Bachelor of Music in Music Education

Gaining Teaching Experience

Music education students at Michigan State University have myriad opportunities to practice teaching before they reach student teaching, through their coursework, the MSU Community Music School, and through other outreach initiatives.

All students begin fieldwork with observations of area teachers in their Introduction to Music Education class, taken during the freshman year, and begin to practice-teach in limited, directed experiences in schools during their sophomore foundations class. In specialized methods classes, students are more fully immersed in environments such as Early Childhood, Suzuki, or New Horizon Band classes at the MSU Community Music School, as well as in area band, orchestra, choir, and general music classes.

Students may also participate in outreach and engagement initiatives. Qualified students have the opportunity to be paid assistants in the Early Childhood or Suzuki programs at the Community Music Schools in East Lansing and Detroit, typically after completing pertinent coursework. Other service learning opportunities are available through the college's Outreach and Engagement office.