B.M. in Music Education

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Program Distinctives

• Rigorous education from a Christ-centered perspective.
• Accessible Christian faculty mentors – Highly accomplished education faculty and widely talented music faculty who hold membership in such organizations as ACDA, American Composers Forum, ASTA, BMI, CODA, College Music Society, NAfME, PADESTA, PMEA, Phi Beta Mu, SMTE, and TI:ME.
• Specialized training – A Bachelor of Music (B.M.) will provide more extensive music credits, personal instruction, and career preparation than you would receive with a Bachelor of Science music education degree.
• On-campus performance opportunities – 11 faculty-directed ensembles and more than 15 chamber ensembles that perform a wide range of genres.
• Senior capstone recital – Be equipped to use your musical gifts in your future career while also working as a music teacher in the public or private school setting. Students in music education careers who continue to perform do so as private lesson teachers, professional musicians, or church musicians.
• Undergraduate leadership opportunities – Grow as a leader and boost your resume with opportunities such as conducting and leading large and small ensembles, partnering with faculty on research, creating original compositions, participating in state-level music organizations, and more.
• Excellent facilities featuring:
  • Dedicated music education suite.
  • 22 Boston Steinway practice pianos and four-manual Kimball organ.
  • 28 practice rooms, organ studio, and harp studio.
  • 700-seat performance hall and theatre, 170-seat recital hall, and large ensemble rehearsal hall.
  • Music technology lab.
• Education Career Services – Take advantage of the exceptional career development and networking opportunities offered to you as both a student and alumnus of Grove City College. The ECS fosters relationships with private, public, charter, and international schools, as well as other education employers.
• Licensure assistance – Fulfill state certification requirements, meet testing requirements, and pursue additional certifications with the assistance of our highly developed certification services (available to you as a student and as an alumnus).
• Educational leadership opportunities – Gain valuable leadership experience through national and international partners in areas such as urban education, gifted education, youth theater programs, and ESL programs, as well as opportunities to attend education conferences and events such as Ed Camp, and various high school outreach programs.
• Optional musical theater minor – Add a minor in musical theater, which can help you secure a job working in a community theater setting or as a middle or high school music teacher who directs or conducts musicals.
• Active on-campus groups – Join groups such as our award-winning chapter of Kappa Delta Pi (an international education honorary), the Secondary Education Society, Council for Exceptional Children, Lambda Iota Tau, and Alpha Psi Omega (a theatre honorary which coordinates our student-directed one-act play festival each semester).
• Vocation-enriching humanities core classes – Deepen your critical thinking, writing, and other communication skills while cultivating empathy and a well-rounded worldview.

Career Opportunities & Outcomes

• Career paths: With a music education degree from Grove City, you will be well equipped to work in a wide variety of K-12 settings – from public to private, charter to online, domestic to international – or with global education organizations, educational publishers, and other companies and nonprofits in related fields. Our graduates have obtained roles including orchestra, choir, or band director at all levels, elementary music teacher, piano or voice teacher, private music teacher, and much more.
  • Our education majors become certified and licensed teachers around the country and all over the world, typically recruited well ahead of graduation.
  • Of those who choose to continue their education via graduate-level study, recent graduates have pursued advanced degrees through many of the country’s top programs at Boston University, Carnegie Mellon University, Indiana University, James Madison University, Pennsylvania State University, and UNC Greensboro, among other institutions.
• Exceptional career outcomes – 100% of Grove City College music graduates in 2024 obtained employment or were accepted into graduate school. You will be well prepared to compete for top full-time positions or entry into distinguished graduate and professional programs.
• Excellent career preparation – Wherever you are called to teach, you are sure to make an impact in your school and local community as an inspiring leader with standout musicianship.

Program Specifics

• Curriculum requirements – 97 major credit hours of rigorous undergraduate coursework that lays a solid foundation in music and prepares you to teach. Degree requirements include the following (for detailed course descriptions, refer to the College Catalog).
  • Courses in Music Theory, Aural Skills, Music History, Orchestration or Composition, Music Technology, Beginning Conducting, Advanced Choral Conducting, and Advanced Instrumental Conducting, as well as Brass, Percussion, Woodwind, Vocal, and String Methods.
  • Private lessons in your primary area of voice, piano, or instrument with the same instructor every semester (except for the student teaching semester).
  • Participation in at least one of our ensembles every semester (except for student teaching semester), regardless of your primary instrument. Because Grove City College is one of the few schools that require participation and study in band, choir, orchestra, and general music, you will stand out in the field and have greater expertise as a future teacher and colleague.
  • Senior capstone recital – In addition to student teaching, our music education majors demonstrate mastery by performing a solo senior recital as part of their education.
  • Opportunities to gain valuable classroom experience at the elementary, secondary, and post-secondary levels via education field experiences throughout your undergraduate career. In every setting, you will learn about classroom management, student motivation, best practices in pedagogy and assessment, and inclusive teaching strategies.
  • Senior capstone in student teaching with expert cooperating teachers who will help you hone your strengths and develop a well-rounded pedagogical approach to teaching.

An audition for admission into the music program is required for music majors and minors. For comprehensive audition information, please refer to Instructions for Music Applicants.

• Musical selections of the standard academic repertoire for your instrument or voice are appropriate (standard, classical, musical theatre, contemporary, etc.), and two or three selections of contrasting style are preferred. 
• Regardless of your instrument or voice, you will be tested in music theory, tonal memory, and rhythmic skills.
• Your application for admission to Grove City College must be received by the Office of Admissions by your selected application deadline, and you must also complete your music audition by that deadline. 

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