Longy School of Music of Bard College
Master of Music in Music Education Online
Online USA
Master degree
DURATION
2 years
LANGUAGES
English
PACE
Full time, Part time
APPLICATION DEADLINE
06 Jan 2026
EARLIEST START DATE
Jan 2026
TUITION FEES
USD 18,500 / per year *
STUDY FORMAT
Distance Learning
* complete in one year: $18,500 | complete in two years: $19,500
Key Summary
Longy's fully online Master of Music in Music Education (MM/ME) degree program was designed specifically for educators who seek an advanced degree without taking time off from their careers. This degree program, which can be completed in one or two years, builds on Longy’s near-decade of expertise in preparing musicians to be teachers through its campus-based degree programs, including the one-year MM/ME degree offered in Cambridge, MA.
The MM/ME is uniquely designed to integrate practices of social change in the music classroom. Graduates of this program will be prepared to amplify the voices of students from all backgrounds, create and make music from diverse cultures, and approach music teaching from a holistic and equity-based perspective.
Learn more about Longy’s Music Teacher Education Programs, including an MM/ME degree in person in Cambridge, MA as well as—coming soon!—numerous professional development opportunities.
Socially Relevant and Culturally Responsive Teaching
Grounded in educational equity and diversity, learn to carry these principles over to your curriculum and school practices for all students. Learn how to provide equitable access to your core curriculum and maximize academic achievement—for students from all ethnic, race, socio-economic, cultural, academic, linguistic, and other backgrounds.
Non-Traditional Ensemble Arranging
Learn non-traditional approaches to ensembles in a K-12 classroom—to ensure access and inclusion for students who wish to pursue performance opportunities beyond standard offerings. Focus on arranging music for the students in your room, while ensuring a high-quality, standards-driven ensemble experience, in rehearsal and performance.
Technology for Music Education
This course provides tools for you to become active agents of inclusion and responsiveness, paired with the skills and understanding needed to intergrate technology most effectively. We will focus on current software and technology standards, lesson ideas, and direct applications that can be made in a K-12 classroom.
Course Offerings
Fall 1
From Ancient Greece to Venezuela: Historical Foundations of Music Education
Curriculum and Assessment in Music Education
Fall 2
Socially Relevant and Culturally Responsive Teaching
Elective offerings (students may pick one):
- Advanced choral pedagogy for high school choir
- Early childhood music education
Spring 1
Identity and Culture in the Classroom
Elective offerings (students may pick one):
- Music as a Healing Art
- Non-traditional ensemble arranging
- Advanced choral pedagogy for elementary and middle school choir
Spring 2
El Sistema Principles
Elective offerings (students may pick one):
- Advanced instrumental pedagogy for orchestra
- Advanced general music methods
Summer 1
Adaptive Music Methods
Research and Writing Techniques
Masters final project (part I)
Summer 2
Masters final project (part II)
Elective offerings (students may pick one):
- Technology for music education
- Advanced Instrumental Pedagogy for Jazz and Modern Band
Why pursue your MM/ME at Longy?
Teaching is much more than a profession; it is a calling. Today, more than ever before, music teachers are called to do more. We are called to be leaders, so that we may inspire others in the ways that we have been inspired. We are called to lift up the voices and experiences of all the young people in our classrooms. We are called to challenge ourselves to be better music educators for all our students and communities. We are called to reflect on our teaching experiences and take action to promote equity and understanding. We are powerful.
If those thoughts engage your sense of “why” you want to further your music teaching career, consider Longy as a path to get you there. The fully-online Master of Music in Music Education program is designed with practicing music educators in mind. Longy believes that you shouldn’t have to leave your teaching position to pursue the dream of earning a Masters of Music in Music Education degree and that online learning is a perfect complement to your current practice in the field. With a focus on cultural relevance, access, equity, and inclusion in pre-K-12 music education, the program’s curricula and faculty support all music educators from around the world to embrace their “why” and realize their dreams of making a bigger, more socially-conscious impact, one student at a time. There is no time better than the present to turn your “why” into “why not?” Let us give you the tools to help you get there! We look forward to welcoming you into our community!
Sources of Financial Aid
At Longy, we understand that an education is a significant financial investment. We do our best to work with each student to make this investment possible. The following sources of aid can help students find the means to finance their education: merit scholarships, teaching assistantships, graduate fellowships, federal aid, and private loans. For more information please visit Longy's page on Scholarship and Financial Aid.
At Longy, we prepare students to become exceptional musicians who can engage new audiences; teach anyone, anywhere; and use artistry to change lives in communities around the world.
This is what makes an ideal student at Longy:
- Transform lives through the power of music
- Have joy making and sharing music with others
- Growth as a teaching artist
- Willingness to be honest and use self-assessment
- Respect for individuals
- Become apart of a diverse and supportive community
- Use creativity of thought and innovation
- Allow freedom to explore new things in music
- Become an advocate for the arts
Certify your English proficiency with PTE. The faster, fairer, simpler English test, accepted by thousands of universities around the world. PTE, Do it worry-free!