Music (MM)
Elementary Education Summer Cohort
Earn your master’s degree in four consecutive summers while still working full-time.
The East Texas A&M University School of Music presents an exciting option for teachers who want to earn a Master of Music with emphasis in Elementary Music Education: the ETAMU Music Education Graduate Cohort! Participants earn their graduate degree in four consecutive summers while still working full-time.
How It Works
This 30-hour, summer-only program is the first of its kind in North Texas and was created specifically for full-time elementary music teachers. Students will be challenged to develop a greater understanding and mastery of the music teaching-learning processes, to improve personal musicianship and to become leaders within the music education profession.
The program offers a combination of coursework in music education (pedagogy, movement, instruments and conducting), music history, research, philosophy, theory and performance study. Students also complete an independent study project on a subject of their choice within the realm of elementary music.
What is a cohort?
A cohort program is a fully planned curriculum with a specified starting and ending date. Students are admitted to the program as a group that moves through the program together, taking courses in a planned sequence. Because the program is fully scheduled from the outset, students find it easier to plan ahead and better manage their schedules between work, home, and study.
Program Details
All cohort students will take “Introduction to Graduate Study” as a refresher course. If you have taken Kodály or Orff Schulwerk-level courses, you may be able to earn credit for your work even if you did not take the courses for graduate credit at the time.
What Will I Learn?
You will have the opportunity to gain experience in a number of key areas.
Pedagogy
Explore effective teaching strategies and methods specifically for elementary music education, including vocal, instrumental and movement techniques
Curriculum Development
Learn to design and implement a music curriculum that aligns with educational standards and fosters creativity and engagement in young learners.
Technology in Music Education
Explore digital tools and resources for teaching music, including software for composition and online resources for young learners.
Taking Classes
Our summer cohort is designed for current educators working full time.
Designed for your life
All face-to-face and blended classes will be held in the month of June at the Dallas Site, located at 8750 North Central Expressway in Dallas.
Advantages of Summer Cohort
Progress Logically
In most degree programs, there are only a few courses that must be taken in a particular order. While this gives students flexibility, it also means that students in any given course will be at different stages in the learning process. In a cohort program, faculty members know exactly what courses students in the cohort have taken and in what order. Therefore, the curriculum in a cohort program is more cohesive with stronger links between courses.
Maintain Balance
Most graduate students are full-time music teachers who are studying part-time while working and fulfilling other responsibilities. Sometimes it is difficult for such students to feel as though they are a part of the university’s community. However, a cohort provides a strong sense of belonging and creates a network of support that is invaluable long after the participants complete the program.
Learn Together
Because this is a summer-only program, students will be able to assimilate their new learning during the interposing academic years. Current students are working professionals, just like you. They are fun, friendly and passionate about teaching with excellence. You will leave overflowing with ideas to use with your students, new skills and a renewed sense of the importance of what you do.
Finding My Community
We believe that music education thrives in an environment where collaboration, support and mutual respect flourish. Our community of students and faculty embodies these values, fostering an enriching and dynamic atmosphere for musical learning and growth. Summer cohort students are working within local schools, bringing a wide range of experiences and perspectives that enhance our collective understanding of music education. Our professors are not only experts in their fields but also dedicated mentors, committed to guiding and nurturing the next generation of music educators and musicians.
How Do I Get Started?
If you have not already done so, complete the Request Information form. You will be connected with your enrollment specialist who can answer your questions. When you are ready, go ahead and follow the steps to apply below.
Admission Process
Admission to the Graduate Cohort is a two-part process involving admission to the Graduate School and admission to the School of Music. Applications are accepted throughout the year.
Applying to the MM program is a two-step process. First, apply to East Texas A&M University with ApplyTexas and then apply to the School of Music with GetAcceptd to sign up for auditions (for Fall/Spring Candidates) OR complete the Submission Form (for Summer Cohort Candidates). If you are applying to the Summer Graduate Cohort, submit a link to a video of yourself teaching a class of children in lieu of an audition. One 20-minute session is adequate. (A virtual teaching segment will be accepted.)
Graduate Step 1 Part 1
- Create an account or login if you already have one
- Complete your profile section first once you log into your account
- Select “School Search” and select Texas A&M University-Commerce
- Choose the semester you wish to begin
- Select “Music, MM” as your “Program.”
Domestic Application Fee 395064
- Pay the $50 application fee.
Wait to receive an application confirmation email before proceeding to the next step.
- After you submit your application, the Graduate School will send a confirmation email within two business days to the personal email account you used for ApplyTexas.
Complete the School of Music application form.
- Sign-up for one of three audition options
- Live, in-person
- Live, virtual
- Recorded
Complete this Form to be considered for Admission
Wait to receive an application confirmation email before proceeding to the next step.
- After you submit your application, the Graduate School will send a confirmation email within two business days to the personal email account you used for ApplyTexas.
Submit the following documents after you receive an application confirmation email.
- Upload your documents at myLeo > Apps > Check Admissions Application Status & Test Scores or email your documents to your graduate coordinator unless otherwise specified below.
Graduate Coordinator Rebecca Stevens 395100
Your Graduate Coordinator
Contact your previous institution(s) and request that they send your official transcripts to your graduate coordinator.
- We recommend that you request transcripts for all of your academic work.
All international transcripts must be evaluated and the evaluation submitted to the Graduate School.
We accepts evaluations sent directly from the following Agencies.
- If a normal evaluation is submitted, official original transcripts with all marksheets will still need to be submitted.
- If a WES ICAP or equivalent is submitted, we will not need the official transcripts to be submitted separately.
If your institution is unable to submit a digital copy, hard copies may be mailed to:
East Texas A&M University
Attn: Graduate School
PO Box 3011
Commerce, Texas 75429-3011
We will need official/original documents. If those documents are the only copies you have, the Graduate School can mail them back to you upon request. Contact your graduate coordinator for more information.
Submit a statement of educational and professional goals of 500 words or less
- Educational and professional goals.
- How you believe this graduate degree will help you achieve these goals.
Submit an academic piece on any topic that demonstrates your ability to write at a graduate level
Submit a resume or curriculum vitae (CV) which includes your academic and professional history and achievements.
Look for application updates in myLeo > Apps > Check Application Status
- Once an admission decision has been made, you will receive an email to your student email account at myLeo > Apps > Leomail.
- Apply for scholarships and graduate assistantships once you are admitted.
- Apply for financial aid by submitting a FAFSA and sending it to school code 003565. Contact your financial aid advisor with any questions.
- Apply for Graduate Assistantships, by contacting [email protected] with your name, contact information, undergraduate school and instrument.
- Instrumental (Woodwind or Brass)
- Percussion
- Piano
- Keyboard
- Jazz Ensembles
- Wind Band Conducting
- Choral Conducting
- Elementary Music Education (Be sure to complete the Submission Form.)
Apply for the School of Music through GetAcceptd. Click on this link and sign up for an account.
- Select Master of Music – Education.
Upload footage (or a link to footage) of yourself teaching a class of students AND, if possible, another video of yourself conducting a rehearsal or a performance. These videos serve as your audition into the program. One 20-minute session in a classroom and one performance is adequate.
Complete the Music Application Form
The School of Music will send you either a letter of acceptance into the ETAMU Graduate Music Education Cohort or a letter of denial.
If you are accepted into the program, you will be able to register for classes online as soon as they are posted. All classes will be held at the Dallas Site and/or online.
Financing My Future
East Texas A&M is one of the most affordable universities around the Dallas-Fort Worth Metroplex, and our tuition rates are some of the most competitive in Texas.
Cost Before Financial Aid
$3,669
for Texas residents
/
$7,341
For non-residents
Tuition and fees for graduate students taking nine credit hours are $3,669 for Texas residents and $7,341 for non-residents. But don’t worry: there are many ways you can get aid, such as scholarships, financial aid, assistantships and more.
Graduate Tuition and Fees
Additional Fees May Apply
- Online Courses ($50 per hour)
- Remote Locations ($20 per hour)
- Lab Fees ($5 – $30 per course)
We are here to help!
School of Music Contact Us
Contact the Department
- School of Music
- 903.886.5303
- [email protected]
- P.O. Box 3011
I’m Looking For Something Different
Is this program close, but still not right for you? Check out our related degrees!
