Teaching Artistry and Music Education
The Teaching Artistry and Music Education concentration provides NEC graduate students with the opportunity develop the necessary skills, habits of mind, and experiences to become the kind of adaptable teaching artists needed by contemporary society: artists who possess the necessary tools to impact music learning within their communities as they contribute to the public good. It will also be useful for students looking to build pedagogical experience in pursuit of future teaching assistant and collegiate faculty opportunities.
This concentration is rooted in real-world teaching experience and a menu-based approach, allowing students to customize the concentration to focus on their intended style(s) of teaching including K-12 classroom teaching, private lesson studios, work with adults in creative aging, El Sistema programs, collegiate music instruction, and more.
The concentration consists of 5 credits: 4 credits of coursework, a 1-credit capstone project, and co-curricular experiential learning opportunities (non- credit bearing).
The 4 credits of coursework will be selected from an approved list and must include the 2-credit foundational course (INTG 542-T Foundations of Teaching Artistry).
Co-curricular experiential learning opportunities consist of a combination of yearlong fellowships and workshops:
Fellowships (must complete two over the course of the concentration):
- CPP Teaching Fellowship
- CPP Community Fellowship
- CPP Musical Storytelling Fellowship
- CPP Holiday Ensemble Fellowship
- CPP Ensemble Fellowship
- EM Internship (specifically focused on education, must be approved by CEPS staff)
- Equivalent outside professional experience (approved on case-by-case basis by CEPS staff)
Workshops (must complete two over the course of the concentration- equivalent of 1 credit): two-hour professional development workshops will be offered throughout the academic year on a variety of topics, including but not limited to:
- Culturally Responsive Pedagogy
- Building and Sustaining a Private Studio
- Creative Placemaking and Socially Impactful Teaching
- NEC Intercultural Institute
- Trauma-informed Teaching Practice
- Creative Youth Development
The Capstone Project for the concentration is a 1-credit course completed during the last or penultimate semester of a student’s degree program. This project is designed as the culmination of their course of study and an opportunity to further explore their specific goals and development as a teaching artist. This self-directed project is based in research or building a creative product and must include a public presentation such as a concert or pitch. Students will also complete a portfolio of media documentation and a narrative report as part of the project. Students will also select a faculty advisor from an approved list who will help guide the student through completion of their project. The student is expected to complete seven hours of advising with their advisor during the capstone project semester.
Graduate students must declare the concentration by registration for the first semester of their second year.
MM or GD students who declare the concentration, return to NEC for a subsequent degree (either GD or MM), and petition to transfer credits from the previous degree to complete the subsequent degree in one additional year, may rollover progress on the concentration and complete it as part of the subsequent degree. This must be done in consultation with CEPS staff and will require prior approval. This provision does not apply to DMA students who have completed prior graduate study at NEC.