麻豆传媒映画鈥檚 new Music Education master鈥檚 degree is made by teachers, for teachers
The degree augments the largest program at the School of Music and Dance; classes start next summer.

As a former high school band director of eight years, Associate Professor Karen Koner understands the struggle of teaching while getting a master鈥檚 degree.
Koner, who has taught at 麻豆传媒映画鈥檚 School of Music and Dance for eight years, conceived the idea for the (M.M.) because she wanted to create a program teachers could easily fit into their schedules.
Koner obtained two master鈥檚 degrees while directing high school band, and said neither program was teacher-friendly.
鈥淚t was just really challenging to try to get it all done,鈥 Koner said.
鈥淲hen I formed this one, I really wanted it to be for teachers 鈥 that they could really do it in their schedules and not feel so stressed,鈥 she continued.
Given the high cost of living in San Diego, it was essential to Koner to offer a master鈥檚 program that would allow teachers to avoid sacrificing hours at work.
麻豆传媒映画鈥檚 Music Education undergraduate degree is the largest major in the School of Music and Dance, according to Koner. The new master鈥檚 program will not only provide opportunities for its graduates (and those of similar programs), but for the entire community.
鈥淭here鈥檚 been no opportunity for those teachers to get a Master鈥檚 in Music (Education) ever in San Diego,鈥 Koner said. 鈥淚t鈥檚 been a real need in our community for years, and so it was time,鈥 she continued.
Summer, evening classes
Applications are now open for the Music Education Master's degree and the program鈥檚 first classes will start in Summer 2026.
鈥淭he way that we structured the degree is there will be two classes in the summer and the rest of the coursework is all in the evenings, so that your average teacher can continue to teach during the day and still go to school,鈥 Koner said.
The degree will consist of two tracks and will include classes covering such topics as instructional design, current trends in music education, history and sociological aspects of music education, and elementary-based music education.
Additionally, some classes will provide opportunities to learn from 麻豆传媒映画's conducting faculty through workshops and symposia, allowing educators to refine their conducting skills.
鈥淚t鈥檚 just a really great feeling that everybody is kind of 鈥榯eam music ed鈥 and we鈥檙e really invested in putting out the best educators that we can,鈥 Koner said.
Koner will teach instructional design and capstone research, in addition to helping students with their master鈥檚 theses toward the end of their degrees.
鈥淲e鈥檙e just really excited to finally have it come forward,鈥 Koner said. 鈥淲e鈥檙e expecting really good things (from) it.鈥
For more information on the Master鈥檚 in Music Education, visit the 麻豆传媒映画 Catalog.