PROGRAM DIVERSITY The next observation is in regard to the increasingly diverse skill sets and prior musical experiences with which music students come to college, and the possible fit of those skills in their chosen college. Those of us who claim music as a profession understand that not all college music departments look alike. Although we as professional musicians understand this, students and parents may not. Increasingly, college and university music departments are diversifying their curricular offerings; sometimes to meet the needs of the local community; sometimes to accomplish the goals of a new administrator on campus; sometimes to meet accreditation requirements. Through continued growth and curricular innovations, Tennessee’s college and university music programs have come to offer quite a diverse array of degree and certificate programs. What this means for students is that not all students will be the best fit at their local university, or at their first-choice university. A student who is skilled in popular music styles will thrive in some programs but may not even pass an audition into programs that require traditional music literacy. Therefore, we encourage you to research the programmatic and curricular offerings of the community colleges, technical schools, four-year colleges and the graduate programs across the state to see what each program offers, and help your students determine where they might fit best as a prospective music major. Encourage students to pursue many options, but prioritize the program that best suits their skills, experiences, and career goals. DUAL CREDITS Increasingly, high schools are seeking opportunities to offer dual-enrollment credits to the point that many students graduate with an associate’s degree at the same time they complete high school. For high school music educators, this may result in an increased interest and enrollment in Music Appreciation and Music Theory courses, especially if college credit is an option. If you are interested in pursuing this for your campus, we offer these considerations: First, communicate with your campus and system-level administration to see if dual-credits are an option for your school system. If so, the school will have most likely partnered with a local college or community college where the credits will transfer. Next, you will need to have some graduate-level music course work. Some institutions require a master’s degree with 18-hours in music while others will only require 18 graduate music hours. Finally, as your class will provide both high school and college level credit, you will need to arrange some details with administrators on both campuses. You will most likely be hired as an adjunct faculty at the college where students will receive credit. You may be asked to create two different syllabi; one that addresses the syllabus requirements of each campus. You may be asked to use a specific textbook required of the college. You should also be observed and evaluated by an administrator from the college music program in addition to your school system’s required observation process. These extra steps add a layer or two of extra paperwork, but are necessary to ensure the college addresses its accreditation requirements for students receiving credit from one or more of its programs. TENNESSEE PROMISE We are officially four to five years into Tennessee Promise. This program has made college available to thousands of students who would not have otherwise been able to obtain a college degree. In light of the benefits of the program, there are some factors that music students should consider before they decide whether to pursue college through <strong>TN</strong> Promise or through a traditional program. The primary consideration is that not all community colleges offer music classes, lessons, or ensembles. Therefore, a student interested in pursuing a four-year music degree may complete all of the general education requirements at a community college, transfer to a four-year school to complete a bachelor’s degree, and would then need to start-over as a freshman to complete the fouryear music course sequence in most music degrees. As a result, it may take a minimum of six or seven years to complete a program that should have only taken four years to complete. If you have students considering <strong>TN</strong> Promise and who plan to complete a four-year degree, encourage them to thoroughly research their college options. Make sure they are aware of the music offerings at the community colleges they are considering, and of the transition from community college to four-year school. TMEA RESOURCES I would like to close this article with a reminder that TMEA offers a wealth of college-level music education resources that are accessible to anyone. Collegiate NAfME (CNAfME) is a nationwide organization of music majors who plan to become music teachers. In Tennessee, the college chapters are organized by a TMEA board member, and by a campus-level chapter sponsor. The chapter sponsor is usually the music education coordinator at the local college who can also be a very valuable resource to those of you in K-12 music education. You can find a complete list under the Board/Council tab on the “About Us” menu option at www.tnmea.org. Additionally, the TMEA board includes a Higher Education chairperson who coordinates the activities of the college-level music education programs within the association. Finally, you are always welcome to reach out to us, the directors, chairs, deans and administrators of the music units at Tennessee’s higher education institutions. We value the work that you do and look forward to continued work with you. Dr. Eric Branscome joined the Austin Peay State University Music Department in the fall of 2011 as Coordinator of Music Education and became Department Chair in the fall 2017 semester. He teaches undergraduate and graduate courses in music education, supervises music student teachers, and is the founder and director of Camp Granada, APSU’s elementary music summer day camp. He was the recipient of the 2012 Socrates Award for Excellence in Teaching, the 2014 Harold Love Community Service Award, and the 2016 Outstanding Advising Award. 18 | TENNESSEE MUSICIAN | 2020 | <strong>Vol</strong>ume <strong>72</strong>, <strong>No</strong>. 3
Ryan Fisher Jeffrey Chipman Tennessee Music Education Assocation | www.tnmea.org | 19