Music Education Major
Through comprehensive, intensive, and personalized instruction, you’ll learn to teach what you love as a Music Education major at Drake.
College of Arts & Sciences | On-Campus
Program Options
Professional preparation, collaborative learning, critical thinking, and musical communication are at the core of each program in Drake’s Department of Music.
Bachelor of Music Education
Music Education majors are fluent both in teaching and performance. While instructional methods and professional education will account for the greatest share of your course load, you’ll also study applied music, music theory, and music history.
Choral/General Music Specialization
Hone your own vocal talent while learning how to teach vocal music classes and lead choir programs. You’ll take several classes in diction and choral conducting and have the chance to perform in the Drake Choir, our select touring group.
Instrumental/General Music Specialization
Deepen your technique as a string, wind, brass, percussion, or piano player while learning to manage instrumental music classes and conduct student ensembles. You can fulfill your ensemble requirement by performing in one of our bands or orchestras.
Concentration in Jazz Studies
Jazz is incredibly diverse. You’ll become an equally diverse performer in this concentration, as you study jazz styles, history, improvisational techniques, arranging, and composition. You might even record and perform your own work in the studio.
Meet the Faculty
Get ready to lead the way in K-12 music programs from renowned faculty who have extensive experience teaching in schools and colleges.
Outside the Classroom
Grow your résumé—as a teacher and performer—through an abundance of opportunities in Des Moines area schools, for local arts organizations, and even through study abroad trips.
Ensembles
From jazz to opera, choirs to orchestras, find your on-stage home in one of our award-winning ensembles. Ensembles frequently perform off-campus and even back professional musicians on records.
Internships and Local Performance Opportunities
Bulldogs are fixtures on the Des Moines music scene, performing in jazz clubs and coffee houses and with the Des Moines Symphony Orchestra. Some students volunteer with high school marching bands, show choirs, or the Heartland Youth Choir.
Classroom Observation/Practicum
Before stepping in front of your own classroom, you’ll observe master teachers at work. Spend 80 hours by their side, earning observation credit that counts toward professional licensure requirements. Additional field experiences let you implement teaching methods in multiple settings as you prepare for your capstone experience.
Full Semester of Student Teaching
You’ll put your skills to work in your senior year, when you’ll spend 15 weeks in a pair of area classrooms. Seasoned K-12 professionals will guide you as you learn what it takes to be a music teacher.
Qualify for a State of Iowa Educator’s License
All graduates qualify for a State of Iowa Educator’s License after completing the Music Education program.
Student Organizations
Step up and get involved on campus, in our community, and in our craft through one of our student groups. Join an international music fraternity, Drake’s Student Music Advisory Committee, or the National Association for Music Education.
Careers & Skills
As a graduate of Drake’s Music Education program, you’ll be in demand: we have a near-perfect track record of placing students in teaching jobs or graduate school over the past 10 years.
For your next endeavor, you’ll acquire the pedagogical skills you’ll need to lead a classroom at the same time you develop your own musical expertise. In tandem, every Music Education major participates in one of our ensembles while also having access to extensive classroom observation, recorded teaching lessons, senior seminars in music education, and a full semester of student teaching.
Opportunities
- Teach music (general music, band, choir, orchestra, and more) in school districts in Iowa. Recent graduates are teaching in Des Moines, West Des Moines, Johnston, Urbandale, Ankeny, Southeast Polk, Norwalk, Indianola, Waukee, and others.
- Graduates can apply to transfer their teaching license to another state. Recent graduates are teaching in school districts in Texas, Illinois, Arizona, and others.
Skills
- Become proficient in vocal or instrumental performance while also building keyboard skills
- Learn to perform in an ensemble
- Get real-world teaching experience as you observe professional educators and lead your own classroom
- Develop critical thinking and communication skills through the Drake Curriculum
Salary & Growth Outlook
Average salary for music teachers in the U.S. as of 2025. (Salary.com)
Student Testimonials
Take the Next Step
Forge a direct path to a classroom of your own with a Music Education degree from Drake. Find out more.
