About OU's Bachelor of Music Education (Kansas)
The Bachelor of Music Education degree prepares students to be the music educators of today and tomorrow. As a music education major, you’ll learn to apply cutting-edge pedagogical practices in teaching future students to appreciate, perform, and share music. This is the degree necessary for teacher licensure in the public-school setting (elementary through high school).
The licensure program is based on state, regional, and national licensure criteria and testing competencies. The Ottawa University teacher education programs are state approved in Kansas and accredited by the National Council for the Accreditation of Teacher Education (NCATE).
Two BME Concentrations
Ottawa’s bachelor’s in music education offers two concentrations that allow students to tailor their degree in an area of specialization, including:
Both of OU’s music education specializations are state approved in Kansas, and are also accredited by the Council for the Accreditation of Educator Preparation (CAEP). Completion of this program does not guarantee licensure or certification in other states.
Career Outlook for the Bachelor of Music Education
Music teachers teach music and music appreciation to students in a wide array of groupings, including preschools, elementary, middle, and high schools as well as colleges, and can find work virtually anywhere in the country, from small towns to large cities and all points in between. There are currently an estimated 122,500 music teachers in the United States.
The music teacher job market is expected to grow by 12 percent through 2026, according to Career Explorer. The median annual wage for music teachers was $59,400 in May 2019. The lowest 20 percent earned $30,100, and the highest 20 percent earned $117,500.
Perspective on the BME
Research has found that music education facilitates learning other subjects and enhances skills that children inevitably use in other areas. Mary Luehrisen, executive director of the National Association of Music Merchants (NAMM) Foundation, a not-for-profit association that promotes the benefits of music education states: “A music-rich experience for children of singing, listening and moving is really bringing a very serious benefit to children as they progress into more formal learning.”
For more information on Braves Music at OU, please click here.
For curriculum and course descriptions, please visit the online course catalog.
To get on the right path toward a bachelor’s degree in music education at Ottawa University, contact us today.