The goals of the Master of Music Education program at Peabody are to aid students in establishing their own foundations for successful study in Music Education at the graduate level, and also to assist them in finding their place as a Music Education researcher and practitioner. Our MM graduates are equally good teachers, researchers, and musicians.
The Master of Music Education degree is open to any student who holds a Bachelor of Music Education or a Bachelor of Music, and earned a grade point average of 3.0 or greater during their undergraduate studies. Applicants will be asked to upload a short video of their teaching, as well as a sample lesson plan.
See the program requirements and sample program on our e-catalogue.
No residency is required for the graduate program in Music Education.
While there are no entrance examinations for the graduate Music Education program, at their interview and through their teaching video and written materials, applicants must demonstrate good musicianship, solid academic skills, and substantive musical knowledge. During the program, graduate students in Music Education will be expected to show this knowledge through written examinations including in: music theory (written, aural, and keyboard), twentieth century techniques, harmony, counterpoint, analysis, melodic and harmonic dictation, sight-singing in four clefs, and music history (classical antiquity to present).
A maximum of six (6) semester hours of graduate coursework completed at other accredited institutions may be transferred into the Master of Music degree at Peabody, with approval of the Dean’s office. These transfer credits must be earned within the five years immediately preceding entrance into the graduate program at Peabody.
Students may petition the Dean’s office to have credits for courses and/or ensembles that were over and above the minimum requirements for a previous Peabody degree applied to the MM degree program. No coursework that was required or used to fulfill minimum credit requirements for an undergraduate degree may be applied to a subsequent graduate degree. Work completed in the Professional Studies program may transfer to the MM program upon satisfaction of all admission requirements, providing that these credits carry grades of B or better and have been earned within the previous five years.
Deficiencies in the areas of music theory, ear-training or music history may be corrected by remedial study at the Conservatory, or by re-examination within a one-year period. Review courses do not count toward fulfillment of degree requirements; however, grades earned are calculated in the cumulative GPA and the hours are counted as part of the course load for tuition determination.
All requirements for the Master of Music degree must be completed within five (5) years of the date of entrance into the degree program.
The Master of Music in Music Education coursework consists of 38 credits divided as follows:
The Music Education major, consisting of eighteen (18) credits, includes the following required courses: Psychology of Music Teaching, Research in Music Education, History and Philosophy of Music Education, Supervision and Curriculum Development, two Music Education seminars on different topics, and Thesis or Field Study.
The core graduate curriculum at Peabody consists of another fourteen (14) credits, including Bibliography, Music Theory, and Musicology courses.
The remaining six (6) credits may be chosen from the elective graduate coursework offered in Music Education or other areas of study at Peabody and/or transferred credit.
Because Peabody recognizes that learners approach graduate study from different backgrounds and learning styles – and that those professionals with a vast amount of music teaching experience may have different needs that early career music teachers – the Master of Music Education at Peabody can be undertaken in either our In-Person format, or in our Hyflex format. Both tracks lead to the same degree, and offer the same coursework and the same personal interaction with our faculty, but suit the needs of different graduate learners through varying delivery mediums. Our In-Person format allows learners who benefit from hands-on learning to practice their teaching and engage in seminars in small groups and with faculty in an engaging setting on our historic Mount Vernon campus in Baltimore. The Hyflex format allows students who are already certified music teachers to choose to participate in all of our core courses for the degree online from any location.
The In-Person MM in Music Education track is designed so that students finish the complete degree in four semesters on campus. Unless they already hold certification in a U.S. State, all Music Education students will become certified to teach music in K-12 schools in Maryland upon completion of their degree. We also work with students in their final semester on campus to become certified in other locations, apply to doctoral programs, and apply for teaching positions from the pre-elementary through the university level, based on their own plans and career goals following graduation.
In-Person MM students in Music Education (unless they are already certified) complete an elementary level music practicum and a secondary level practicum (in either vocal or instrumental music) in a local public or private school alongside an expert cooperating teacher with many years of experience. Additionally, all our In-Person master’s students complete a full semester’s teaching internship during the fall of their final year on campus, while participating in seminars on campus in the evenings, to allow time for their thesis or capstone project completion and applications for jobs or continuing doctoral study to occur during the spring of their last semester at Peabody. These practicum and internship opportunities are assigned to all of our In-Person MM students, to guide putting the theory we are learning together into practice and provide the experience necessary for both future employment and further graduate study for those who wish to pursue it.
For graduate students who are already certified to teach music (in any state), we offer a choice between the In-Person option and a Hyflex option for completing the MM in Music Education. (Please note, our Hyflex option does not support visa eligibility, and so international students seeking F-1 visas should choose to apply for the In-Person option.)
All our core courses in the master’s degree in Music Education at Peabody have been recently redesigned to be Hyflex courses, so that learners can participate equally well whether attending in person or from an off-campus location via technology. Most of our core courses, whether taken In-Person or via the Hyflex format, are offered on Tuesday evenings. Other courses and electives needed to complete the MM are typically offered either in the evenings or asynchronously. Working teachers may choose to take their courses at a slower pace, one or two per semester if needed, to finish the degree while also concentrating on building their career.