The P-12 Music Education program is a collaboration between Mercer’s Tift College of Education and the Townsend School of Music. This degree provides undergraduate professional training for students who are seeking a career in teaching music in elementary through secondary school. Students completing this curriculum are prepared for State of Georgia P-12 teaching certification in choral and instrumental music. In order for teachers to create a classroom environment where music can be appreciated and performed, they must have a strong background in music content, including music history and theory, performance, orchestration, conducting, sight reading, vocal and instrumental pedagogy, and appreciation. In a combination of music classes, education theory and methodology classes, and field experiences, students will develop the skills necessary to blend theory and practice, and become an effective music educator.

Upon completion of the program, students will be prepared to: Understand how students learn music in classes and rehearsals and how that learning can be assessed. Understand about diverse genres, styles, and periods of music in order to better facilitate student understanding of both musical tradition and diversity. Engage music students in a well-planned sequence of learning experiences such as appropriate music repertoire, teaching materials which lead to clearly defined skills and knowledge Emphasize learning which demonstrates the relationships within the arts and the interrelatedness of music with disciplines outside the arts, especially social studies and language arts Utilize learning tasks which involve current technology in order to individualize and expand music learning