The Discipline of Music Education
Music Education is geared both toward primary and secondary education. The discipline covers not only music composition and performance, but also music history, music appreciation, and music theory. Music Education programs often allow students to choose between focusing on orchestral and vocal music. This discipline prepares individuals to educate primary and secondary students to understand music as both a scholarly subject and a performance medium, encouraging them to connect their knowledge of music history and acoustic trends to their own composition and performance.
Music Education falls under the larger discipline of Music, where it sits alongside other subdiscipline including, namely, Musicology. There appears to be significant crossover between Musicology and Music Education in terms of scholarly inquiry into music and exploration of its aesthetic qualities. Both Musicology and Music Education refer to “Music Theory,” but Music Education is more concerned with technics of music composition (notation), whereas Musicology is more concerned with the theory of music, or music as an academic subject. Musicology is likely far more appropriate for teaching music composition in the rhetoric classroom and rhetorical analysis of music concerned with patterns, etc. Music Education, on the other hand, is more geared toward the composition and performance of music, with listening experience and rhetorical analysis being a minor factor in that discussion.
Organization Details, Further Conference & Publication Info
* Each of the quoted descriptions below comes from the webpage to which the respective organization title is linked. More information about each organization is available at those sites.
building and maintaining a worldwide community of music educators characterized by mutual respect and support;
fostering global intercultural understanding and cooperation among the world’s music educators; and
promoting music education for people of all ages in all relevant situations throughout the world.”
The International Society for Music Education not only holds its own international conference, it also has an affiliate chapter in each state, each of which is associated with its own conference. Each state and national organization can be reached through the link above.
Very Important People
Director of Music Business program at ISU
Named #1 of music professor in “Top 10 Music Professors Who Inspire Us,” by Meghan Gresk.
Current President, NAfME
Fargo, ND Public Schools Performing Arts Curriculum Specialist
Works Cited
Gresk, Meghan. “Top 10 Music Professors Who Inspire Us.” College Magazine, 11 Jan., 2017. www.collegemagazine.com/top-10-music-professors-inspire-us/
[Image of Denese Odeegard]. “New NAfME President Understands Music Educators’ Challenges.” NAfME, 28 July, 2016. nafme.org [Image of Dr. Ted Piechockinski]. “Top 10 Music Professors Who Inspire Us.” College Magazine, 11 Jan., 2017. www.collegemagazine.com/top-10-music-professors-inspire-us/“New NAfME President Understands Music Educators’ Challenges.” NAfME, 28 July, 2016. nafme.org