Major in Music Education

Carthage offers a Bachelor of Music in Music Education (BMME) with certifications in instrumental music education and vocal music education.

The BMME meets Wisconsin licensure requirements as well as the standards set forth by the National Association of Schools of Music. Please note: the completion of the BMME program does not guarantee licensure. State requirements (i.e., student teaching, content tests and other assessments, criminal background checks, etc.) must be met in addition to the completion of the curricular components of the program. Together with their advisor, students pursuing the BMME must plan their program with care in order to meet both the requirements for graduation and the requirements for a teaching license.

In addition to the Carthage General Education requirements (48 credits), the BMME program has four components that must be completed:

Musicianship and Performance (43 credits)
Core Music Education (14 credits)
a Concentration area — either Instrumental or Vocal Music Education (14 credits)
and Professional Education (20 credits)

BMME students must earn a C or better in all MUS coursework and are exempt from the 82 credits outside the department that are typically required for graduation.

BMME students must be accepted into the Teacher Education Program in order to take any Core Music Education, Concentration, or Professional Education courses above the 2000 level.

Required Courses

Musicianship and Performance (43 credits):

MUS 0160 Keyboard Skills I (1 credit)
MUS 0170 Keyboard Skills II (1 credit)
MUS 0180 Keyboard Skills III (1 credit)
MUS 0190 Keyboard Skills IV (1 credit)
MUS 0700 Recital Attendance (0 credits)
Primary Applied Lesson (7 credits) (1 cr. course, 7 terms)*
Primary Large Ensemble (0-7 cr.) (0-1 cr. course, 7 terms)*
MUS 1010 Music Theory I (3 credits)
MUS 1020 Aural Skills I (1 credit)
MUS 1030 Music Theory II (3 credits)
MUS 1040 Aural Skills II (1 credit)
MUS 1800 Music Technology (2 credits)
MUS 2010 Music Theory III (3 credits)
MUS 2020 Aural Skills III (1 credit)
MUS 2030 Music Theory IV (3 credits)
MUS 2040 Aural Skills IV (1 credit)
MUS 2180 Conducting Fundamentals (2 credits)
MUS 3050 Music History I (4 credits)
MUS 3060 Music History II (4 credits)
MUS 400* Music History Depth Elective (4 credits)
MUS 4980 Half Recital Completion (0 credits)

* Students work with their faculty advisor to identify the appropriate lesson and ensemble placements. Except for the student teaching semester, students are encouraged to continue with primary applied lessons while enrolled full-time as a music major.

Core Music Education (14 credits):

MUS 1180 Introduction to Music Education (2 credits)
MUS 1190 Exploring PreK-12 Music Curriculum (4 credits)
MUS 2710 Culturally Responsive Music Pedagogy (4 credits)
MUS 3200 Field Experience** (0 credits)
MUS 4210 General Music Methods (4 credits)

**To be taken concurrently with MUS 1180, 1190, 2710, 4200, 4210, and 4220.

Instrumental Music Education Concentration (14 credits):

MUS 2050 Woodwind Techniques (1 credit)
MUS 2060 Brass Techniques (1 credit)
MUS 2070 Percussion Techniques (1 credit)
MUS 2080 String Techniques (1 credit)
MUS 2740 Choral Pedagogy for Instrumentalists (2 credits)
MUS 3100 Instrumental Conducting and Techniques (2 credits)
MUS 3120 Orchestration (2 credits)
MUS 4200 Instrumental Music Methods (4 credits)

Vocal Music Education Concentration (14 credits):

MUS 2750 Band and Orchestra Pedagogy for Vocalists (2 credits)
MUS 3110 Choral Conducting and Techniques (2 credits)
MUS 3130 Choral Literature (2 credits)
MUS 3150 Choral Rehearsal Techniques (2 credits)
MUS 3490 Vocal Pedagogy (2 credits)
MUS 4220 Vocal Music Methods (4 credits)

Professional Education (20 credits):

EDU 2010 Educational Psychology and Assessment (4 credits)
EDU 3050 Teaching Learners with Diverse Characteristics (4 credits)
EDU 4900 Student Teaching/Seminar (12 credits)

Current students: You should follow the official College Catalog from the year you entered Carthage and work with your advisors and the department chair to ensure all requirements are met.

Quick Facts
- Carthage is named a Best Midwestern College by The Princeton Review (2021), 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.
- Things look new at Carthage because they are. Our science center, student union, athletic and recreation center, and numerous residence halls have all been constructed or newly renovated in the last 15 years.
- 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 $25,000 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 in the Top 5 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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