Music Education

The Music Education major is offered jointly by the School of Music and the Faculty of Education, and is perfect for you if you want to teach music in public schools.

Courses

Music Education majors take the same core courses as all Bachelor of Music students, including four years of lessons and ensemble participation, four years of theory, and one or two years of music history. Because of the number of required Education and Music Education courses, there is not a lot of room for elective (optional) courses.

Fifth Year

Please note that in order to teach in public schools in BC, you must complete both the four-year bachelor's degree and a fifth certification or professional year in a Faculty of Education. If you complete the Bachelor of Music with a major in Music Education, you are guaranteed acceptance into the professional year at UVic.

Career prospects

This major offers excellent career prospects for its graduates. All of the students who have completed both the Bachelor of Music and the professional year who have sought employment in public schools have been successful.

Please note: if you intend to teach music in public schools you should definitely take a Music Education major. If you take a different BMus major and decide later that you would like to teach in public schools, you may have to spend an extra year or two catching up.

Program Options

The Secondary Instrumental option is ideal for individuals who wish to become music specialists. This means that most graduates will not need to teach subjects other than music. They are likely to work as high school band directors, teaching related subjects.

For information about the specific course requirements of our Secondary Instrumental option, please see the UVic Calendar for required courses for the Major in Music Education Secondary (Instrumental).

The Secondary Choral option is a secondary teaching area, since choral programs are less numerous in BC schools.

For information about the specific course requirements of our Secondary Instrumental option, please see the UVic Calendar for required courses for the Major in Music Education Secondary (Choral).

The major in Music Education Elementary is no longer offered. If you are interested in teaching music in elementary schools, please contact the Education Advising Centre by calling 250-721-7877 or emailing adve@uvic.ca.

Another Option: BEd

If you are interested in teaching music, but have not been accepted into the Bachelor of Music program, you can also qualify to teach music in public schools by following a Bachelor of Education program with an emphasis in Music Education. The difference is that you will not be able to take lessons through the School of Music and will take fewer music courses than those in the BMus program. Please see the University Calendar for details.

Transfer Students

If you are going to transfer into the Music Education major program from a college in third year, you may have some catching up to do. This can often be done by "doubling up" on courses. If you are in this situation, please meet with an academic advisor (either in the School of Music or the Faculty of Education), who will help you plan your program.