Music Theory and Aural Skills Requirement
Students are expected to register for Music
Theory and Aural Skills courses each semester until they have completed the requirements. Part
or all of these requirements may be waived by placement examination when the student enters
Oberlin.
Music Theory I-IV and Aural Skills I-IV must be taken concurrently, e.g., a student will
register for Music Theory I (MUTH 130 or 131) and Aural Skills I in the same semester. Under
certain circumstances, with the permission of the appropriate division director and the Music
Theory division director, students will be allowed to take Aural Skills IV and Music Theory IV
separately. A student’s aural skills requirement must be completed before the senior recital can
be scheduled. Double-degree students will resolve any conflicts with these expectations in
consultation with their advisors.
Electives
A student should select electives based on the following: a minimum of 76 hours of Conservatory coursework is required; a minimum of 24 hours of liberal arts is required.
Proficiencies
All students majoring in Music Education must satisfy the writing and reading
requirements below; those students desiring state licensure must also satisfy the mathematics
requirement and must take an additional mathematics course to meet the distribution requirement
described under “Licensure.”
Expository Writing & Reading Proficiency
Conservatory students with an SAT verbal score below 580 or an ACT score
below 24, or a TOEFL score below 600 must complete one course chosen from the RHET 111-
119 series. Music Education students may submit a passing Praxis I grade to substitute for this requirement.
Mathematics Requirement
Students whose SAT Math score is below 450 (ACT Math below
21) are required to take LRNS 099. An additional math course must be taken to satisfy
distribution requirements for teacher licensure.
Clinical and Field Experiences
Each student’s course of study incorporates clinical and field
experiences with children and adolescents beginning no later than the second year. Flexible
content and sequence of the program and regular advising permit each student to meet specific
needs and interests while satisfying state requirements.
Major Status
Sophomore Major Status is attained upon completion of the First Major
Committee in the student’s Principal Private Study, MUED 101 (Introduction to Music
Education), and the aural skills requirement.
Junior Major Status is attained upon completion of the Comprehensive Musicianship
Examination.
Senior Major Status is attained upon completion of one divisional recital appearance.
Student Teaching
One semester of full-time student teaching is required for licensure and is
normally done in school systems that are within an hour’s drive of Oberlin. Students are
encouraged to have a car available at this time. MME/MMT students may arrange for off-campus
student teaching; however, at least one semester of part-time teaching experience must be done in
or near Oberlin prior to full-time student teaching. The off-campus teaching may occur in school
systems overseas. Students who wish to arrange for this experience must initiate their plans
through the Director of the Music Education Division at least one full semester in advance.
(MME and MMT candidates must consult with the director regarding full-time and part-time
teaching.) A GPA of 3.0 in music courses and good academic standing are required for student
teaching.
Full-time student teachers are not permitted to participate in large ensembles while student
teaching. Half-time student teachers may participate in such ensembles providing that rehearsal
schedules do not conflict with after-school student teaching commitments.
Licensure
The curriculum enables students to meet the requirements for teacher licensure in Ohio and other states that have reciprocity with Ohio, providing the student elects those courses required for licensure. State licensure for teaching music in Ohio public schools comprises three areas of study:
- Content Studies (Music). Oberlin’s music education curricula satisfy requirements in this area for all states.
- Professional and Pedagogical Studies. Requirements include Educational Psychology and Principles of Education. Additionally, some music education courses satisfy requirements in this category.
- General Studies (Liberal Arts). Students are to achieve “multicultural and global perspectives” in courses and experiences in eight academic areas: arts, communications, history, literature, mathematics, philosophy, sciences, and social sciences. Occasionally, an EXCO course or Winter Term experience might qualify as a substitution for a regular course. Some required, non-music courses may be completed at other institutions and transferred to Oberlin if they are needed for graduation; courses taken to fulfill licensure requirements beyond those necessary for graduation need not be transferred. Questions concerning the acceptability of specific courses/experiences should be referred to the Director of the Music Education Division.
All students seeking licensure must participate in field experiences in addition to student teaching. At Oberlin, these experiences begin in the first semester with observation of outreach programs and continue throughout the curriculum in a sequence described in the Music Education Division Handbook. The sequence is designed to enable students to progress gradually through the skills and understandings necessary for successful student teaching in the final year. One of the three required Winter Term projects must be a field experience at a school other than the student’s home high school. With the exception of the Winter Term Teaching Project, students travel to their pre-student-teaching settings in cars provided by the Music Education Division and are expected to have currently validated driver’s licenses. The second required Winter Term project is Reading in the Content Area.
Prior to recommendation for licensure, the student must successfully complete the prescribed Ohio State Board of Education examination appropriate to the Music PreK-12 teaching license and satisfy fingerprinting and background-check requirements. Additional information about licensure requirements may be obtained in the Music Education Division Handbook.
Applicants for licensure must satisfy the writing, reading, and mathematics requirements detailed above and pass the State Board of Education Licensing Examination (portions of the ETS Praxis Core Battery) administered on several Ohio campuses and elsewhere on dates published annually. Applicants also must be fingerprinted in preparation for a background check by the FBI.
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