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Music

Major in Music Education

Carthage offers a major in vocal and instrumental music education. The curriculum includes general music methods, secondary music methods, and world music methods, and meets the requirements for K-12 licensure in music education. 

In addition to the information listed below, students should also consult the Education Department section of the Carthage College catalog for information about the Teacher Licensure Program and information about courses required of all special fields licensure candidates. Students must be accepted into the Teacher Education Program (TEP) in order to take MUS 3200, MUS 4200, MUS 4210, and MUS 4220. Additionally, students must be in the TEP one semester prior to applying for student teaching and must apply to student teach one semester prior to student teaching.
Visit the Education Department website to learn more

Vocal/General K-12 Music Education

In addition to the core music major, the following courses are required of students pursuing an emphasis in Vocal Music Education:

  • MUS 1180  Introduction to Music Education (2 credits)
  • MUS 2090  Global Music Education (2 credits)
  • MUS 2180  Basic Conducting (2 credits)
  • MUS 3110  Choral Conducting and Techniques (2 credits)
  • MUS 3140  Learning About Instruments (1 credit)
  • MUS 3200  Field Experience (0 credits)
  • MUS 4210  General Music Methods (4 credits)
  • MUS 4220  Vocal Music Methods (4 credits)
  • MUS 4980  Half Recital Completion (0 credits)

Additional notes:
If voice is not the principal performing area, at least four credits of applied music must be in voice.

COURSES REQUIRED BY THE EDUCATION DEPARTMENT FOR ACCEPTANCE INTO THE TEACHER EDUCATION PROGRAM 

  • EDU 1010  Education and Society (4 credits)
  • EDU 2010  Educational Psychology and Assessment (4 credits)
  • MUS 1180  Introduction to Music Education (2 credits)

COURSES REQUIRED BY THE EDUCATION DEPARTMENT FOLLOWING ACCEPTANCE INTO THE TEACHER EDUCATION PROGRAM

  • EDU 2050  Teaching and Supporting Learners with Diverse Characteristics and Needs (4 credits)
  • EDU 3520  Developmental and Content Area Reading (4 credits)
  • EDU 3900  Junior Thesis Seminar (2 credits)
  • EDU 4900  Student Teaching Seminar (12 credits)

Additional notes:
Students must be accepted into the TEP prior to enrolling in MUS 3200, MUS 4200, MUS 4210, or MUS 4220

GENERAL EDUCATION REQUIREMENTS FOR LICENSURE

  • HIS 1000  Issues in American History (4 credits)
  • Any appropriate Social Science course (4 credits) *
  • Any appropriate Biological Science course (4 credits) *
  • Any appropriate Physical Science course  (4 credits) (physics or chemistry) *

*See Education Department for the list of appropriate courses.

 

Instrumental/General K-12 Music Education

In addition to the core music major, the following courses are required of students pursuing an emphasis in Instrumental Music Education:

  • MUS 1180  Introduction to Music Education (2 credits)
  • MUS 2050  Woodwind Techniques in Schools (1 credit)
  • MUS 2060  Brass Techniques in Schools (1 credit)
  • MUS 2070  Percussion Techniques in Schools (1 credit)
  • MUS 2080  String Techniques in Schools (1 credit)
  • MUS 2090  Global Music Education (2 credits)
  • MUS 2180  Basic Conducting (2 credits)
  • MUS 3100  Instrumental Conducting and Techniques (2 credits)
  • MUS 3200  Field Experience (0 credits)
  • MUS 4210  General Music Methods (4 credits)
  • MUS 4200  Instrumental Music Methods (4 credits)
  • Choral ensemble participation (0 credits, 1 term)

Additional notes:
Instrumental Music Majors may substitute class voice or one semester of applied voice for the Choral Ensemble Participation.

COURSES REQUIRED BY THE EDUCATION DEPARTMENT FOR ACCEPTANCE INTO THE TEACHER EDUCATION PROGRAM

  • EDU 1010  Education and Society (4 credits)
  • EDU 2010  Educational Psychology and Assessment (4 credits)
  • MUS 1180  Introduction to Music Education (2 credits)

COURSES REQUIRED BY THE EDUCATION DEPARTMENT FOLLOWING ACCEPTANCE INTO THE TEACHER EDUCATION PROGRAM

  • EDU  2050 Teaching and Supporting Learners with Diverse  Characteristics and Needs (4 credits)
  • EDU  3520 Developmental and Content Area Reading (4 credits)
  • EDU  3900 Junior Thesis Seminar (2 credits)
  • EDU  4900 Student Teaching Seminar (12 credits)

Additional notes:
Students must be accepted into the TEP prior to enrolling in MUS 3200, MUS 4200, MUS 4210, or MUS 4220

GENERAL EDUCATION REQUIREMENTS FOR LICENSURE

  • HIS 1000  Issues in American History (4 credits)
  • Any appropriate Social Science course (4 credits) *
  • Any appropriate Biological Science course (4 credits) *
  • Any appropriate Physical Science course (4 credits) (physics or chemistry) *

*See Education Department for the list of appropriate courses.

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  • Quick Facts

    • Carthage is named a Best Midwestern College by The Princeton Review (2020), a designation given to only 25 percent of four-year schools.

    • The Tower, Carthage’s newest residence hall, provides some of the best views on campus — if not in the Midwest! In addition to #carthageviews of the lake from seven stories up, residents enjoy suite-style living and two floors of shared campus spaces for gaming, cooking, group meetings, or quiet studying. Learn more about all housing options.

    • You’re going to need brain fuel. Grab a morning coffee and a snack and Starbucks or Einstein Bros. Bagels. Later, meet friends at “The Caf,” where the specials change daily but the staples are constant, or swing through “The Stu” for wings, a burrito, or a sub. A new option, Carthage Cash, even covers some off-campus meals.

    • More than 90% of Carthage alumni report that they have secured a job or are continuing their studies six months after graduation. Visit The Aspire Center.

    • 91% of employers say critical thinking, communication, and problem-solving skills matter more than your major when it comes to career success. Learn more about how the liberal arts prepare you for a successful career.

    • Lots of schools wear the four-year label. Carthage stands behind it. More than 90% of Carthage graduates earn their degrees in four years. Learn more

    • Oscars. Emmys. Tonys. Golden Globes. The playwrights we’ve brought in have them. Each year, the Carthage Theatre Department commissions an original script by a renowned playwright for its New Play Initiative. Carthage students then work with the writer to stage it. 

    • Carthage has ranked as a top Fulbright producer for four of the past five years. Read about Carthage Fulbright winners.

    • Peer-reviewed student and faculty pedagogy projects have been presented at the International Conference on the Physiology and Acoustics of Singing, the International Conference on Arts and Humanities, the International Symposium on the Phenomenon of the Singing Voice, and the Estill World Voice Symposium at Harvard University.

    • Carthage voice faculty and students are active in voice science research, utilizing Voce Vista and Voice Print software in our voice lab setting. Students have presented their projects at regional, national, and international conferences.

    • The Carthage Chamber Music Series brings four internationally renowned ensembles to campus each year to interact with music students. Performers have included Anonymous 4, the Imani Winds, the Deadalus Quartet, the Manhattan Brass, and the Waverly Consort. 

    • Carthage music ensembles have been selected to premiere new and commissioned works, providing our students with meaningful opportunities to collaborate with nationally and internationally recognized composers such as Ola Gjeilo, Stacy Garrop, Patrick Long, Tom Vignieri, and Alex Shapiro.

    • Carthage students have been selected through competitive regional, national, and international auditions for exceptional young artist development programs, such as the Oregon Bach Festival Composers Symposium, Rocky Ridge Music Festival, and the Open Jar Institute in New York.

    • Carthage voice students are actively involved in the National Association of Teachers of Singing, and exceptional Carthage singers have frequently earned state honors in classical and music theatre voice.

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    • Carthage offers majors, minors, and concentrations in more than 50 areas of study, from marketing to neuroscience, nursing to music theatre.

    • Our Summer Undergraduate Research Experience offers select students a research budget, one-on-one mentoring with a professor, and 10 weeks of analyzing, deciphering — and getting paid.

    • So the lake is kind of a focal point, but there’s a lot more to love about our campus — like the fact that our more than 80-acre campus is also an arboretum and wildlife sanctuary. Focused on keeping campus lush forever, we plant between 50 and 75 new trees every year from a variety of species.

    • Carthage was founded in 1847. That’s more than 170 years of leaders, makers, and go-getters going out and going forth. Read more about Carthage’s rich history.

    • More than 90 percent of students receive financial aid. Carthage awards more than $20 million in scholarship and grant assistance. That includes $5.5 million in competitive scholarships in business, mathematics, science, languages, the fine arts, leadership, and overall academic strength. Learn what’s available.

    • Abraham Lincoln was an early Trustee of the College, and U.S. Secretary of State John Hay was a Carthage alum. The two still have a proud place on our campus. Spend some time with them in our Sesquicentennial Plaza. On warm days you’ll find professors leading their classes here.

    • Come to Carthage; hear yourself think — think … think …
      Legend has it that Sesquicentennial Plaza holds a perfect echo. Just stand with both your feet on the “1847,” face Straz, and start talking. “You’re the only one who can hear you, but you’ll be crystal clear,” promises English and theatre alumna Mikaley Osley.

    • Our Great Lake provides Carthage students with some amazing views. Think classes on the beach, lake views from the lab, and sunrises from your dorm room. “I love waking up in the morning with the sun shining off the lake. Nothing compares to the view in the morning,” recalls biology and neuroscience major Ann O’Leary.

    • Carthage awards up to 35 Presidential Scholarships each year, which range from $22,000 up to full tuition. Learn more.

    • For a full decade, NASA has selected Carthage students to conduct research aboard its zero-gravity aircraft. Lately, the stakes have risen. A team of underclassmen is grinding to prepare a tiny but powerful Earth-imaging satellite for launch to the International Space Station. Learn more about the space sciences at Carthage

    • Carthage is the only college or university in the Midwest where every freshman takes a full-year sequence of foundational texts of the Western intellectual tradition. Learn about Intellectual Foundations.

    • With a student-faculty ratio of 13:1, your professors will know who you are. They will also know who you want to be — and how to get you there. Meet our faculty.

    • There are more than 130 student organizations on campus, from Amnesty International to Fencing to Frisbee, Chem Club to Stand Up Comedy. See how easy it is to get involved.

    • True story: There are more than 27 art galleries, a dozen museums, and nine theatres within 25 miles of Carthage. Some highlights: The nationally recognized Racine Art Museum, the world-renowned Art Institute of Chicago, and the Milwaukee Art Museum. Learn more about our location.

    • What’s better than one professor? Two professors. What’s better than two professors? Two professors from totally different fields teaching a single class. There’s debate. Discussion. Differing perspectives. This is where the magic happens. That’s why every student takes a Carthage Symposium.

    • You can’t hide here — not with only 17 other students in the classroom with you. That’s going to be rough some mornings. But later, when you’re able to argue your point of view thoughtfully, express your opinions succinctly, and meet challenges head-on, without fear … Yep, you’ll thank us.

    • Carthage is ranked No. 3 in the country for student participation in short-term study abroad. Every J-Term, hundreds of students travel all over the world on faculty-led study tours. Imagine a month in Sweden, Rome, Cuba, Senegal, India, Japan …

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