Teacher Education Chair


Developing Well-Rounded Music Teachers


T


he music education program at the University of Wyoming is dedicated to helping pre-service music teachers develop a diverse skill set to meet student needs across the state in a variety of musical settings.


Teachers graduating from our program are certified to teach music of all forms to students of all ages. They accomplish this through an intensive curriculum addressing all facets of music making. The UW music education area has recently made adjustments to streamline the program of study to increase flexibility and promote success for our students. But music education students are not only well-rounded in musical content. They must also demonstrate competencies in a variety of teaching processes by providing evidence of meeting standards aligned with national expectations for all teachers.


Music education


programs typically contain three components: a music core, a music education core, and a professional education core. The music core includes the coursework expected of all music students, such as aural and written music theory, music history, conducting, applied lessons, and ensemble participation. The music education core focuses on pedagogical knowledge relevant to music teaching, including techniques coursework in all instruments and voice, jazz techniques, marching band techniques, vocal diction, and other practical considerations for teaching music.


The professional education core encompasses the methods of teaching necessary for teachers of all disciplines,


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while including adaptations of those methods to music classrooms. College of Education coursework and the student teaching experience are considered professional education requirements. Through completion of these components, music education students develop into


Dr. Crystal Sieger Teacher Education Chair


allow for focused attention on specific skill acquisition at various points throughout the program. Furthermore, the addition of a general music specialist to the faculty has served to open pathways for providing our students with a strong background in general music and world music concepts.


First-year students will


continue to focus on making the transition from high school to college through music core study and University Studies Program requirements. In their spring semester, they are introduced to music education as a profession, important topics and background, and field experiences through observations of working teachers.


Second-year students


begin focused attention on the music education core, experiencing in-depth study


music teachers capable of meeting the teaching standards set forth by the UW music education program and aligned with national teaching expectations.


A New Curricular Vision UW music education faculty has


recently examined the manner in which we deliver the necessary pedagogical skills and practical opportunities to our students. We have been searching for ways to make the program more fluid and flexible, and also more accessible to transfer students who wish to complete teacher certification in a more reasonable time-frame. The result has been a shift in our curriculum to


of each instrument family including voice and guitar. This is the first of two primary changes to the music education program of study. In the past, students enrolled in two semesters of study for each instrument family, meeting twice weekly for a full school year; the new plan consolidates the two semesters into one, meeting five days per week. This results in students focusing on fewer instrument families each semester while actually improving the time-frame for completing the classes.


With this new system, students


can complete the brass, woodwinds, percussion, strings, voice, and guitar


Continued on Page 24 Wyoming Windsong


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