Department of Music (06-07)
Assessment Planning Process
Graduate Program
a. Mission Statement:
The Department of Music (soon to be the School of Music) is a unit in the
College of Arts and Sciences of Western Carolina University, a comprehensive
state university. It is the only state university, accredited by NASM (National
Association of Schools of Music) in the western part of North Carolina which
offers three degrees at the graduate level with a music concentration. These
programs share a common core of courses followed by advanced study in
specialized areas. Each program can lead either into a professional position or
into further study at the graduate level. Each program serves both part time
and full time graduate students.
The Master of Music Degree in Performance is intended for those
students who already hold a music bachelors degree and desire more advanced
study in performance of an instrument. The Masters of Arts in Education
degree is available to students who have an undergraduate degree in music
education and a teaching certificate. The Masters of Arts in Teaching Degree is
available to students with an undergraduate degree in music (but not in music
education) who now wish to pursue a teaching career in the public schools.
Both the MAEd and the MAT degrees are co administered by the Department of
Music and the College of Education and Allied Professions and lead to Advanced
Competency” licensure.
b.
How the program mission/purpose aligns with the college and
institutional mission and vision
The University’s mission statement is: “Teaching and learning constitute
the central mission of Western Carolina University. The University seeks to
create a community of scholarship in which the activities of its members are
consistent with the highest standards of knowledge and practice in their
disciplines.
The commitment of the community to service, research and creative
activities complements the central mission and extends the benefits of its
scholarship to society. As a major public resource for Western North Carolina,
the university assists individuals and agencies in the region through the
expertise of its faculty, its staff and its students.”
The department complements the general objectives of the university by
providing quality curricula in music with professional and liberal arts
emphases. An atmosphere of scholarly and creative activity in music pedagogy,
research, composition, and performance leads to professional and community
service. The Department of Music primarily serves the western North Carolina
region while maintaining a national graduate and undergraduate student body.
The Department of Music serves as a primary source of musical culture and
education within the rural environment of western North Carolina through
musical performances, clinics, workshops, festivals, and consultant work.
c. Overarching program goals/objectives
Master of Music - Overview
The Master of Music (MM) degree is designed for those who wish to continue
performance studies that were begun at the undergraduate level. The
concentration in Performance can encompass vocal or instrumental
performance, Commercial and Electronic Music, composition, or piano
pedagogy. This degree may lead to further graduate study, private teaching, or
performance opportunities in a variety of occupations.
Master of Arts in Education - Overview
All applicants for the Master of Arts in Education degree (MAEd) must hold, or
be eligible to hold, a North Carolina Class "A" teaching license in music
education. Successful completion of the MAEd degree and requirements leads
to recommendation for North Carolina “Advanced Competency” licensure, which
may result in a significant salary increase. Students in this concentration may
specialize in choral music, Orff-Schulwerk, or instrumental music. The
concentration in Music Education is intended primarily for students planning
on careers in public education.
Master of Arts in Teaching - Overview
The Master of Arts in Teaching degree (MAT) is designed for students who hold
a Bachelor’s degree, but who are not licensed to teach in the public school
system. Candidates for this program may include 1) Recent graduates who
decided late in their undergraduate career that they want to enter teaching, 2)
Mid-career graduates with an undergraduate music degree who desire to make
a change in their professional lives, and 3) Retirees who hold an undergraduate
music degree and desire to teach.
All three of our degrees have the following three general goals/objectives:
1. Provide an opportunity for individual students to work closely with faculty
on specific interests and career-related projects.
2. Provide an in-depth study of musicianship based on historical, contextual,
theoretical and practical knowledge.
3. Provide a post-baccalaureate experience that emphasizes the foundations
and principles of music education at the elementary and/or secondary levels.
In addition to these three overarching goals and objectives, the graduate
degrees in music education have these additional goals and objectives:
1. Provide a post-baccalaureate experience specifically designed to improve
teaching skills.
2. Provide an opportunity for advanced research in music education.
d. Intended student learning outcomes
Outcomes
Experience/Activities
Assessment Methods
Students Will:
Outcomes
1. Write about music
at an appropriate
professional level
Experience/Activities
Music 601/various writing
assignments; Music
520/605/525
2. Apply appropriate
theoretical concepts to
the analysis of
representative musical
works.
3. Discuss
representative musical
works in a scholarly
historical context.
4. MM only
Demonstrate
professional level of
proficiency in
performance
5. MAED/MAT only
Music 520/525/622/605
Demonstrate
advanced competency
in the materials and
techniques of music
pedagogy
Assessment Methods
Faculty will evaluate
student writing samples
in music 601 using a
standard evaluation
rubric to be developed in
06-07
Faculty will evaluate the
program using sample
work to be assembled
into a portfolio.
Music
520/622/525/621/605
Faculty will evaluate
using rubric to be
developed in 09-10
Music
605/611/612/613/675
Hearings, juries, recitals,
ensemble performances
Music 695/640
Praxis, Student
Teaching, Class
evaluations, GA
evaluations