Abby Meyer '05 with one of her young charges. (Photo by John Seyfried)

Oberlin’s MMT program reflects the interests of the millennial generation: the desire to pursue a performance career, a dedication to investing in and improving local communities, and a passion for spreading the joy of music through teaching.

“Our new MMT program will take students on an intensive, five-year journey towards a master’s degree, and will serve as a model of education nationwide through its emphasis on creating rigorous standards in performance and pedagogy,” says Dean of the Conservatory David H. Stull. “Most important, the MMT speaks to a new generation of students who seek a greater involvement in their communities as educators and advocates for music.”

Oberlin’s Master of Music Teaching program offers students the opportunity to earn a Bachelor of Music degree in performance, a Master’s degree in music teaching, and state-approved teaching certification—all within five years. Equally appealing, once students have completed their course work and pass the state-required PRAXIS II Principles of Teaching and Learning and Music Content Area exams, they are eligible to apply for an Ohio teaching license. Because Ohio has full reciprocity with each of the other 49 states in the country with regard to teaching licensure, MMT graduates will be able to teach Pre-Kindergarten-12 (general, choral, and instrumental) music anywhere in the United States.

Taken over the course of 14 months—two summers and an academic year—the MMT degree is offered in one of two categories: instrumental or choral/vocal. The master’s component of the curriculum builds on the rigorous musical foundation of an undergraduate performance-degree program. Because of Ohio licensure criteria, MMT students will receive vocal/choral and instrumental pedagogical training at the pre-school, elementary school, middle school, and high-school levels.

Master of Music Teaching: a National Prototype
“Oberlin is unique in the field of music education: we are the only top-ranking liberal arts college in the U.S. with a world-renowned conservatory,” says Stull. “Our heritage is built on ‘firsts’. We are singularly equipped to redefine music education for the 21st century. ”
Founded in 1865, Oberlin is the oldest continuously operating conservatory in the United States. America’s first four-year degree program in music education was established at Oberlin, in 1921, and, in 1958, Oberlin was the first to introduce to the U.S. the Suzuki method of musical instruction. In China, Oberlin’s influence is evident at the Shanghai Conservatory of Music, the oldest conservatory in China. Huang Tzu, a 1926 Oberlin graduate who is widely considered to be one of the patriarchs of Western music education in modern China, was one of the founding fathers of the Shanghai Conservatory. He wrote the school’s curriculum, which ultimately became the platform for the professional study of music in China.

The Changing Landscape of Pre-K-12 Education:
Community and Private Schools
Dean Stull and members of Oberlin’s music education faculty reviewed the Conservatory’s music education curriculum in relation to the changing landscape of K-12 education. “In the era of ‘No Child Left Behind’ and shrinking budgets, public school districts are all too often forced to siphon money away from the arts to raise test scores in subjects deemed ‘core,’” says the Conservatory’s Associate Dean for Academic Affairs Andrea Kalyn. She points to U.S. Department of Education research that suggests that, concurrent with these fiscal challenges, the demand among parents for alternatives and enriched educational experiences has grown. “Charter schools, private schools, and community music schools can be more flexible in terms of curriculum and hiring,” she says. “Recent statistics indicate that fewer than half of private-school teachers hold teaching certification, which affirms our understanding that many liberal arts and conservatory graduates who lack formalized pedagogical training are put in the undesirable position of developing their teaching skills on the job.”

At the same time, certified teachers working within public school systems are under increasing pressure to obtain master’s degrees within just a few years of starting their teaching careers. “The new master’s program will allow bright and talented musicians to explore musical education at a point when they are mature enough to know what they want to do in their professional lives,” says Marci Alegant, Associate Dean for Student Academic Affairs.

Learning and Labor in Real Life
Living up to Oberlin College’s motto, “Learning and Labor,” the Oberlin Conservatory has formulated the Master of Music Teaching program to include real-life experience in the community. The Music Education Division will continue its unique tradition of placing teacher candidates in diverse instructional settings—rural, suburban, and urban, public schools, and community music schools—to practice their skills and implement theories encountered in music education methods courses. Prior to completing the MMT, the candidates will observe and do their practice teaching in Pre-Kindergarten-12 public schools in Lorain and Cuyahoga Counties as well as in the Oberlin Conservatory of Music’s Community Music School, a Pre-Kindergarten through adulthood pre-collegiate music instruction program. In addition, music methods courses in the MMT program will also continue offering peer-teaching opportunities, during which teacher candidates teach and observe their peers teaching. “The MMT program is an enriching, multi-level teaching experience that reflects Oberlin’s commitment to community engagement and life-long learning,” says Jody Kerchner, Associate Professor and Director of the Division of Music Education. “The program affirms the importance of teacher training in the U.S., and, perhaps most important, it fosters a vital collaboration between academia and the nation’s public and alternative school systems,” she adds.

A Case Study
Perhaps the most compelling rationale for Oberlin’s MMT degree comes from the students themselves. Conservatory student Chloe Robinson, who will earn a Bachelor of Music degree in violin performance in 2008, is enthusiastic about applying for the MMT. “My playing ability has greatly benefited from my education at Oberlin. Now that I’ve honed my violin skills, I would like to continue as a master’s student, then teach and pass along my skills and love of music to children,” she says. Robinson, whose parents are both educators, comments, “What’s so cool about the MMT program is that it gets me to where I want to be without the usual extended period of time for a master’s. I will always want to perform, but I also want to teach. The master’s program will give me a sense of financial security to be able to do both.”

In 2006, the Conservatory piloted a ”Music Workshop” class with the cooperation of Langston Middle School in the Oberlin Public School system. The Conservatory provided guitars and keyboards, as well as expertise from faculty, like Professor Kerchner, to help structure and teach the class. “It was a superb collaboration. It brought the Conservatory’s many talents and assets to our school, which ultimately will enhance our community in the future,” says Scott Wagner, who is Music Workshop Instructor at Langston, as well as Community Education Assistant at the Conservatory. The Oberlin Public School system and the Conservatory will continue their collaboration this year, and the model will benefit MMT students who will do portions of their practice teaching throughout Lorain and Cuyahoga counties. Wagner believes that the MMT program will truly help teacher-candidates: “You can read all you want about teaching, but real-life experience in the classroom will be the most valuable part of these students’ education. What makes this program terrific for my kids is that Oberlin Conservatory students are international. It is important to learn about music in India, for instance, but it is also important to know what the people and culture are like there. That is a totally unique and valuable resource that only the Oberlin Conservatory of Music can bring to our school,” he says.

A trumpet player and guitarist, Wagner ends by offering some words of wisdom: “What does music do for our children? It provides a creative outlet for many; for others, it is a life-saver. It helps kids with self-esteem issues because they are enjoying themselves in the classroom. Music is a life-changing and life-enhancing influence in their lives.”

To Apply for the MMT Program
The Music Education Program at Oberlin is committed to a curriculum that develops artists as teachers; Oberlin’s MMT program is, therefore, ideal for current undergraduate music students and those already engaged in performance careers; third- or fourth-year performance, jazz studies, TIMARA (Technology in Music and the Related Arts), music history, and composition majors in the Conservatory; Oberlin alumni, or graduates of other institutions, who have earned a Bachelor of Music degree in performance and who wish to teach in public, private, or community music schools; and prospective high school students, who must apply to and enroll in the Conservatory as a performance, jazz studies, TIMARA, music history, or composition major.

The deadline to apply for acceptance to the MMT degree program is December 1, 2007; classes begin in June of 2008. For more information about the Master of Music Teaching program, contact the Oberlin Conservatory of Music Office of Admissions, Conservatory Annex, at 39 West College Street, Oberlin, OH 44074; tel. 440-775-8413; or go to www.oberlin.edu/musiced/mmt/.