Music Education

We’re proud of our reputation for preparing outstanding music educators and our 100% placement rate. Our graduates consistently find positions in a variety of school settings throughout the country. 

How do we do it? Augustana’s liberal arts focus, small classes and personal attention from professors and advisors are key to the Augustana student experience. 

A rigorous progressive music education curriculum, combined with the freedom to pursue other interests, provides the knowledge and skills you need to become an effective music educator. Outside the classroom, Augustana’s ensembles from jazz to opera offer opportunities to broaden your understanding, skills and love of music, as well as perform locally and abroad.

Augustana’s academic reputation, student development of effective teaching skills, and recommendations from faculty who know you well will create many avenues to secure your dream job.

Distinctions

• Successful completion of all coursework, exams and requirements leads to an Illinois P-12 Music teaching license. This license allows the holder to teach all levels and types of music in the state of Illinois, ranging from preschool through high school, including instrumental, vocal and general music classrooms. The Illinois teaching license is accepted for reciprocity in most other states.
• The music education area has three faculty members, each specializing in different content areas. This provides a balanced approach to the music education coursework.
  • Dr. Dawn Farmer, instrumental music education
  • Dr. Erin Hopkins, general and elementary music education
  • Dr. Michael Zemek, vocal music education
• The Quad-Cities area provides many student-teaching placement options: rural, urban, suburban, public and private institutions, working with diverse student populations. All student teaching placements take place locally and are closely supervised by faculty members.
• The music education program is designed so you can complete it in four years. Many students who choose to pursue study abroad or other travel opportunities also can finish the music education degree requirements in four years.
• Our engaged music education alumni share a deep appreciation for their preparation in the classroom and their faculty mentors. In return, they welcome opportunities to pay it forward with current students by offering shadowing and student-teaching opportunities.
• The Augustana chapter of ILMEA, the Illinois Music Education Association, is highly regarded within the region and has been elected as Illinois' host chapter for events across the state. Augustana is an accredited institutional member of the National Association of Schools of Music.

The music department

Students of any major — including non-music majors — may audition and apply for music scholarships ranging from $1,000–$4,000 annually.

The 40+ music faculty represents all instrumental areas, including harp. All students, including non-music majors, can take lessons and participate in one of 12 ensembles — from opera to a symphony orchestra to jazz combos. Nearly a quarter of Augustana’s students perform in ensembles.

The music program has a strong tradition of touring ensembles. Since the early 1880s, annual tours have taken the Symphonic Band to 32 states and many countries. The Augustana Choir most recently traveled to Spain, France and Sweden, and the Augustana Symphonic Band to Japan.

Augustana has four concert halls, including the 1,600-seat Centennial Hall and the more intimate, acoustically excellent Wallenberg Hall. Bergendoff Hall of Fine Arts has recently been renovated and houses all of the music department’s classrooms and offices, practice rooms and ensemble spaces. The new music education suite and a dedicated classroom for music education were priorities of the renovation plans.

Recent grads

Linnea Johansen '24 teaches middle school orchestra at Hazelwood West Middle School in Hazelwood, Missouri.

Casey Cromp '23 teaches middle school band at Reed-Custer CUSD in Braidwood, Illinois.

Claire Schaecher '22 teaches middle school band at Smart Middle School in Davenport, Iowa.

Elliott Peterson '21 is the choir director at Jordan-Matthews High School in Siler City, N.C.

Sabrina Massa '21 is the choir director at Pecatonica Middle and High School in Pecatonica, Ill.

Eric Tabaka ‘20 teaches K-8 general music and vocal music in the Vinton-Shellsburg School District in Vinton, Iowa.

Katie Griswold '20 is an elementary music teacher with Moline-Coal Valley (Illinois) School District.

Amy Croft '19 is the choir director at Geneseo (lllinois) Middle School.

Jared Pector '19 is the choir director at Truesdell Middle School in Wichita, Kan.

Mineo Yasutake ’16 is an orchestra teacher at Lincoln Elementary in Cudahy, Wisconsin.

John Whitson ’16 is the music director at Unitarian Universalist Congregation of the Quad Cities and the choir director at Davenport North (Iowa) High School.

Sarah Bromberger ’16 is a music teacher for the Whitnall School District in Greenfield, Wisconsin.