Advanced Degree in Music Education (M.M. or M.S.)

Advance your teaching skills in three summers in residence, complete your advanced training in graduate music education.

Our graduate degrees - the master of music (M.M.) or master of science (M.S.) in music education - are designed to advance your skills as an educator and foster your professional success at the highest level. Our goal is to broaden your knowledge of contemporary trends in music education and refine your teaching skills through research, reflection, and interaction with leaders in the field. You will receive one-on-one faculty mentoring, and work with some of the top music professors in the world.

It takes just three summers of study in residence - five to six weeks each summer - to complete either music education graduate degree. The summers need not be consecutive, but the program must be completed in 6 years.

Each degree requires 30 credits of graduate study. For the M.M., all credits are completed in music. For the M.S., 6 credits must be completed in graduate-level study in another field (students generally transfer these credits into our program from previous graduate-level studies). The master’s degree in music education leads to permanent certification in New York State and in all other states that accept this certification. The capstone experience includes a teaching demonstration and submission of a process portfolio created during your coursework. 

Notable strengths of the Ithaca College Summer Graduate Music Education Program
  • Over 50 nationally and internationally respected residential faculty members
  • Excellent graduate assistantship opportunities, including participation in our Summer Music Academy
  • Individualized mentoring, dynamic seminar classes, and pedagogy modeled by experience music education faculty members
  • A series of core classes that focus on pedagogy, research and philosophical foundations, as well as contemporary educational issues, methodology, and resources;
  • A rich offering of music elective courses, some of which rotate in a three-year cycle and others of which are special offerings. Select from a wide range of topics, including curriculum development, music technology, special learners, multicultural music, and administration and supervision;
  • A valuable opportunity for two summers of one-on-one mentoring by one of our widely recognized faculty members.

Study Alongside Active Students at Our Premiere Facilities

In the best tradition of graduate music education, you will gain expertise through private instruction, focused mentoring, and a wide range of coursework. 

Your experiences will also be enhanced by the College's superb performance and teaching facilities. Completed in 1999, the James J. Whalen Center for Music added 69,000 square feet to the existing 72,000 square feet in Ford Hall, the music school's home since 1965. Major spaces in the Whalen Center include:

  • Recital halls
  • Faculty teaching studios
  • Ensemble library
  • Piano and instrument repair facilities
  • Computer labs
  • State-of-the-art recording studios

The four-story atrium connecting the new construction to the original building is breathtaking. And the overall effect is one of beauty, functionality, and inspiration. 

An Emphasis on Performance

Under the guidance of professionals on the faculty, graduate students in music education continue to develop as musicians while expanding their knowledge of varied pedagogic techniques. All summer graduate music education students have the option of taking private lessons on their instruments and the opportunity to take part in an ensemble.

While the exact line up of ensembles will vary depending on the instrumentation available, past offerings have included:

  • Chamber orchestra
  • Chorus
  • Concert band
  • Chamber ensembles

You will prepare for musical performances through weekly private lessons and one-hour repertory classes with major teachers and classmates. Repertory classes are structured to provide you with opportunities to perform for each other, review performance techniques, and meet guest artists. 

Please see the Calendar of Events for the latest information on upcoming performances and events.