What is Music Education?

Have you ever had a day where nothing is going right, and then you pop in your earbuds, and your favorite song starts to play? Instantly, you feel a shift because music is powerful.

Hundreds of scientific studies demonstrate the benefits of music. It enhances cognitive ability by improving memory, creativity, and self-confidence. Music also plays a vital role in cultural traditions and their impact on humanity. Instruction, music labs, therapeutic music classes, band camps, and performing arts productions are all important parts of music education. If you are ready to be a real-world influencer, keeping musical traditions alive, a music education degree is for you.

Why study music education at Baker University?

If you are passionate about music and ready to share it with the next generation of learners, then Baker University’s music education program is for you. You will receive the personal attention of a small school and the performance opportunities of a large one. Baker University has one of the best music programs in the region. You will have the chance to perform in music labs or even take that performance on the road in regional or national competitions. Most important, Baker’s music education program gives you the skills and confidence to educate the next generation of musicians.

Program Information

Format & Locations

Campus

College/School

College of Arts & Sciences

Degree type

Undergraduate

Credential type

Bachelor of Music Education (BME)

Shaping Tomorrow’s Musicians: Teacher Licensure

Along with music curriculum, our students complete a core of education courses that lead to preK-12 licensure in general music, vocal music, or instrumental music. Students pursuing a degree in music education and teacher licensure work closely with faculty advisors from the School of Education to fulfill the requirements for a degree from Baker University and teacher licensure in Kansas. Graduates leave with the skills and confidence to take on a classroom of their own.

Learn More

A choir of about 25 singers on risers, with a conductor and pianist on a dark stage.

Career Opportunities for Music Education Majors

Here are jobs for music education majors:

Music teacher
Music therapist
Music historian
Musician
Singer/songwriter
Music conductor
Choreographer
Musicologist
Music director
Ethnomusicologist

Young man in glasses playing a clarinet, reading sheet music on a stand.

Scholarships

Music Scholarships by Audition

Continue your love for music. Baker offers scholarships to students in any major for their participation in Baker University music ensembles and activities.

Scholarship Auditions

The Department of Music and Theatre gives these awards with financial prizes to be applied to the following year’s tuition:

Mildred Hunt Riddle Departmental Recognition Scholarship for Music
Chris Grubb Memorial Jazz Scholarship
Robert E. Dunham Memorial Scholarship
Linda H. Dreyer Endowed Scholarship
Dorothy Foreman Memorial Scholarship
Kristin Cooper Memorial Scholarship
Dr. John and Dr. Susan Buehler Choral Music Education Scholarship
Talent-based scholarships for participation in Baker University music ensembles and activities.

Other Baker Scholarships

Young woman with brown hair playing a silver flute with concentration.

Vocal Ensembles

Baker University’s vibrant music ensembles form a vital part of the performing arts experience. With abundant performance opportunities, students of any major can join and showcase their talents, driven by a shared passion for music. The auditioned Concert Choir and Chamber Singers welcome all dedicated and enthusiastic musicians.

Concert Choir
Concert Choir is the premier large choral ensemble at Baker University. The 40-voice choir performs once or twice during the semester in campus concerts, for chapel services, at official university events, as well as in area churches and schools. A highlight of the year is the traditional Christmas Candlelight Vespers each December. Recent masterworks collaborations include the Midwest premier of Mark Hayes’ Requiem, performed in Rice Auditorium in 2014, and Vaughan Williams’ Dona nobis pacem performed at the Kauffman Center for the Performing Arts in 2015. In 2017, the choir joined in a performance of Mozart’s Vesperae solennes de confessore, K. 339 at Grace Cathedral in Topeka.

Chamber Singers
This is a select ensemble drawn from Concert Choir membership. Chamber Singers regularly perform at the same events as the Concert Choir, as well as in smaller settings as requested. Specializing in unaccompanied repertoire, this group sings everything from Renaissance madrigals to vocal jazz.

Instrumental Ensembles

At Baker’s Music Department, we welcome musicians of all backgrounds, from tuba players to cellists. Explore a wide array of ensembles, including Symphonic Winds, Wildcat Pep Band, Drum Line, Orchestra, Jazz Ensemble, and Percussion Ensemble, alongside various chamber groups. No matter your major, your passion for music is all you need to join and shine.

Symphonic Band
The Symphonic Band is the centerpiece of the instrumental music program. Open to both music and nonmusic majors, the Symphonic Band performs contemporary as well as traditional literature for the wind ensemble. The band performs for campus concerts and ceremonial functions. The band tours each spring and often features guest artists and conductors. It provides a challenging and invigorating musical experience for Baker students through professional-caliber, yet non-intimidating rehearsals and concerts. During past Interterms, the band has performed in England, Taiwan, Korea and Japan.

Orchestra
The Orchestra includes both a string orchestra that plays much of the chamber music from the baroque and classical periods and a full orchestra that concentrates more on the music of the romantic and contemporary eras. The Orchestra performs for a variety of campus and community functions. Numerous instrumental ensembles and chamber groups are offered each semester within the orchestra.

Wildcat Pride Pep Band
The Wildcat Pride Pep Band includes all fall semester Symphonic Band members. The band performs at all Baker home football games and provides the music for homecoming and other athletic events throughout the fall semester. Members also march in Baldwin City’s annual Maple Leaf Festival parade.

Wildcat Drum Line
Our Wildcat Drum Line is an exciting new ensemble that provides percussion students the opportunity to perform at athletic events, various school functions, and community events.

Jazz Ensemble
Selected by audition, the Jazz Ensemble is in demand to perform at a variety of events throughout the greater Kansas City area. The ensemble also presents concerts on campus with visiting guest artists, attends a major jazz festival or tours each spring, and hosts the Baker Invitational Jazz Festival each fall. In addition, the Jazz Ensemble presents a special concert each year to raise funds for the Chris Grubb Memorial Scholarship.

Instrumental Chamber Ensembles
Players enjoy jazz combo, Dixieland, brass, woodwind, percussion and string ensembles of all sizes. Performances are as varied as the groups and feature these groups both on and off campus.
Concert Choir
Monday, Wednesday, Friday, 2:30 – 3:20 p.m.
McKibbin Recital Hall

Chamber Singers
Tuesday, Thursday, 2 – 3:15 p.m.
McKibbin Recital Hall

Treble Choir
Monday, Wednesday, 3:30 – 4:20 p.m.
McKibbin Recital Hall

Orchestra
Tuesday, Thursday, 3:30 – 5:20 p.m.
Friday, 3:30 – 5:20 p.m.
McKibbin Recital Hall

Symphonic Band
Monday – Thursday, 4:30 – 5:20 p.m.
Friday, 3:30 – 4:20 p.m.
Room 108 Owens Musical Arts Building

Jazz Ensemble
Monday, Wednesday, Friday, 12:30 – 1:20 p.m.
Room 108 Owens Musical Arts Building

Drumline
Monday, Wednesday, 6 – 7:20 p.m.
Room 108 Owens Musical Arts Building

Instrumental Chamber Ensembles
Schedule varies