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Music Education (BME)
Program Overview
Music educators nurture students to build a life-long love of music while teaching them how to perform and appreciate the musical arts.
Johnson’s Music Education degree leads to state licensure as a K-12 vocal/general music teacher. Graduates are able to effectively manage a classroom, lead a variety of music ensembles, and help students discover musical passions and achieve their full potential.
The program is intended to meet the National Association of Schools of Music standards and those of all other accrediting bodies with whom Johnson University is associated.
Every undergraduate student pursuing a four-year degree at Johnson earns a double major – a major in Bible and Theology and a major of their choice, like Music Education. Click here to learn more about the Bible and Theology major.
Core Classes
Introduction to Music Technology
This course is a survey of the technology used to create, prepare, perform, and distribute music, with an emphasis on technologies for application in elementary and secondary school settings.
Music Theory I
This course briefly considers the fundamental elements of music theory, including notation, scales, intervals, key signatures, meter and rhythm, and triads and their respective inversions. The majority of the course focuses on harmonic analysis, figured bass, cadences, non-harmonic tones, melodic organization, and texture/textural reduction.
Music Theory Lab I
This course is devoted to the development of aural skills through instruction in solfege-based sight singing, rhythmic dictation, simple melodic dictation, ear training, and functional keyboard/piano elements that include root position triads and selected major scales.
Music Theory II
This course is designed as a continuation of the work begun in Music Theory I. Course content includes two- and four-part writing, harmonic progression, harmonic rhythm, dominant seventh chords, leading tone seventh chords, non-dominant seventh chords, and modulation.
Music Theory Lab II
This course is a continuation of the work begun in Music Theory Lab I. Course contents include sight-singing, rhythmic and melodic dictation, simple harmonic dictation, ear training and functional keyboard/piano elements that include inverted triads, root position seventh chords, all major scales, and selected minor scales.
Music History & Literature I
This course investigates the development of music in western civilization. Emphasis is given to the significant role of church music in this history. The hallmarks of musical literature representing major periods of music history are studied in detail. Also, personalities, processes, and contemporary events are discussed, along with specific musical compositions. Music of antiquity through the early Baroque periods is examined. Special consideration is given to the development of polyphony, along with the evolution of certain genres, such as the Mass and the motet.
Music Theory III
This course is designed as a continuation of the work begun in Music Theory II. The course covers secondary chord structures; binary and ternary forms; 18th-century counterpoint; extended and chromatic harmonic materials; an introduction to Classical period forms; and the continued development of part-writing, compositional, and analytical skills as they pertain to all musical materials and forms covered in this course.
Music Theory Lab III
This course is a continuation of the work begun in Music Theory Lab II. Course contents include sight singing of diatonic and basic chromatic music materials, part singing, the use of Kodaly solfege hand signals, melodic and harmonic dictation of diatonic musical materials, rhythmic dictation, and functional piano/ keyboard skills that include all one-octave major and minor scales, playing two-voice and simple three-voice parts, realizing basic chord lead sheets, seventh chords, and chord voicings.
Music Theory IV
This course is designed as a continuation of the work begun in Music Theory III. The course covers fugal, sonata, rondo, and other large forms; characteristics of music from the Romantic period and the 20th century, including extended tonalities and harmonic structures, modal and scalar resources, dissonance, atonality and twelve-tone techniques, and advanced rhythmic elements; an overview of musical elements found in popular music; and the continued development of compositional and analytical skills as they pertain to musical materials and forms covered in this course.
Music Theory Lab IV
This course is a continuation of the work begun in Music Theory Lab III. Course contents include diatonic and chromatic sight singing, melodic and harmonic dictation of diatonic and chromatic musical materials, advanced rhythmic dictation, and functional piano/keyboard skills that include multi-octave major and minor scales, playing four-voice parts, realizing advanced chord lead sheets, and additional chord voicings.
Music History & Literature II
This course is a continuation of the study begun in Music History and Literature I. In the study of Music History and Literature II, the development of the music of western civilization will be investigated with emphasis being given to the significant role of church music in that history. The hallmarks of musical literature representing the major periods of history will be studied in detail. Also, composers and performers, processes, and contemporary events will be discussed. During this second term of study, music of the classical period through the 20th century will be covered. Special consideration will be given to the development of particular genres (categorizations or classifications of music), such as the symphony, the sonata, etc.
Conducting I
Choral conducting requires the development of physical coordination and the mental discipline necessary to elicit expressive music making from a choral ensemble. Students learn the physical skills of traditional conducting patterns, entrances, and cutoffs. They develop a philosophical basis for choral conducting and the mental skills involved with score study, analysis, teaching basic vocal technique, how to pronounce words to produce the desired choral sound, and rehearsal preparation and techniques. Students conduct rehearsals of choral music in class.
Arranging & Orchestration
This course is designed to provide students with the basic skills and knowledge necessary to read, orchestrate, and arrange music for orchestra, band, and choir. It covers the study of orchestral and band instruments, their playing techniques, and their properties; instrumental transcription; scoring principles for band and orchestra; choral sound; scoring principles for choirs; and arranging techniques for choral music with and without orchestral accompaniment.
Practicum: School Music Program Primary
This is a thirty-hour practicum that takes place in one or more local elementary schools with a Music Education teacher. The teacher may travel to more than one location. Music Education candidates will observe and assist in a variety of settings at the elementary level. Opportunities to interact with exceptional students, disabled and gifted as well as diverse school populations are provided.
Practicum: School Music Program Secondary
This is a 30 hour practicum that takes place in one or more local middle or High Schools with a Music Education teacher. The teacher may travel to more than one location. Music Education candidates will observe and assist in a variety of settings at the middle and high school level. Opportunities to interact with exceptional students, disabled and gifted as well as diverse school populations are provided.
Methods for Teaching Music in Elementary School
Students develop critical thinking as they cultivate teaching skills and examine the role of an elementary music teacher as an integral component in the musical, aesthetic, and social development of elementary children. The course will prepare students with competencies necessary to creatively formulate, plan, teach and evaluate a thorough elementary music program.
Methods for Teaching Music in Secondary School
Students explore the philosophical basis, methods, and materials for teaching general music in secondary schools, as well as developing a firm grounding in the philosophy, methods, and materials used to enlist, engage, and train singers to produce expressive music through vocal ensembles at the secondary level.
Choral elective or Entrepreneurial elective
Conducting II
Students develop advanced skills in conducting choral music, gain an introduction into instrumental conducting and a basic understanding of reading an instrumental score, and learn to develop total musicianship in the members of a choral ensemble through the organization and prosecution of effective and expressive choral rehearsals.
Entrepreneurship in Music
Students examine economic and fundraising issues related to music and employee entrepreneurial solutions to help in fundraising, financial viability, and marketing of music and music programs. Students examine elements of business plans, financial structures, finance, marketing, and management and organizational behavior, and leadership.
6 credits of Ensemble Participation
All students pursuing the Bachelor of Music Education must earn a total of 6 or more credits through participation in one or more ensembles. Each of these ensembles is 1 credit per semester.
University Choir
University Choir is a select ensemble open to any student, faculty, staff, or community member. The choir prepares two concerts annually and sings in campus programs such as the Festival of Christmas Joy, Lessons & Carols, Homecoming, and commencement. The choir occasionally represents Johnson University at select events, conferences, and local churches. University Choir sings a wide variety of collegiate and sacred music that reflects the diverse musical nature of the ensemble.
Vox Royale
This select, primarily a cappella ensemble is open to any student or community member by audition. The ensemble performs a wide repertoire of music that includes chamber music, church music, modern worship, vocal jazz, and modern a cappella. The ensemble represents Johnson University at select events, retreats, conferences, and worship services on and off campus. Vox Royale members rehearse with the University Choir one day a week and rehearse as a separate ensemble one day a week.
Primary Instrument
Choose 7 credits in one instrument (voice or piano) with an optional Senior Recital.
Professional Applied Music Credits
Students will complete 2 credits of either secondary instrument lessons or ensemble credit at the sole discretion of their advisor.
Introduction to Teaching: Elementary Education
This course gives students an initial experience teaching in an elementary school setting. Students study principles of education with an emphasis on aiding struggling readers, assessment, and lesson planning. They implement these principles as they engage in a one-to-one tutoring session with an at-risk child. The course is made possible through a partnership between Mooreland Heights Elementary School and Johnson University.
Survey of Persons with Disabilities
This course is a study of the characteristics of exceptional persons and the etiologies of some disabilities. The roles of the family and community agencies (especially the church) are discussed, and particular emphasis is given to the role of public education in the lives of persons with disabilities.
Classroom Management with Regular and Special Populations
This course explores two areas of significance and potential difficulty for the beginning teacher: effective classroom management and successful organization of the inclusive classroom. In this course, participants study management theory and teacher style, and explore a variety of strategies for developing a plan for classroom management based on Christian principles. They also gain an understanding of the special needs of the mainstreamed child and ways to meet these needs within an effective inclusive setting.
Research, Integration and Learning
This course assists students in integrating knowledge and skills learned in their methods courses into cohesive units of study that help children make connections in their learning. Students research integration and learning theory, and they apply those methods to comprehensive teaching units.
Educational Psychology
This course includes a study of the physical, social, emotional, and mental development of the child from birth to adolescence. This includes the role of preschool through eighth-grade teachers as they work with these children. Observations and assessments of children are included in this experience. Special attention is directed to working with students with emotional and family problems in early childhood, elementary, and middle schools.
Field Experience: School Observations
This practical field experience is designed to acquaint entry-level students with a variety of schools and classrooms in the Knoxville area. Students examine various aspects of the classroom environment, management, and teaching methods in the classrooms they visit. This information is shared in written and oral form with their classmates and the faculty supervisor at regular meetings. This course is a prerequisite for other field experiences.
Field Experience: Tutoring
This course is a one-on-one tutoring session with an at-risk child in partnership with Mooreland Heights Elementary and Johnson University.
Field Experience: Team Teaching
This course is a term-long experience spending after-school hours on Mondays at Bonny Kate Elementary School. Students work in teams preparing and teaching science lessons complete with hands-on activities, incorporate technology into lessons, reflect and discuss experiences with a field experience coordinator, and complete assigned tasks.
Field Experience: Day in School
This course is a term-long experience for five full days at Maryville Christian School. Students observe classroom teacher instruction, prepare weekly lessons, reflect and discuss experiences with a field experience coordinator, and complete assigned tasks.
Practicum: Day in Christian School
This course is a term-long experience for 30 hours in a Christian school classroom. Students observe classroom teacher instruction, prepare weekly lessons, reflect and discuss experiences with a field experience coordinator, and complete assigned tasks.
Mathematics Concepts
This course is a study of basic concepts of elementary mathematics, including the nature and structure of the real number system, whole numbers and integers, rational and irrational numbers. Basic concepts of algebra, geometry, and measurement are studied, including applications of percent, metric conversions, probability, statistics, graphs, and charts.
Careers
There are many careers available for students who graduate with a music education degree! Here are just a few for you to explore.
- Music Teacher, of course!
- Theater Manager
- Piano or Voice Private Instructor
- Music Director/Conductor
- Music Minister
- Studio Manager