Skip to main content

Master of Music in Music Education In-Person

Cambridge, MA

  • Graduate Degree, In-Person
  • 10 months, 40 credit hours
  • Fully accredited; leads to initial teaching license in Massachusetts
  • VA-approved
MM/ME Faculty
In Person / On Campus

Ellie MacPhee joined Longy’s inaugural class of the Master of Music in Music Education program. She grew up in South Carolina and began her path as a musician with traditional folk and bluegrass tunes, which propelled her to study classical violin. She has integrated her strong convictions about prison reform and community engagement—with her own artistry and leadership—to make a serious impact.

Meet Ellie MacPhee, MM/ME ‘21

Program Highlights

Longy’s In-Person Master of Music in Music Education degree is rooted in socially engaged and culturally responsive music education for the classroom. Graduate with your Master’s in just 10 months, plus we’ll prepare you for initial teaching licensure in Massachusetts public schools! The program is open to inspired artists from all musical backgrounds—classical, pop, world, folk, jazz, instrumental, vocal, conducting, and more.

The MM/ME curriculum explores the pedagogy foundational to the El Sistema teaching programs that are changing the lives of children in underserved communities through intensive music instruction. You’ll gain immediate experience, working with underserved youth in Greater Boston-area public schools and El Sistema-inspired sites. Plus, you’ll have full access to the resources of Longy’s conservatory campus, including studio lessons, ensembles, and performance opportunities in a musically rich, supportive environment.

Learn more about Longy’s Music Teacher Education Program, including a fully Online Master of Music in Music Education degree program—designed especially for educators who seek an advanced degree without taking time off from their careers—and Teacher Education Summer Professional Development workshops.

Why pursue your MM/ME at Longy?

Teaching is much more than a profession; it is a calling. Many music educators enter the field hoping to instill a love of music in others. Some wish to give students the opportunities they wish they had themselves growing up, to ensure that all students have access to a quality music education, regardless of where students come from. Still others want to feel content in their professional lives, hoping to do more with the gifts they have been given.

Regardless of your “why, consider Longy as a path to get you there. The 10-month, research-based, on-campus Master of Music in Music Education program is designed with teaching artists and musicians in mind. With a focus on social justice, access, equity and inclusion in pre-K-12 music education, the program prepares students to successfully enter the field of music education as practicing educators ready to make their mark in public and private schools, as well as community organizations around the world.

With an eye towards the future of schooling, our progressive faculty prepare students to successfully meet the needs of both national education mandates and pre-K-12 students, including over 400 hours in the classroom during the program. Upon graduation, students are poised to become pre-K-12 certified experts and leaders in the field of music education, where they serve as models of culturally responsive and relevant teaching in today’s schools. There is no time better than the present to turn your “why” into “why not?” Let us give you the tools to help you get there! We look forward to welcoming you into our community! 

Admissions Requirements

  • Bachelor’s degree, post-secondary conservatory diploma, or demonstrated equivalent credential required
  • Academic and performance record demonstrating the capacity to excel in full-time studies
  • Applicants in performance must present an audition

Audition

Video recordings required for applicants to the MM/ME (In-Person) program.

Please prepare 10 minutes of video that demonstrates your music teaching and/or your artistic interest, focus, and profile. The MM/ME program welcomes musicians of all backgrounds (classical, jazz, folk, world, etc.) and there are no repertoire limitations. Your audition portfolio should be focused on your primary instrument or concentration, and we encourage you to include video examples of your teaching background to supplement your application (optional). Video recordings can be uploaded individually or as a single file.

Curriculum

SUMMER
Historical and Social Foundations of Music Education
Identity and Culture in the Classroom
Initial Licensure in Music
Learning by Design
String Methods I: Violin and Viola
Technology in Music Education

FALL
Adaptive Music Methods
Choral Methods
Conducting I
Creative Approaches to Music Education
Culturally Responsive Teaching
Ensemble Arranging
Licensure and Pre-Practicum Seminar
Secondary Piano
Woodwind Methods

WINTER
Brass Methods
Community Music
Conducting II
Creating Music
Percussion Methods
String Methods II: Cello and Bass

SPRING
Practicum Seminar

MMME Academic Calendar (In Person)