performance techniques and score preparation.	2
MEN-439A	Wind Ensemble 4A	Wind Ensemble is made up of music majors, minors, and students from other disciplines. Musicians are provided an opportunity to increase their performance skills through an active and challenging involvement with the creative process. Wind Ensemble also offers non-music majors an avenue in which to continue making music throughout their college careers. The literature performed is selected from the finest contemporary and traditional repertoire. Prerequisite: Instructor's permission/audition.	0
MBE-415	Private Applied Instruction VII	This course includes private instruction in the major instrument. Emphasis is on advanced technique and literature.	2
MEN-439B	Wind Ensemble 4B	Wind Ensemble is made up of music majors, minors, and students from other disciplines. Musicians are provided an opportunity to increase their performance skills through an active and challenging involvement with the creative process. Wind Ensemble also offers non-music majors an avenue in which to continue making music throughout their college careers. The literature performed is selected from the finest contemporary and traditional repertoire. Prerequisite: Instructor's permission/audition.	0
MBE-425	Private Applied Instruction VIII	This course includes private instruction in the major instrument. Emphasis is on advanced technique and literature.	2
MED-481A	Student Teaching: Secondary Music Session A	Teacher candidates are required to fulfill a 16-week internship experience in a secondary classroom with a certified, experienced teacher. The semester includes the opportunity to improve skills in classroom management, assessment, professional preparation, and curriculum development, and to utilize applicable content standards, Arizona Professional Teacher‛s Standards, and Interstate New Teacher Assessment and Support Consortium Standards within the classroom. Prerequisites for A: Successful completion of all courses in POS and content area; senior status; a 2.8 GPA; successful completion of state-mandated basic skills and content area exams or Praxis I® (Basic Skills) and Praxis II® (Content Area); and approval and placement by Office of Field Experience. Arizona residents will be required to take the Arizona Educator Proficiency Assessments (AEPA). All paperwork for student teaching must be submitted by the due date the semester prior to student teaching.	6
MED-481B	Student Teaching: Secondary Music Session B	This session is a continuation of Session A. Prerequisite for B: MED 481A.	6
Required Course Total Credit:			91

General Education Requirements:	34 - 40 credits
Courses:	91 credits
Open Elective Credits:	0 - 6 credits
Total Degree Requirements:	131 credits

This program is offered in the following formats or locations: