Earn your master’s in music education while on summer break

Take your music education career to the next level without taking time off from teaching through the Gordon College master’s degree in music education. This unique summer-only hybrid program combines online and on-campus coursework with peer-led music lab ensembles that will improve both your musicianship and teaching skills.


Join us for a virtual information session

This informational session will take place via zoom on Tuesday, November 12 at 7:15 p.m. and it is not to be missed!

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Why choose a master’s in music education at Gordon?

A degree in music education from Gordon will give you the balance of practical and theoretical preparation you need to be an effective teacher and music education advocate. This music education degree is also designed to create an inspiring learning environment that elevates your musicianship and creates a close-knit community.

Designed to fit around your schedule:

SUMMER SCHEDULE AT-A-GLANCE

ONLINE

3 weeks in June
Asynchronous online learning to engage with material and interact with peers and faculty while finishing K-12 teaching calendar.

ON CAMPUS

2 weeks in July
Courses continue in classrooms and ensembles, preserving the integrity of personal interaction and collaborative music-making.

WORKSHOP WEEK

1 week in July
Courses pause for workshops where you can earn elective credit and learn from nationally recognized clinicians.

ON CAMPUS

2 weeks in July/August
Courses resume, culminating with ensemble performances where students demonstrate choral, general and instrumental music activities.

One of the most versatile master's in music education summer programs, Gordon's music education degree is designed around a teacher’s schedule, with the majority of the coursework taking place over three consecutive summers. During the academic year between the second and third summer, students choose fall or spring semester to implement a field-based experience capstone research project in their own classrooms.

You then continue your music education degree courses on campus in beautiful Wenham, Massachusetts near the sea for five weeks of in-person instruction starting in July. Included in the music education degree requirements is a week of intensive workshop electives that enable you to dive deeper into your particular interests, teaching age group or discipline with a nationally recognized music education clinician.

After three consecutive summers, you then apply your studies in your own classroom during a capstone course.

All of Gordon’s master’s degree in music education faculty have K-12 public school music teaching experience and will challenge you to reach your full potential as a music educator and musician. Because faculty have been in your shoes both as teachers and as master's in music education students, you will receive the unwavering encouragement, commitment to high standards, support and flexibility you need to complete your music education degree requirements and achieve your career goals.

MAKE MUSIC WITH YOUR PEERS EVERY DAY

Unique among master's in music education summer programs, Gordon’s program features The Lab Ensemble course experience. During your time on campus, you will alternate daily participation in an instrumental, choral, and general music lab ensemble setting and make music with your music education colleagues. All master's in music education degree students come together for these master class rehearsal experiences so you can mimic real-world teaching scenarios, gain versatility, and support your peer educators from a diverse range of music teaching disciplines.

Develop a professional and artistic community

Relationships and shared experiences with your master's in music education peers will empower you to improve your teaching and to grow as a music educator and musician. Your cohort will include the same group of 10 to 15 students throughout the program, allowing for the development of professional and peer relationships that will continue long after you complete your music education degree.

Benefits of Gordon’s master’s degree in music education

Gordon’s master's in music education program has an outstanding reputation in Massachusetts and beyond for the very applicable skills our graduates bring directly into their music programs. But the benefits don’t stop there.


BOOST YOUR SALARY

Completion of Gordon’s master's in music education leads to endorsement for the professional teaching license in music, paving the way to your highest earning potential.

CUSTOMIZE YOUR EXPERTISE

Each summer you can choose from a selection of eight to nine workshop elective master's degree in music education courses taught by renowned clinicians from around the country.

Get field-based experience

Apply what you learn in this master's in music education program directly in your classroom during your Field Based Experience Capstone, with mentoring and observation from Gordon faculty.

Enjoy world-class facilities

As a master's in music education student, you’ll have access to state-of-the-art music teaching and learning spaces, such as the breathtaking Phillips Recital Hall, designed by William L. Rawn.

a photo of Alexis Phillips, a recent graduate of the master’s in music education program at Gordon College

“Each cohort has its own personal connection and you really become a team that works together for a common goal of bringing better music education to our students in a context that is relevant and applicable to the uncertain and changing world we are living in.”
—ALEXIS PHILLIPS, M.M.ED. '23

Concert Band and Concert Chorus Director, Tri-M Music Honor Society Advisor, Pep Band Director; Leicester High School, MA.

Explore our master's in music education courses

Gordon’s 30-credit master's degree in music education degree combines research with the practice of musicianship, and is informed by the most current best-practice music teaching methodologies. Our music education degree requirements focus on the application of knowledge and theory to the practice and process of music teaching and learning through daily instrumental lab ensembles that reflect the experiences of the students in your own classrooms. Gordon College is fully accredited by the National Association of Schools of Music (NASM) and the DESE (Department of Elementary and Secondary Education for state teaching licensure endorsement).

VIEW DEGREE REQUIREMENTS

$650

cost per credit

3+1

finish in 3 summers,
1 year of fieldwork