Current Students – Undergraduate

Advising

Music Education advisors are assigned by the letter of your last name or by special status:

Music education majors should see an advisor at least twice during their program of study:

1. In the fall of the first year, where you will plan out your courses up to about your fourth semester that you will take your music education interview.
2. In the semester you take your music education interview (usually around the fourth semester), where you will plan your courses for student teaching and graduation.

By the completion of your music education interview, you will generally have an advising plan through to graduation. Upper-division students can and should come back for additional advising if they need to deviate from that plan before graduating.

Boise State University NAfME

Boise State University’s collegiate chapter of the National Association for Music Education (NAfME) is nationally recognized student run organization. In 2013, the chapter was presented a “Chapter of Excellence” Award by NAfME.

The collegiate chapter organizes several masterclasses on a variety of education topics presented by Treasure Valley educators. On the lighter side, the chapter presents a “Take a Risk” Recital each year where students are encouraged to perform on secondary instruments in front of a live audience.

For more information on how to join the collegiate chapter visit our webpage, OrgSync website and our Facebook page.

Boise State University Orff Schulwerk

Orff Schulwerk is a unique approach to music education based on the teachings of Carl Orff and Gunild Keetman. This child-centered approach combines speech, movement, and song in a creative, playful atmosphere where students experience the elements of music in an active way.

For more information or to become a member, visit the American Orff Schulwerk Association (AOSA) and the Idaho Orff Schulwerk Association (IOSA) pages.

For information on Orff Schulwerk at Boise State University visit our webpage.

Other Professional Organizations and Memberships:

American String Teachers Association (ASTA)

Amercan Choral Directors Association (ACDA)

Praxis Exam

Applications to the Teacher Education program and your certification from the State of Idaho require test scores from the Praxis II exam series. Please click the button below for more information on Praxis testing for music education majors. You can also visit the Office of Teacher Education page for assessment information, including required scores.

Praxis Exam Information

Professional Year

Your professional year consists of your Block I semester and Student Teaching semester. These should be your last two semesters before graduating. You can complete these two semesters in any order during the academic year (e.g. fall Block I followed by spring student teaching and graduation, or spring Block I followed by fall student teaching and graduation).

During your Block I semester you will complete all your final academic course requirements at the university, including your senior recital. During the semester, you will need to take a “block” of co-requisite courses in the College of Education. See the Four-year Suggested Schedule above for more information. Also this semester, you will be placed into a local school for part-time field experience, where you will complete 50 hours of work with an experience music educator. This field experience will consist of observation, lesson planning, and teaching in preparation for your full-time student teaching.

During your final semester, your only task will be student teaching. No other courses are taken during student teaching. Student teaching consists of a full-time placement in a local school, where you will work every day with an experience music educator. This will essentially be your full-time job, even though you will be registered for 16 credits with Boise State University. Music teachers around the country consistently cite student teaching as the greatest learning portion of the degree, where you will have the opportunity to apply the lessons learned from your academic courses in real world situations. Student teachers also meet two to three evenings a month on the university campus for group seminar.