The B.M. in Music Education degree prepares students for careers in K-12 public school and private lesson teaching, ensemble conducting, or graduate study in music. The degree conforms to standards in music education set by the National Association of Schools of Music and is in accordance with certification requirements from the New Hampshire Department of Education.
Students achieve professional competence in the focus area of performance on primary and secondary instruments including woodwind, brass, percussion, string, guitar, and piano. Our pre-service music educators participate in a minimum of four semesters of K-12 school teaching practicum.
Music Education Faculty
Dr. John T. Hart Jr. – Coordinator, Instrumental Music Education
Dr. Sandra Howard – Coordinator, Choral Music Education
Ellen Jahos – General Music Education
Dr. Erin Zaffini – General Music Education
For more information about about teacher certification, visit the KSC Educator Preparation page.
Music Student Organizations
National Association for Music Education (NAfME)
The National Association for Music Education was founded in 1907 and was originally named the Music Supervisors’ National Conference. NAfME is the national organization for music education with over 80,000 members and it is “the only association that addresses all aspects of music education.”
Keene State’s NAfME student chapter is active in both educational and social events in the Music Department and frequently sponsors workshops, concert trips, conferences, and other events. Past events have included attendance at national conferences, coordination of the Music Department welcome picnic, trips to the Boston Symphony Orchestra, organization of the annual Department Banquet, and sponsoring of clinics and performances by guest artists and clinicians both in collaboration with the Music Education Guest Lecture Series at KSC and as a Chapter.
Student membership in the Keene State College NAfME chapter also includes membership in the New Hampshire Music Educators Association.
American Choral Directors Association (ACDA)
ACDA was founded in 1959. It is a non-profit music-education organization that is dedicated to the advancement of choral music. The mission of ACDA is to inspire excellence in choral music through education, performance, composition, and advocacy.
The ACDA student chapter at KSC has sponsored guest lectures targeted toward Choral Music Education majors as part of the Music Education Guest Lecture Series, it has sent members to Eastern Divisional and National Conferences, and it hosts the New England Area Collegiate Conference bi-annually, alternating years with the student chapter of ACDA at Plymouth State University.
Music Teachers National Association (MTNA)
In 1876, Theodore Presser and 62 of his colleagues founded the Music Teachers National Association with the purpose of advancing the value of music study and music-making to society while supporting the careers and professionalism of teachers of music. Today, MTNA has cemented its role as an organization essential not only to the professional and individual well-being of music-teaching professionals, but also as a vital partner in their growth and development. It provides both a collective voice for teachers worldwide and a powerful alliance with a highly prestigious and influential group (mtna.org).
Keene State’s MTNA chapter has sponsored trips to conferences and to the Boston Symphony Orchestra as well as the Metropolitan Opera. This year, its members took a tour of New England Conservatory and Symphony Hall, and then had the pleasure of attending a concert of the Boston Symphony Orchestra.
The Keene State College Collegiate Chapter of the Music Teachers National Association (MTNA) is focused on the following goals:
- To promote openness to all approaches of music making and music teaching among everyone
- To engage the community in learning and creating music
- To create professional relationships which help advance members in their music making and music study
- To establish the music teaching and performing professions as worthwhile and fulfilling careers
- To help members build and strengthen the necessary skills for teaching and performing music through attending guest lectures, performances, and other music-related events
All enrolled students at Keene State College can become members. Junior Music Education major, pianist Jason Coburn, is the current President of the MTNA student chapter at KSC.