Rule 505-3-.50. Music Education Program

1. (1) Purpose. This rule states field-specific content standards for approving programs that prepare individuals to teach music in grades P-12, and supplements requirements in GaPSC Rule 505-3-.01 REQUIREMENTS AND STANDARDS FOR APPROVING EDUCATOR PREPARATION PROVIDERS AND EDUCATOR PREPARATION PROGRAMS, and in GaPSC Rule 505-3-.03 FOUNDATIONS OF READING, LITERACY, AND LANGUAGE.

2. (2) Requirements.

   1. (a) To receive approval, a GaPSC-approved educator preparation provider shall offer a preparation program described in program planning forms, catalogs, and syllabi addressing the following standards based on the competencies published in 2025 by the National Association of Schools of Music (NASM):

      1. 1. Performance.

         1. (i) Programs shall prepare candidates who demonstrate technical skills requisite for artistic self-expression in one or more major performance areas at a level appropriate for the particular music concentration.
         2. (ii) Programs shall prepare candidates who demonstrate a working understanding of the repertory in their major performance area and the ability to perform from a cross section of that repertory.
         3. (iii) Programs shall prepare candidates who demonstrate the ability to read at sight with fluency, demonstrating both general musicianship and, in the major performance area, a level of skill relevant to professional standards appropriate for the particular music concentration.
         4. (iv) Programs shall prepare candidates who demonstrate knowledge and skills sufficient to work as a leader and in collaboration on matters of musical interpretation. Rehearsal and conducting skills are required as appropriate to the particular music concentration.
         5. (v) Programs shall prepare candidates who demonstrate keyboard or an equivalent chordal accompaniment competency.
         6. (vi) Programs shall prepare candidates who demonstrate growth in artistry, technical skills, collaborative competence, and knowledge of repertory through regular ensemble experiences. Ensembles should be varied both in size and nature.

      2. 2. Musicianship Skills and Analysis.

         1. (i) Programs shall prepare candidates who demonstrate an understanding of the common elements and organizational patterns of music and their interactions, the ability to employ this understanding in aural, verbal, and visual analyses, and the ability to take aural dictation.
         2. (ii) Programs shall prepare candidates who demonstrate sufficient understanding of and capability with musical forms, processes, and structures to use this knowledge and skill in compositional, performance, analytical, scholarly, and pedagogical applications according to the requisites of their specializations.
         3. (iii) Programs shall prepare candidates who demonstrate the ability to place music in historical, cultural, and stylistic contexts.

      3. 3. Composition and Improvisation.

         1. (i) Programs shall prepare candidates who demonstrate a working ability to compose, arrange, and improvise in one or more musical languages. These may include, but are not limited to, the creation of original compositions or improvisations, variations or improvisations on existing materials, experimentation with various sound sources, including digital/electronic, the imitation of various musical styles, and manipulation of the common elements in non-traditional ways.

      4. 4. History, Culture, and Repertory.

         1. (i) Programs shall prepare candidates who demonstrate a working knowledge of music history through the present time.
         2. (ii) Programs shall prepare candidates who demonstrate an acquaintance with repertories beyond the area of specialization. All students must be exposed to a large and varied body of music through study and attendance at recitals, concerts, opera, and musical theater productions, and other performances.

      5. 5. Technology.

         1. (i) Programs shall prepare candidates who demonstrate a working understanding of how technology serves the field of music as a whole. These may include, but are not limited to, digital recording, sound engineering, and music production.
         2. (ii) Programs shall prepare candidates who demonstrate a working knowledge of the technological developments applicable to their area of specialization.

      6. 6. Synthesis.

         1. (i) Programs shall prepare candidates who work on musical problems by combining, as appropriate to the issue, their capabilities in performance; aural, verbal, and visual analysis; composition/improvisation; and history and repertory.
         2. (ii) Programs shall prepare candidates who demonstrate a working understanding of interrelationships and interdependencies among various professions and activities that constitute the music enterprise.

      7. 7. Music Competencies for Teachers.

         1. (i) Programs shall prepare candidates who are competent in conducting or facilitating both formal and informal musical experiences, able to create accurate and musically expressive performances with various types of performing groups, and in general classroom situations. Instruction in conducting may include score reading and the integration of analysis, style, performance practices, instrumentation, and conducting techniques.
         2. (ii) Programs shall prepare candidates who are able to arrange and adapt music from a variety of sources to meet the needs and ability levels of individuals, school performing groups, and classroom situations.
         3. (iii) Programs shall prepare candidates who demonstrate functional performance abilities in a chordal accompaniment instrument and voice appropriate to the candidate's teaching specialization.
         4. (iv) Programs shall prepare candidates who demonstrate the ability to apply analytical and historical knowledge to curriculum development, lesson planning, and daily classroom and performance activities.

      8. 8. Teaching Competencies for Teachers.

         1. (i) Programs shall prepare candidates who teach music at various levels to different age groups and in a variety of classroom and ensemble settings in ways that develop knowledge of how music works syntactically as a communication medium and developmentally as an agent of civilization. This competency includes effective classroom and rehearsal management.
         2. (ii) Programs shall prepare candidates who demonstrate an understanding of child growth and development and an understanding of age-appropriate principles of learning as they relate to music.
         3. (iii) Programs shall prepare candidates who demonstrate the ability to assess aptitudes, experiential backgrounds, orientations of individuals and groups of students, and the nature of subject matter, and to plan educational programs to meet assessed needs.
         4. (iv) Programs shall prepare candidates who demonstrate knowledge of current methods, materials, and repertories available in various fields and levels of music education appropriate to the teaching specialization.
         5. (v) Programs shall prepare candidates who demonstrate the ability to accept, amend, or reject methods and materials based on personal assessment of specific teaching situations.
         6. (vi) Programs shall prepare candidates who demonstrate an understanding of evaluative techniques and the ability to apply them in assessing both the musical progress of students and the objectives and procedures of the curriculum.
         7. (vii) Programs shall prepare candidates who demonstrate knowledge of content, methodologies, pedagogies, materials, technologies, and curriculum development in music education.
   2. (b) Field Experiences/Clinical Practice. Programs shall prepare candidates who complete field experiences or clinical practice in choral, instrumental, and general music.
   3. (c) The program shall prepare candidates who meet the P-12 standards for the teaching of reading as specified in Rule 505-3-.03 FOUNDATIONS OF READING, LITERACY, AND LANGUAGE (paragraph (3) (g)).

Authority: O.C.G.A. § 20-2-200.

History. Original Rule entitled "Preschool Handicapped Education Program" adopted. F. Dec. 18, 1991; eff. Jan. 7, 1992.

Repealed: Rule reserved. F. Dec. 16, 1992; eff. July 1, 1993, as specified by the Agency.

Amended: New Rule entitled "Early Childhood Science Endorsement Program" adopted. F. May 9, 2002; eff. June 1, 2002, as specified by the Agency.

Amended: F. Aug. 20, 2004; eff. Sept. 15, 2004, as specified by the Agency.

Repealed: New Rule entitled "School Psychologist Program" adopted. F. Oct. 24, 2005; eff. Nov. 15, 2005, as specified by the Agency.

Repealed: New Rule entitled "Music Education Program" adopted. F. Apr. 24, 2014; eff. May 15, 2014, as specified by the Agency.

Amended: F. Sep. 26, 2016; eff. Oct. 15, 2016, as specified by the Agency.

Amended: F. Aug. 10, 2023; eff. Aug. 15, 2023, as specified by the Agency.

Repealed: New Rule of same title adopted. F. Mar. 25, 2026; eff. Apr. 15, 2026, as specified by the Agency.