Conservatory programs and music schools in Tennessee focus on teaching strong technique. Through private lessons and productivity opportunities, students develop the confidence, discipline and technical skills necessary for a successful career.
Graduates of music schools in Tennessee go on to perform in orchestras, become musicians, teach music and contribute to the industry.
Nashville, Tennessee is one of the most popular destinations for budding musicians. Singers and other musicians come from all over the world to create the capital’s melting pot.
Are There Music Schools In Tennessee?
There are about 40 schools in the state that offer bachelor’s and master’s programs in this field. Below are profiles of the top 11 schools that offer music programs in Tennessee.
People looking to study music in Tennessee have several schools to choose from. Programs lead to bachelor’s, master’s, and doctoral degrees; Many schools also offer graduate certificates and minors in music.
Students who want to teach music can pursue a music education, while those who want to become a professional musician can choose to major in performance. Concentrations and specializations are offered by many schools, especially for performance-based degrees.
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How Much Do Music Schools Cost In Tennessee?
The average tuition for a music college in Tennessee is estimated to be around $18,000 per year, and any music degree program takes four years to complete. So, if you are considering universities, here are the best music production schools in Texas:
Some prospective students prefer to pursue their education at a state or public university. It’s that simple! And to be honest, the reason is simple: to gain a deeper understanding of the field of music production.
However, studying at music universities instead of vocational schools will cost much more.
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What Are The Requirements For Music Schools In Tennessee?
What is required for admission to a music program is different from a standard college or university. Many schools offer concentrations and specializations, especially for performance-based degrees.
Each full-time semester in Ensemble of Record that is appropriate for their program of study and their major instrument or voice, music majors must participate.
All music majors must pass a piano proficiency exam before enrolling in upper-level music courses. Each music course must be passed with a grade of “C” or better for music majors. A student will have to retake the course if they receive a lower grade.
Each full-time semester, music majors must enroll in private tuition (applied music) on their primary instrument or voice.
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What Are The Best Music Schools In Tennessee?
Tennessee State University
Tennessee State University at Nashville is home to a Master of Music Education program as well as a Bachelor of Music program with concentrations in commercial music, liberal arts, and music education.
Students choosing the commercial music concentration can further specialize in business, performance, or technology. Depending on their interests, students study marketing, production, advertising and music theory.
They also have the opportunity to participate in a variety of ensembles or bands and take advantage of the university’s theatre, music halls, radio station, editing studios and rehearsal spaces.
Tennessee Technological University
Located in Cookeville, Tennessee Tech University offers a specialization in music education and music performance as part of the Bachelor of Music program.
Music majors study an instrumental or vocal program for K-12 students, while music majors focus on composition, jazz, music business, piano, or vocals.
Students majoring in music business study topics in microeconomics, marketing, and recording technology. They also have several opportunities to perform in ensembles or the Bryan Symphony Orchestra, which serves the regional community.
University of Memphis
This University of Memphis Bachelor of Music program is designed for students who wish to become professional musicians or are preparing for graduate school.
Prospective students must pass an interview and audition before enrolling. Once accepted, they are required to participate in ensembles and attend at least 100 musical performances during their 4-year program.
Available concentrations include two options for students interested in jazz, as well as performance and music education concentrations.
In addition, the university’s School of Music offers master’s and doctoral degrees with specializations in areas such as music education, performance, composition, conducting, and musicology.
There is also an artist diploma program that allows violinists and vocalists to continue their studies in graduate school, performing with a city opera or symphony.
University of Tennessee-Knoxville
Located in Knoxville, the University of Tennessee School of Music offers several degree programs for students interested in music.
Its Bachelor of Music program prepares students to work as professional musicians and includes concentrations in piano, theory and composition, music education, and sacred music.
Students who wish to prepare for careers in fields such as musicology, education, composition, or art therapy can earn a Bachelor of Arts degree in music with a concentration in applied music or music and culture.
Graduate students can choose from a Master of Music program with various concentrations or an Artist Certificate program that caters to advanced string and keyboard players.
There is also a music theory certificate program for beginning high school teachers who also earn a master’s degree in music.
University of Tennessee at Chattanooga
Located in Chattanooga, this University of Tennessee campus offers a Bachelor of Music program with specializations in instrumental performance, theory and composition, vocals, instrumental music education, and vocal music education.
There is also a Bachelor of Arts in Music program for students who would like to complete two-thirds of their coursework in a field other than music.
Undergraduate students who earn one of these degrees can participate in extracurricular activities ranging from orchestras and trumpet ensembles to opera and jazz bands.
The school also has a Master of Music program with a specialization in performance for professional musicians. There is also a music education option that prepares graduates to earn a doctorate or advance their teaching career.
Austin Peay State University
Austin Peay State University, located in Clarksville, offers a Bachelor of Music degree with an emphasis in music education, music performance, and liberal arts.
Core coursework for these programs includes topics in music theory, ear training, and sight reading. The university also offers a Master of Music program with two concentrations.
The music education option is designed for teachers who are already licensed, as well as students who wish to obtain initial teaching credentials.
Additional specializations in conducting and performance are available through the music performance track, which prepares students for careers as musicians or for further education in a doctoral degree program.
Belmont University
The Belmont University School of Music in Nashville is home to many students majoring in music, including classical and commercial music.
The latter option allows students to further specialize in composition and arrangement, performance, music technology, sound writing or music business.
Concentrations are also available for students who wish to focus on church music, music theory, musical theater, piano studies, and music composition.
The Master of Music program is designed for students who would like to advance their teaching or performing careers. Concentrations are available in areas such as composition, commercial music, and church music.
All student musicians at this school benefit from state-of-the-art studio resources, three concert halls, and a nationally recognized faculty.
East Tennessee State University
Located in Johnson City, East Tennessee State University offers a Bachelor of Music program with an emphasis in music education and performance.
The music education concentration prepares students for teacher certification as band, orchestra, or choir directors, while the performance concentration teaches students how to become professional musicians.
Both programs require several written and oral communication courses. Music majors should also develop piano and sight-reading skills and participate in ensembles or choral groups.
In addition to the core courses in music theory and history, solo performances of 30 minutes to an hour are also required.
Middle Tennessee State University
Students pursuing a Bachelor of Music degree at Middle Tennessee State University in Murfreesboro can choose from ten majors, including performance concentrations in guitar, woodwinds, percussion, jazz studio, and composition.
Undergraduate students must audition to be accepted into one of these 128-hour music programs. They may also need to pass music theory and aural exams.
The university’s master’s program offers eight specializations, including musicology, music education, and contemporary music composition.
The admissions process for graduate students depends on the students’ area of interest; they may be required to audition, submit compositions, or record a video that demonstrates their ability to teach others.
University of Tennessee at Martin
The University of Tennessee’s Martin campus has a music department accredited by the National Association of Schools of Music. Its Bachelor of Music program is available with performance or music education options.
Students in the performance option may additionally specialize in orchestral/instrumental performance, piano, voice, piano pedagogy, or music/instrumental pedagogy.
Music education students can choose from K-12 Instrumental or K-12 Vocal tracks. The school also offers a Bachelor of Arts degree in music and a music minor.
Vanderbilt University
Nashville University’s Bachelor of Music program offers a performance concentration that helps students develop the skills necessary to become successful musicians.
There is also a musicology concentration aimed at students who want to study performance in addition to music history, literature, and theory. In addition, the composition and theory concentration allows students to receive instruction from visiting composers and introduces them to musicology.
The university also offers a combined 5-year Bachelor of Music/Master of Education program that prepares students for licensure as teachers of instrumental or vocal music.
The curriculum includes topics in music performance and literature in addition to educational psychology and the humanities. Field experience and two student teaching assignments must be completed in the final year of study.
How Much Do Musicologists In Tennessee Earn?
The average annual salary for the musicology job category in Nashville is $48,701 per year. Just in case you need a simple salary calculator, that’s about $23.41 an hour. This is equivalent to $936 per week or $4,058 per month.
Most salaries in the musicology job category currently range from $30,711 (25th percentile) to $60,936 (75th percentile), with the highest earner (90th percentile) earning $97,498 per year in nashville
The average salary range for musicology jobs varies widely (up to $30,225), indicating that there may be plenty of opportunity for advancement and salary increases depending on skill level, location, and years of experience.
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How Do I Become A Musicologist In Tennessee?
Students need at least a bachelor’s degree to become a musicologist in Tennessee, and many musicology jobs require a master’s degree.
Additionally, most musicology jobs require applicants to have one to three years of relevant experience, which can be gained through internships and/or entry-level positions.
Generally, students need at least five years, and possibly as many as ten years, to qualify to work independently as musicologists.
Musicology degrees are offered at colleges and universities throughout the United States and are available at the undergraduate and graduate levels, as well as several PhD programs.
Typically, coursework covers topics such as music theory, music history, and musicianship. Students also study or explore distinctive styles of music in depth, which may include jazz, folk, opera, rock and pop.
Other classes look at how different parts of the world use music in their cultures, and these classes may include exploring the role of music in social issues such as racism and feminism.
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What Are The Best Paying Music Jobs in Tennessee?
Competition for jobs in academia is high, so in addition to the appropriate degrees and credentials, musicologists need to know how to market themselves in order to stand out from the crowd of applicants for teaching positions at colleges, universities, and conservatories.
In addition, musicologists can seek employment in music libraries, archives, arts organizations, art journals, and music technology groups.
Musicologists who work as professors spend most of their time doing typical scholarly activities: conducting research, teaching at a college or graduate school, and writing articles and books to present their work.
Others find preservation work in libraries, museums, or archives. In recent years, musicologists have found a number of new opportunities and applications for their knowledge.
This includes offering their services as expert witnesses in copyright infringement lawsuits or working for organizations that create sound recognition software and music recommendation programs.
Musicologists may also consult with music publishing and licensing companies on original music licensing, sample analysis, copyright evaluation, and originality verification; they can also advise directors, music directors and advertisers on the historical and stylistic accuracy of music in television, film and advertising.
Music Schools In Tennessee FAQs
A Bachelor of Music degree typically requires four years of full-time study in Tennessee. Many schools require freshmen to live in on-campus dormitories, which can cost more or less than alternative housing or transportation.
The Master of Music with a specialization in Musicology is an advanced course of study for musicians who hold a B.A. It enables the interdisciplinary study of music by examining when, where, how and why people make, experience, understand and write about music.
Coursework in the program is designed to provide access to advanced studies in music history and culture, while free electives allow students to pursue specialized and interdisciplinary research in their chosen topic of study.
Musicologists often work as teachers or professors. Other musicology jobs include providing research and consultancy services in the music industry for theatres, film producers, advertising agencies and other institutions that use music in their work.
Conclusion
Music schools in Tennessee offer students majoring in music education a curriculum designed to provide graduates with the necessary foundation of pedagogical skills based on the latest learning theories combined with the broad knowledge necessary to teach at any level.
The music education curriculum is designed for students who wish to become conductors of a school band, choir or orchestra.
References
bestaccreditedcolleges.org – Music Schools in Tennessee with Program and Course Information
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