New Graduate Program in Music Education

UNCW has introduced a new Music Education Post-Baccalaureate Certificate. The program, designed for in-service music teachers, expands on the professional development UNCW has delivered to hundreds of music teachers across the country for the past two decades. Courses and field experiences emphasize Orff-Schulwerk, an internationally-acclaimed approach that facilitates student creativity through movement and music education.

“The Music Department is excited to offer a new graduate certificate in Orff-Schulwerk,” said Dan Johnson, music professor and program coordinator. “Our program is specifically focused on one of the most important but often overlooked segments of music teaching – general classroom music at the elementary level. Orff-Schulwerk is the most successful and widely practiced approach to classroom music and our program is the only one of its kind in the state and one of the few across the country that leads to an Orff Certificate of Completion, accredited by our national organization (AOSA).”

The 18-credit hour program features three two-week intensive summer courses, followed by applied learning labs that teachers complete in their own classrooms during the following semester. Courses are led by faculty with national and international reputations as teacher-educators, and the program culminates with a capstone course in curriculum development, offered as a summer study-abroad at the Orff Institute in Salzburg, Austria with an alternative on-campus option.

For no additional cost, students enrolled in the music education certificate program also have the opportunity to participate in UNCW’s National Board Certification Support program, which helps teachers attain the highest possible certification in the teaching profession and leads to a 12 percent pay raise. The WCE NB support program works with candidates to determine a personalized pathway to complete all four components for successful submission. Candidates work with a network of National Board Certified teachers to guide them through this opportunity for professional advancement.

“In response to requests for graduate-level education, we have designed our certificate to deliver nationally accredited summer courses, sequential, applied learning in the classroom, and National Board Certification,” Dr. Johnson said. “Our approach to the Orff-Schulwerk pedagogy is authentic. Informed by my experience as a Fulbright scholar and visiting professor at the Orff Institute in Salzburg, Austria, my co-teachers and I deliver a version of this student-centered and creative instruction that is true to the original. We are proud to continue that legacy at UNCW, and look forward to welcoming our first graduate students in music education to UNCW this summer.”

UNCW’s Graduate School is now accepting applications for classes that begin in June 2024. For more information please visit the program webpage or contact Dr. Daniel Johnson at johnsond@uncw.edu.