Longy/Bard Master of Arts in Teaching in Music
PROGRAM HIGHLIGHTS
Number of Students: 12-15
Writing and Thinking: MAT students will gather for a weeklong intensive introductory course modeled after Bard's signature Writing and Thinking workshop. Here they will examine core beliefs and assumptions about music and education, and will begin to the the sense of community integral to the MAT.
Core Courses: MAT students will take four graduate-level courses in music and four graduate-level courses in education. These courses are thematically designed to answer essential questions about teaching and learning and are framed by practice-based research.
Teaching Laboratory: MAT students, joined by resident faculty and outside guests, will convene for weekly sessions that examine the practical applications of concepts and ideas they encounter in their core courses.
Teaching Practicum: As teaching interns, MAT students will design and teach classes, assess student understand, and modify practices to adapt to students' needs. MAT students will teach in school classrooms, community music centers, and El Sistema-inspired nucleos.
Private Lessons: Students enrolled in the MAT will take private lessons on their major instrument, voice, composition, or conducting every week.
Music Research Projects: MAT students will work closely with faculty mentors to prepare two final research projects: a performance-based presentation, as well as a scholarly inquiry focused on teaching and learning in the classroom.
Bard College, the Longy School of Music of Bard College, and the Los Angeles Philharmonic are collaborating to develop the Bard Master of Arts in Teaching (MAT) Program for musicians with a desire to respond to today’s educational needs, and who aspire to participate in the growing El Sistema movement in the U.S. With the belief that effective music teachers must themselves be active performers, the intensive 12-month MAT curriculum—modeled after the original BardMAT Program on the college’s New York State campus—will integrate advanced studies in musical performance and education with the daily demands of the classroom.
Part of TAKE A STAND, a partnership initiated to advance the work of El Sistema and music education in the United States, the MAT will leverage Bard’s experience in developing renowned academic and socially based teacher training programs with Longy’s role as a leader in progressive and rigorous training for performing and teaching musicians. The new program will be housed on the grounds of the Los Angeles Philharmonic’s premier El Sistema-inspired teaching site YOLA at the Heart of Los Angeles (HOLA), creating an unparalleled learning environment for degree candidates. MAT faculty will include distinguished musicians from the Los Angeles Philharmonic as well as scholars in music and education.
Bard’s MAT programs are accredited by the New York State Education Department. The BardMAT in Music will announce its opening date and will begin accepting applications when it has obtained the necessary approvals for California teacher certification.
To receive more information about the Longy/Bard MAT, please complete and submit the information request form or contact:
Judith Hill Bose
Director of Teacher Education, Longy School of Music of Bard College
617.876.0956 x1550
judith.hill.bose@longy.edu
Elsje Kibler-Vermaas
Associate Director of Teacher Education
Longy School of Music of Bard College
Bard College, Master of Arts in Teaching Program
617.876.0956 x1700
matla@bard.edu
