School Information

Music & Dance N101 Alexander, 734.487.4380 

Christopher Barrick, DMA, Director

Advisor Information

Brandon Johnson, D.M.A, N101 Alexander, 734.487.0280

School of Music & Dance Admission

All prospective students (including transfers) must apply to the School of Music & Dance and complete an entrance audition. Admissions information and access to the School’s online application are available on the School’s website. Applications must be submitted at least seven days in advance of the requested audition day.

In addition to the degree requirements stated below, students must learn and abide by additional School of Music & Dance policies on the School’s website.

Teacher Certification

Successful completion of this course of study, which leads to the Bachelor of Music Education degree, in the context of other program requirements, qualifies the student for recommendation for the Michigan Department of Education Secondary Standard Certificate endorsed in music education (K-12), certification code JQ. The Michigan Test for Teacher Certification (MTTC) covering this field is #099, “Music.”

Initial Teacher Preparation Program Admission

To pursue the sequence of courses necessary to complete eligibility for a recommendation for certification, one must apply for and be admitted to the teacher preparation program. Admission requirements are common for all teacher preparation programs, except that certain special education programs have additional requirements.

Admission to the teacher preparation program is not automatic. Only those persons who have formally applied are considered for admission. Not all persons who apply become eligible for admission.

Teaching majors and minors are unofficial until program admission. Students pursuing teacher certification should follow the catalog that exists at the time of program admission. Students must apply to the teacher preparation program as soon as they have earned 56 credit hours.

Admission Criteria

• Completion of 56 credit hours
• Appropriate cumulative GPA. One of:
  • An overall EMU GPA of 2.5 or higher based on a minimum of 12 credit hours taken at EMU. An EMU GPA of 2.5 or higher in your major, based on at least one course in your major. The Elementary Education Major is comprehensive; therefore, the elementary major GPA is based on the cumulative liberal arts curriculum and content course work.
  • Transferred 56 credits with a cumulative 3.0 GPA from all previous institutions.
• A grade of “C” or higher (if taken) in the following courses: WRTG 121 , COMM 124 , Quantitative Reasoning [GEQR] , one lab science, and all professional education courses (If special education, PSY 101 ).
• ICHAT criminal background check and Statement of Civil/Criminal Convictions. If you answered yes to any of the civil/criminal conviction questions on the application, you would need to provide:
  • A copy of the Judgment of Sentence, or Registrar of Actions, or Certification of Conviction. A written explanation of the offense(s).
  • Application of students with civil/criminal convictions will be carefully reviewed and may take longer to process.
• Meet academic, social, moral, and financial obligations as a member of the EMU community.

General Education Requirements:

For specific requirements, see General Education  or view the General Education Worksheet [PDF] .  

Major Requirements: 65-67 hours

Professional Education Sequence: 39 hours

• Pre-Admission Phase - The Learner and the Community: 12 hours

• EDPS 222 Human Development and Learning 4 hrs
• MUED 180 Introduction to Music Education 2 hrs
• MUED 280 Introduction to Ensemble Pedagogy 3 hrs
• SPGN 251 Introduction to Inclusion and Disabilities Studies in a Diverse Society [GEUS] 3 hrs

•  

  Phase I - Curriculum, Assessment, and Social Context: 6 hours

  Completion of the pre-admission phase is required before taking the following courses. In addition, one hundred clock hours of approved pre-student teaching field experiences are required throughout Phases 1 and 2.

• MUED 330 Elementary General Music Methods 3 hrs
• SFCE 328W Schools for a Diverse and Democratic Society [GEWI] 3 hrs

•  

  Phase II - Content Methods, Literacy, and Technology: 9 hours

  Completion of the previous phases is required, before taking the following courses.

• MUED 335 Technology and Modern Methods 3 hrs
• RDNG 311 Teaching Reading in the Secondary School 3 hrs

• Choose one course from the following:

• MUED 333 Orchestral Methods 3 hrs
• MUED 334 Band Methods 3 hrs

•  

  Phase III - Capstone Experience: 12 hours

  Completion of the previous phases is required before taking the following courses. In addition, one hundred clock hours of approved pre-student teaching field experiences are required throughout Phases 1 and 2.

  All Bachelor of Music Education students must pass a program-specific screening exam before being approved for student teaching.

• EDUC 496L4 Student Teaching [GELB] 6 hrs
• EDUC 497L4 Student Teaching [GELB] 6 hrs

Concert and Recital Attendance Graduation Requirement

Each student must attend a specified number of recitals/concerts (events) to earn their degree, as described below.

Bachelor of Music Performance - 80 events (10 per semester for 8 semesters). For students who transferred to EMU, 10 per semester while studying at EMU.

All other music degrees - 72 events (9 per semester for 8 semesters). For students who transferred to EMU, 9 per semester while studying at EMU.

Procedure:

Please see the School of Music & Dance for applicable events (website).

• Students are strongly encouraged to attend the indicated number of events per semester for their major. Students will receive credit for no more than 30 events per academic year.
• Music Education and Music Therapy students should complete this requirement before student teaching or internship (exceptions approved by the School Director).
• Students must attend an entire event to receive credit. Students who participate in more than 50% of an event as a performer may not count that event towards the attendance requirement.

EMU Events -

• When available, please pick up an attendance card from a faculty greeter before the event start and return it to the faculty member after the event. The faculty member will initial your card and submit it to the Music & Dance office.
• For events without a faculty greeter, a program signed by any faculty member after the event is also acceptable. Be sure that both your name and student number are listed on the program and submit it to the Music & Dance office within 14 days of the event.

Non-EMU Events -

• Submit your ticket stub (for ticketed events) or program (for non-ticketed events) to the Music & Dance office within 14 days of the event. Your applied teacher must sign programs before submitting them (Students not currently enrolled in applied music may have their program signed by any faculty member). Be sure that both your name and EID are listed on the ticket stub or program.

Checking your concert and recital attendance credits:

You may check the number of events for which you have been credited on the School of Music & Dance website (emich.edu/music-dance/music/current-students/recital-credit). Enter your EID., click submit, and your personalized report of recital credits to date will be displayed on your screen.

When you are ready to graduate and your final audit is being completed, your advisor will approve your Concert and Recital Attendance requirement, and your U-achieve audit will reflect that this requirement has been met.

What to do if you still have questions about this policy? Contact the School Director or your faculty advisor.

Minor Requirement:

This major does not require a minor.

Program Total:

Students must earn a minimum total of 120 credits at the 100-level or above.

Critical Graduation Information

Each undergraduate student will be responsible for fulfilling the requirements (or their equivalents) of the Eastern Michigan University catalog in force at the time of their initial registration at a college or university or a subsequent catalog, including the one in effect at the time of their graduation.

In the event an undergraduate student does not complete the degree requirements within seven years of the date of their original registration at a college or university, the student may be required to have their credits re-evaluated by the academic department(s) of their major/minor in keeping with catalog requirements in force during the year of their graduation.

Minimum requirements for all bachelor’s degrees awarded by Eastern Michigan University

Some majors and minors require more than the minimum in one or more of the areas below; students are urged to consult this catalog for the requirements of their particular programs.

• Earn a minimum total of 120 credit hours at the 100-level and above.
  • Courses numbered below 100 are not counted toward this degree requirement.
  • At most, eight credit hours of physical education (PEGN) activity courses are counted toward this requirement.
• Meet the requirements of the General Education program (see information below), including completing a Writing Intensive (GEWI) course in the student’s major.
• Earn a minimum of 60 credits from a four-year college or university; courses taken at community colleges cannot be used to meet this requirement (Some formal program-to-program articulation agreements modify this requirement. See specific agreements for details).
• Earn a minimum of 30 credits from courses taken at EMU.
• Complete 10 of the last 30 hours for the degree from courses taken at EMU.
• Have a minimum of 30 unique credit hours in their major and 20 unique credit hours in their minor for a total of at least 50 unique credit hours between them. Some majors that require 50 or more hours themselves do not require a minor. A double major automatically satisfies the need for a minor unless one of the two majors requires a specific minor. Students should check the requirements of the selected major in the undergraduate catalog to see if a minor is required. 
• Earn no more than 60 credit hours in one subject area (prefix). Credits over the 60 maximum will not be counted toward the minimum of 120 credits required for a bachelor’s degree.
• Earn the minimum number of credits in 300-level and above courses in each major and minor as specified below - these credits must be earned in distinct courses; that is, no course can be used to fulfill this requirement in more than one major or minor.
  • Earn a minimum of 6 credits in 300-level or higher courses at EMU in each minor
  • Earn a minimum of 9 credits in 300-level or higher courses at EMU in each major that requires a minor.
  • Earn a minimum of 15 credits in 300-level or higher courses at EMU in each major that does not require a minor
• Transfer credit will be awarded for courses taken at colleges and universities that are accredited by one of the recognized regional accrediting bodies only if the courses are college-level (equated to 100-level or above at EMU) and the student earned a “C” (or 2.0 on a 4 point scale) or better. Transfer credit may be awarded on a case-by-case basis for college-level courses in which a “C” (2.0) or better was earned at institutions outside the U.S. or at non-accredited U.S. institutions; individual departments/schools conduct the internal review of such courses within EMU, and additional documentation may be required. Please note: EMU awards only credit for transferred courses; grades are not used to calculate an EMU GPA.
• Earn a minimum cumulative GPA of 2.0 in courses taken at EMU to graduate. In addition, a minimum cumulative GPA of 2.0 must be reached in each major and minor. Only courses a student takes at EMU and those applied to their major or minor are used to calculate their major and minor cumulative GPAs. (Note: some programs may require a higher GPA - check with your program advisor.)

General Education Requirements - EMU’s General Education Program requires students to choose from a menu of approved courses in several different areas; do not assume that other courses in the same department or similar names will fulfill these requirements. A detailed description of General Education requirements is available in the General Education  section of the catalog.

Students who transferred to EMU may have modified general education requirements based on Michigan Transfer Agreement (MTA) or articulation agreements; consult your academic advisor for additional information.