»Bachelor of Music (Pre-Music Education Certification)

Trained as a musician. Prepared as a teacher. Hired as a leader.

Our Bachelor of Music (Pre-Music Education Certification) is built on a simple conviction: that exceptional teaching begins with exceptional musicianship, and that both are best learned in practice, not just in theory. Alongside rigorous training on your primary instrument or voice, you will step into PreK–12 classrooms early and often — observing, assisting, and eventually leading — long before you ever stand in front of your own students. The result speaks for itself: every graduate of our program has gone on to secure a teaching position.

Through Chapman's 4+1 pathway, your undergraduate years lead directly into the Master of Arts in Teaching (MAT), so that in a single additional year you graduate with both a master's degree and a California teaching credential — fully prepared, ahead of schedule, and positioned for salary advancement from the very start of your career.

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Why Chapman

• An intimate community with an outsized reach.

  Small class sizes mean individualized mentorship from faculty who are not merely versed in the field, but actively shaping it — teaching, conducting, and performing in it today.

• Classroom experience woven through every year.

  Field placements begin early and deepen steadily, under the guidance of experienced, credentialed mentor teachers in local schools.

• A master's degree within reach, not years away.

  The 4+1 pathway compresses what is often a long road into five focused years, delivering a credential and a career on an accelerated timeline.

• A pedagogy built for the classrooms you will actually enter.

  Orff, Kodály, band, orchestra, choir, general music, early childhood music, world music pedagogy, and music technology, grounded throughout in culturally responsive and socially engaged teaching.
  

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Your Path: From Musician to Music Educator

YEARS ONE THROUGH FOUR

• Bachelor of Music (Pre-Music Education Certification)
  Musicianship and pedagogy develop side by side: theory, history, conducting, and performance alongside coursework in teaching practice, brought to life through hands-on placements in local schools.

YEAR FIVE

• Master of Arts in Teaching (MAT)

  A single additional year completes both your master's degree and your California teaching credential, preparing you fully to lead a classroom of your own.

BEYOND GRADUATION

• PreK–12 Music Educator

  Every graduate has entered the profession with a position secured, many beginning their careers within months of finishing the program.

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The Curriculum

A comprehensive foundation in music theory, history, conducting, and performance is complemented by:

• Instructional methodologies spanning Orff, Kodály, band, orchestra, choir, general music, early childhood music, world music pedagogy, music technology, and applied lessons
• Scholarship in practice, drawing on culturally responsive pedagogy, constructivist approaches, social justice education, and developmental learning theory
• Sustained field experience, with placements mentored by experienced, credentialed educators in local schools
• Professional growth beyond the classroom, including on-campus clinics and opportunities to present at national and international conferences
• Mariachi Panteras, a student-led ensemble mentored by our music education faculty, offering immersive experience in one of the field's fastest-growing traditions

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Music Education Faculty

Our faculty are award-winning educators, accomplished performers, and respected scholars, nearly all of whom hold a California teaching credential and actively teach in local PreK–12 schools. They bring the immediacy of the working classroom directly into every studio and rehearsal at Chapman.

 

Where This Degree Can Take You

A degree in music education is a foundation, not a ceiling. Our graduates go on to shape the field in many forms:

• Teaching & Direct Instruction

  PreK–12 music teacher (band, orchestra, choir, general music, mariachi, contemporary music), early childhood music educator, special education music teacher, private studio teacher, teaching artist, college or university faculty

• Leadership & Administration
  Fine arts director, music education administrator, community music program director, arts administrator
• Performance & Conducting

  Professional musician, choir, band, or orchestra conductor, festival performer or organizer

• Curriculum & Pedagogy

  Curriculum specialist, instructional coach, educational consultant, composer or arranger of educational materials

• Therapy & Specialized Education

  Music therapist, adaptive music specialist

• Technology & Innovation

  Music technology specialist, developer of educational music software, media and arts integration specialist

• Research & Scholarship

  Music education researcher, author of textbooks or curricula, education-focused music librarian

• International & Community Work

  Global music educator, cultural exchange facilitator, nonprofit or NGO music program leader

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Getting Started

• Complete the Common Application.
• Select Bachelor of Music (Pre-Music Education Certification) as your intended major.
• See Conservatory Admissions page for audition requirements and further details.