Why college music education majors need applied study

ByBret Pimentel

Most of my university students are music education majors, with plans to become public school band directors. Their academic schedules are absolutely packed full with core music theory and musicology classes, keyboard proficiency, teaching methods, ensembles, and of course general education requirements. There isn’t room for anything extra. And yet they are required to take “applied” private lessons on their major instrument every semester in residence (on paper, that’s seven semesters, with the eighth being a student teaching assignment; for many students it turns into more semesters than that). At my school, I think the requirements for the music education applied sequence are pretty typical: weekly 1-hour lessons, 12 or more hours of practice per week (that’s my studio requirement for music education students), a scale/arpeggio exam, juried playing exams each semester, and a small juried recital. That’s a pretty serious multi-year commitment for a student who is already swimming in term papers, exams, rehearsals, and probably a part-time job.

Photo, peffs

And it’s likely that many of them, once settled into jobs, won’t have much time to spend with their instruments anymore—they will be consumed with the endless details and crises of running a public school band program, and the ensemble itself will become their primary “instrument” for musical expression. Few of them will ever again perform solo repertoire.

So why put so much emphasis on applied study for music education undergraduates? Is it possible or wise to reduce the individual instrumental study burden? I don’t think so.

Much of what I am trying to accomplish with my students isn’t really about their fingers or their embouchures or their reeds; it’s about their ears. I want them to learn to notice the notes that respond sluggishly or are a little out of tune or have inferior tone, the phrases that aren’t smooth and coherent, the tempi that are uneven. I want them to listen on a detailed level, and then create and execute a plan for improving the way they sound. In a few short years, that is what they will need to do with a whole room full of young instrumentalists. If my students can’t make it happen on their own single instruments, how are they going to pull it off with a group?

A factor that seems to be brought up often is the need for future band directors to “model” good playing for their students. I agree that this is a lovely thought, but it’s ultimately a pipe dream that band directors will be able to convincingly model every instrument in the band. (Students in my woodwind methods class get a one-semester crash course in all five woodwinds). However, as a very young saxophonist I was particularly inspired when a change of band directors at my junior high school brought in a musician, a trumpet player, who was an active performer in the community—something that hadn’t, before then, really occurred to me as a future career opportunity. I don’t recall him ever making any attempt to model playing of my instrument, but his level of achievement and his performance calendar were eye-openers for me, and I think that example was key in my decision to pursue music seriously.

College music education majors need to be able to take individual responsibility for musicianship, able to translate a printed page into a meaningful musical performance. They need to show their students by example what it is to be a musician. And that doesn’t start at the podium—it starts in the practice room.

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  • Advice on graduate performance study and university teaching careers

    ByBret Pimentel

    My university students are mostly undergraduate music education majors, but many at some point inquire about graduate school, including a performance degree path and eventual university teaching. Here are some things you should know about graduate performance studies if you’re an undergraduate music major. Read More “Advice on graduate performance study and university teaching careers”

  • Your first lesson with your college instrument teacher

    ByBret Pimentel

    Every teacher is different, but here are some ideas of what you might expect when you take your first instrumental lesson with your new college teacher.

    Before the semester starts: When you have your login information, check your new university email and LMS (it might be something like “Canvas,” “Blackboard,” or “Moodle”—a site you can log into to see announcements, assignments, etc. for each of your classes). Check in daily to see if there are updates from your new teacher, like a lesson schedule or other instructions. When you arrive on campus, locate their office and check their door or bulletin board for information. If they are inside, they would probably be happy to say hello and answer your questions.

    Usually lessons are scheduled on a one-on-one basis. I look over my students’ course schedules, decide when I am going to have each student’s lesson, and post a link to an online calendar on the LMS, plus a copy on my door. Other teachers sometimes have a system for you to sign up for your own lesson time. Do this ASAP so you can get a time that works well with your schedule!

    The teacher might have instructions for you to show up with something prepared to play, or not. Usually I personally don’t expect them to have prepared anything for their first-ever lesson, and instead we will spend that time getting oriented and assigning materials to prepare for the next week’s lesson. (Returning students usually know what will be expected, and should show up with some scales, an étude, and the repertoire piece we picked out at the end of the previous semester.)

    If you have previously taken lessons or have worked on études or repertoire pieces on your own, make a list of those.

    The day of your lesson: If you can possibly squeeze it into your schedule, find a practice room and warm up a little. Pick out a good reed if applicable.

    Gather your materials:

    • Your instrument and all accessories
    • Your list of previous repertoire, if you have any, and your copies of the most recent ones you worked on. Your teacher may find this helpful in evaluating your level and deciding which materials to have you work on next.
    • Something to take notes with. I personally don’t mind if you use a digital device for this, but some teachers might prefer that you don’t have your phone out during your lesson. Bring a notepad to the first lesson just to be sure.
    • A pencil. In fact, stock your instrument case, backpack, etc. with pencils. Keep one in your pocket or purse. You will need one for every lesson, practice session, and rehearsal. Pencil, not pen.

    Lesson time: Show up at least a few minutes early, with your instrument assembled and ready to play. (You may or may not actually play in this first lesson, but it’s good form to come prepared.) If you feel nervous, take a few deep breaths. Use the restroom. Mute your phone.

    Some teachers tend to run a little late, and they might be finishing up the previous lesson when you arrive. Unless they have instructed otherwise, I think the best thing to do is go ahead and knock right at the stroke of your lesson time so they know you are there. Give a real knock that they can hear, not a timid/quiet one they might miss. Then wait patiently if they take a few more minutes to finish up with the previous student.

    Call your teacher by their academic title (like “Dr. Pimentel” or maybe “Professor Pimentel” if you’re not sure), unless they tell you to call them something different. You might be able to figure this out by reading their biography on the university website, or by checking to see how they sign emails they send to you.

    Don’t try to write down everything they say, but taking a few notes might be appropriate. If you need another moment to write, or you’re afraid it will be rude to look down at your notepad, you could try asking, “Do you mind if I write that down?” Definitely write down what they assign you to work on for next time.

    Depending on your teacher’s personality, the teacher might dive right into lesson stuff, or may want to spend some time getting to know you.

    After the lesson: Review your notes and edit/clarify if needed while it’s still fresh in your mind. Make a practicing plan for the week to make sure you prepare your assigned materials as best you can for next time.

    If your teacher asked you to purchase some repertoire or other materials, do this right away! I usually try to help my students out with a photocopied page or two so they can get started while they wait for their own copies to arrive, but some teachers may expect you to get it on your own and be prepared by the next week. (Tip: if you’re at a large music school, the university library might have copies of some materials, which you can use until you get yours.)

    If, during the week, you realize you are unclear or have forgotten something, visit your professor during their office hours (probably posted on the LMS and/or their door) or send an email. Much better to ask for help while there’s still time to practice, than to show up unprepared at your next lesson.

    Make friends: You will hopefully be meeting some other students who play your instrument and take lessons from your same teacher. (If you arrived on campus early for marching band camp, that’s a nice advantage.) Those people remember what it was like to be brand new, and if they are nice (they probably are!) they won’t mind answering some questions about the teacher, giving you a few lesson tips, and maybe even loaning you an old étude book while you order your own. Sometimes the students know the processes and procedures (signing up for classes, getting your ID card, logging into the LMS) better than the professors do.

    Have a great semester!

  • How I use my undergraduate core music curriculum every day

    ByBret Pimentel

    My university students are sometimes unconvinced of the value of their core music curriculum. Like most music programs, the core at my school includes music theory, applied theory (aural skills like sight-singing and dictation, and piano/keyboard skills), and music history. Most of my students will be educators, like I am (most of them will teach music at a middle or high school level). Here is just a small handful of the ways that, as a teacher, I use my undergraduate music skills on a daily basis.

    Manuscript paper
    Photo, Andrew Malone
    • Evaluating student performances (aural skills, theory, history). Sometimes when I pick out a wrong note in a student’s performance, they express amazement that I have so much music “memorized.” I don’t. But I can follow the score and tell when what I’m hearing doesn’t match.
    • Preparing lectures, presentations, program notes, and so forth (theory, history). What makes this repertoire piece, this composer, this technique, this performance practice important? Context is crucial.
    • Selecting appropriate repertoire (history, theory). A good student recital or ensemble concert needs to balance the students’ educational needs and the audience’s attention span. And even once the repertoire is chosen, a broad-based musical education is key to differentiating between published editions.
    • Arranging, adapting, transposing, and transcribing music for soloists or ensembles (theory, aural skills, keyboard skills). This can be elaborately creative or simply functional. But every working musician and music educator at least needs to be able to take a given piece of music and make it work for a different instrumentation, taking into account instrument ranges, chord voicing, and balance.
    • Making and communicating interpretive decisions (theory, history). Good interpretive decision-making can mean following the “rules” with strictness, or making informed decision to bend or break those rules. Understanding the canon—insofar as one exists—of performance practices, and having the vocabulary to discuss them with precision, helps tremendously in either case.
    • Demonstrating musical effects for students/ensembles (theory, aural skills, keyboard skills). Good music teachers don’t let the instrument(s) collect dust, even if their primary outlet is as a conductor. Music is an aural tradition, and a “picture” is worth a thousand words. (“Instruments” in this situation includes the voice, for singers and non-singers alike.)

    That list is teaching-focused; as a performer I use all of those skills just as much, if not more. Study hard!

  • Grading student practicing

    ByBret Pimentel

    Each week I have my university woodwind students submit a report on the number of hours they have practiced, and I award them points based on that number. (They are additionally graded on how well their lesson goes.)

    I don’t think points-for-practicing is an ideal situation, and perhaps not necessary at some more competitive, more performance-oriented schools. The students at my small, regional university have a range of backgrounds and ability levels, but certainly for some the idea of an intensive practicing routine is new and challenging. This approach helps keep them incentivized (bribed? threatened?) to practice several hours per day, until hopefully it becomes a self-motivating habit. Or, in some cases, it helps them realize that their commitment level isn’t compatible with the degree program.

    I use a simple formula for grading practice hours. Each student has a weekly practice hours target, which varies depending on the degree program (or, more precisely, the number of credit hours of lessons: more for performance majors, fewer for music education majors, etc.). If they put in that exact number of hours, they get 100% of the points. If they put in half the hours they get 50% the points, if they put in one and a half times the target they get 150% of the points, and so forth.

    (hours practiced)/(required practice hours) × (possible points) = (grade as a percentage)

    That gives them essentially unlimited extra credit if they want to go above and beyond, or lets them practice a little extra during slower weeks so they can free up some time for weeks that are busier with midterms or band trips.

    Practice reports are due every single Monday of the semester, even holidays. This works better than having them report hours between lessons, since sometimes things get moved around in my schedule and it ends up being more or fewer than seven days between lessons. I have streamlined the reporting process quite a bit by using the university’s LMS to automatically administer a weekly “quiz,” which looks like this:

    For Thanksgiving break in November and spring break in March (each a full week with no classes) I have been collecting practice reports, and treating them as pure extra credit. That way I’m not punishing students who spend those vacation days with family or who need a break from the instrument. But the students who are serious about playing usually put in a pretty solid effort during those weeks and earn a nice grade bonus for it.

    When I explain this system to other educators I often get asked about honesty. I haven’t found it to be a major issue. That might be partly because of my students’ background and upbringing (it’s the Bible Belt), and maybe partly because lying turns out to be pretty unsustainable: if their reported practice hours don’t seem to match their level of achievement, I start asking tough questions.

    When I was a first-year undergraduate music major and not yet fully convinced of the importance of practicing several hours per day, a nudge/threat from the music department scared me into changing my ways. But the sudden “motivation” to apply myself a little better soon started paying off. As I had more and more success I felt more and more inclined to practice because I got more and more out of it. Ultimately, I learned to enjoy and even crave the hours in the practice rooms. It’s exciting to see my students making that same transition.

  • The value of chamber ensembles in music degrees

    ByBret Pimentel

    My students learn to follow a conductor in their large ensembles, and how to work with a pianist on their individual repertoire. (The latter is a situation in which—unfortunately—the piano part is sometimes treated as secondary to the “solo” part.)

    But in chamber ensembles they learn how to make music in a group of equals, which is a very different ballgame. In a chamber group, every member is responsible for listening critically, making adjustments, matching, blending, and finding their own best ways to contribute to a cohesive, unified performance. And non-music-specific skills are developed here too: respectful exchange of ideas, balancing of personalities, cooperation, compromise. There’s no leader per se who makes judgment calls, arbitrates disputes, or takes charge of the artistic vision.

    Sometimes it seems like student chamber groups get treated as less important than solo repertoire or large/conducted ensembles, like they are auxiliaries of the band or orchestra, or pick-up groups good only for recruiting run-outs or potpourri concerts, or a way to trick  students into putting a little more mileage on their instruments. This is a mistake. Chamber music experience is critical to a complete musical education.

    Groups should be appropriately challenged with the quantity and difficulty of repertoire performed, just like they are in their solo repertoire and their large ensembles. I think the ideal is for each mature chamber group to put on its own full-length, well-balanced recital at least once each semester. (We aren’t currently requiring that at my small, regional university.)

    Groups should get regular coaching from faculty, but time rehearsing on their own is crucial to the experience. And by “rehearsing” I don’t mean just run-throughs: students should be spending rehearsal time discussing musical decisions together. (Depending on the group’s maturity, some of these decisions may need to be ratified in subsequent coaching sessions.)

    And, as with any educational pursuit, I think the risk of failure is part of the process. There are powerful lessons to be learned when student groups make inappropriate repertoire choices, fail to make good use of rehearsal time, or otherwise fall short of expectations.

    It’s exciting to see the maturity, confidence, and musicianship that my students develop in chamber ensembles. Take chamber music seriously as a part of a well-rounded musical education.

  • More thoughts on multiple woodwinds degrees

    ByBret Pimentel

    I often get email from people who are considering pursuing a college or conservatory degree in multiple woodwinds. Now that I’ve completed two of them myself, here are a few thoughts.

    If you want to enter a multiple woodwinds degree program, you should already have at least a basic technical command of each instrument to be included on the degree. This really should include a background of good private instruction on each instrument. In my experience, self-taught players on any instrument are rarely very well prepared for the rigors of college-level study.

    Bachelor’s-level programs are rare, and I think that’s with good reason. For most woodwind players, I think, diving right into college-level study of three or more instruments is ill-advised. You will do much better to spend those years focusing on your strongest instrument, developing your musicianship, learning good practicing techniques, and hopefully racking up some achievements like contest awards or high placement in top university ensembles. All of those things benefited me very much (my bachelor’s degree is in saxophone performance), and it’s likely I wouldn’t have been able to achieve as much if I had been dividing my practice hours between multiple instruments (plus completing music coursework AND general education coursework). Read More “More thoughts on multiple woodwinds degrees”

30 Comments

  2. Bravo indeed. I find this post inspiring as a teacher – sometimes I can forget the outcome goal as we work from recital to jury and method book to method book. This is clear and perfectly makes the point. Thanks for posting!
    Jennet

    Reply

  4. This is excellent. Without the ability to perform and express themselves through their primary instrument they really can’t effectively teach anyone music. All students should reach some of the major literature for the instrument!

    Reply

  6. Excellent post, Bret, and spot on! Too often I see BME students who think that good teaching is developed in education classes and that their musical skills are secondary. But the tail doesnt wag the dog. BME students need to achieve the highest artistic levels possible in order to fuel fine teaching and have something TO teach.

    Reply

  7. Excellent article! I was fortunate to have several elementary and junior high Instrumental teachers who were very active with their performing on their instruments in class, in the community, and at the professional level. They were a real inspiration and role model! Then I had a senior high Instrumental director who apparently had played a variety of woodwinds somewhere in his distant past. However, nobody had ever heard him do so. A totally ( and uninspiring ) atmosphere!

    Yes, the Music Ed. majors should indeed hold forth in Applied Study. As teachers, they will be the role models for their students, regarding performing standards, self-discipline to practice, and inspiration for their students. To say nothing about setting examples for musicality!

    Reply

  8. As a long time music educator who also owned and operated a performing arts academy for nine years, I know that music ed majors are looked down upon by the studio community as not being “real” musicians. The other studio teachers (BAs) were astounded that as a BS in music ed, I was required to do a senior recital and they were amazed at what I was able to perform. Seek out a quality music school that will force you to be a MUSIC educator. I am proud to be a West Chester University alumni! And I am also happy to be back in a music classroom where I can educate all students, not just the talented, hand-picked few.

    Reply

    1. As a fellow West Chester grad I felt the program was lacking in the fact that our lessons were only 30 minutes. I needed to get another teacher outside of school in order to really learn how to play because who can learn anything In depth in 30 minutes?

      Reply

  10. If you ever read Herman Scerchen’s book about conducting you will see that one of his requirements in becoming a good conductor is to be able to play an instrument at a professional level because only then can you go beyond technique and be able to experience true musicality!

    Reply

  13. Totally in agreement. My own teaching was greatly enhanced by the fact that I played bass trombone professionally during my first 40 years of teaching. I wasn’t much at the other instruments, but my ability on trombone got my ear right. Occasionally, I’d play for, or along with, my students. But that wasn’t the point. Listening was the point.

    A colleague who chaired a neighboring music department earned my highest respect when he fired a part-time applied instructor after she said, at a jury, “That’s pretty good for a music ed major.”

    It’s not the case that “those who can’t do teach.” Instead, it’s “those who can do teach better.”

    Reply

    1. Amen! “Those who can do teach better.” True for my mentor and inspiration, and I hope true for me as well.

      Reply

  14. I whole heartedly disagree. I wanted to be a choir director but I do not have a solo voice. That should not have kept me from my dream.

    Reply

    1. I don’t think you quite got the point. Having a solo voice is not needed, but in private voice lessons you learn through experience and individual coaching many things about voice production, and maybe some things about what choral singers need to do differently from solo singers. Also the tutor student relationship is one of the most valuable relationships I have had in my musical life.

      Reply

      1. Ginny, I think you’re missing Donovan’s point. He wasn’t even able to get to that point because of a perceived lack of initial proficiency / talent. He probably would have greatly benefited from all of the things that you and this article point out (and I do agree with them mostly) but he was never even given the chance.

  15. Brilliant ideas. When teaching I made it a point to learn some kind of physical discipline each Summer, something totally outside my capability (and don’t even ask about my comfort zone) like juggling 5 balls – or worse, 4 – walking backwards on a rail, slack-rope walking, African dance (not the drumming). Something that would make me feel completely stupid and hopeless. Only then did I think myself ready to face a smash of kids that I going to ask to learn how to be meticulously right, be totally themselves and deeply committed to putting themselves out there through the medium of sound. Notes are easy. Expression is work. Knowing yourself well enough to have something to say is terrifying.

    So are good roller coasters. Just try not to throw up…..

    best – Jim

    Reply

  17. Great article I am a former middle school band director, I taught for 7 years and I had a large and very successful program, several of my former students played in high school, college and some are now teachers or studio musicians.
    Also most of my student are now successful and productive men and women in the community.
    I never played an instrument, I was a voice major and I only took woodwind, brass and percussion techniques, piano for music teachers and I taught myself to play bass while in college.
    Most of my students didn’t have music class in elementary school, and private lessons were completed out of the question for them.
    We used to play Beethiven, Tchaikovsky, Copland, John Williams, Ray Charles, Rick Ross, DMX, 360 Mafia and Eminem among others.
    My students love to play and they never realized that after a year or two they were better players at than me.
    I haven’t play my bass in many years, and I haven’t sung in a long time. By the way I never did a recital.
    Music is music, knowing theory, dynamics, breathing techniques, posture, tempo and articulationa are the basics, and the most important things when teaching or rehearsing, but we can’t forget the other values that we need to teach like team work, cooperating or collaborating with other section members, to blend, follow and lead and to contribute to the community.

    Reply

  18. Thank you for the blog post. So sad to hear any music student would want to short change their musical development by not taking applied lessons. It’s also not too much to expect them to be able to demonstrate each instrument proficiently to a 2-3 year student’s level at a minimum. In my undergrad we were required to demonstrate all band and string instruments and took playing tests in our technique classes. When we did our practicums and student teaching we were expected to model and demonstrate for elementary band classes on all band and string instruments. We were constantly evaluated in our demonstration/performance skills either on the spot or in real classrooms—video recorded and critiqued by our professors or cooperating teachers. We needed to know and play the instruments we were teaching because how can you teach it otherwise? I think the expectations that are set are followed. If colleges expect the teachers they degree to be proficient instrumental teachers—then they will be. A real life living picture of a proficient player is a way more effective teaching model for a young student than just words. After all, we are talking elementary to middle school level—we aren’t talking necessarily pro-level when we talk about demonstration. And after years of teaching, having all those instruments in your hands everyday for years, it also gets easy—but if you start out with the idea that that is asking too much of a college student, well it may never happen for the professional teacher.
    BM, MM Peabody conservatory performance and education, 12 years public school band director. Freelance bassoonist.

    Reply

  19. Thanks for the excellent article. As a music major in the ’70’s I saw another side of the story- those who were amazing players on their principal instruments, but blew off all of the secondary instrument classes as unnecessary. We were required to take separate classes in various woodwinds, brass and percussion, as well as a mixed string class. I enjoyed those classes a lot, worked hard in them, and found them very valuable once I got out in the field. Most of the students who did not take them seriously did not last long as teachers. I recently retired after 40 years of teaching music. And yes, I still perform on my principal instrument, and double on a few others as well. My BM degree from Western Michigan University has served me well!

    Reply

    1. This original post is true… but… Yes, music ed majors need to attain the highest level of competency on their primary instrument that is possible. Agreed fully. No argument here. Anything less is irresponsible. However, my experience is that the real problem is that there are too many “teachers” that have no clue about anything on their secondary instruments. Many of them are great on their primary – having intended to have a performing career – classical or jazz – but it just never happened. They only went into teaching as a back up, and it shows in the quality of their teaching. There is no excuse for a competent music teacher (band director) to not be able to demonstrate every instrument in the band at a basic level. No, I’m not saying they should be able to play them all at an advanced level, but they should without fail be able to demonstrate them all for the first several years of study.

      Reply

  20. I’m not sure I could disagree more. I know almost no employed applied music majors IN THE PERFORMANCE FIELD OF STUDY that I went to school with. On the other hand, I know of very few music Ed. majors who are not employed in the music industry…teaching in specific. The article sounds like it is propaganda composed and embraced by applied study individuals who could be great teachers of their instrument, but times have changed.

    Reply

    1. Jim,

      I think the point of the article was to extol the importance of critical listening, which is a skill most closely honed through practice.

      “Applied Music” is the course title for what many music majors more commonly call “private lessons”. In many schools of music across the country, the undergraduate degree plan for Music Education majors is being amended to reflect a decrease in requisite Applied Music or “private lesson” courses.

      This article asserts the importance of private instruction to the music educator. It does not, inversely, assert that a degree in Music Performance is somehow any more lucrative than that of a Music Education. To assume as much betrays missing the point.

      That said, I am currently working on my DMA in Performance and my wife holds a DMA in Performance. Both she and I have held jobs in Music in the past and she is currently a middle school choir director. Furthermore, while performance IS a competitive career path, we both have several friends who sing at the Met, Covent Garden, Deutsche Oper Berlin, and several regional houses here in the states. I, myself, have sung, most recently, with Nevada Opera and my wife was under management when we lived in NYC. Neither of us looks down on an individual who holds a degree in Music Education, nor do we regret our decision to study Performance.

      Reply

  21. Fortunately things have not changed. My philosophy was “you learn the fundamentals of music in the classroom, you learn to be a musician in the private studio.”

    Keith Pettway
    Professor Emeritus, Delta State University

    Reply

  23. While I agree with the points of this article I also believe that music students regardless of their emphasis should be the best performers that they can be. Also I firmly believe that we as teachers must make time to perform during the years that we teach. I was an orchestra teacher grades 5-12 for 30 years. I played professionally the entire time I taught. Obviously I didn’t have a career in the New York Philharmonic, but I did play in the Memphis and Jackson Symphonies for 35 years. I think this kept me interested in the music I was teaching. Not only did I teach students to love performing, but I kept myself challenged. Let’s not forget that we chose to be music educators because we love to make music on our instruments.

    Reply

  24. When in college, in music methods and techniques courses, I’m going to play clarinet, double bass, oboe, bassoon, trombone, trumpet, flute, baritone horn, tuba, French horn, percussion, harp, harpsichord, and organ. I am studying piano and voice in applied music to become a choral music teacher.

    Reply

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