The online Doctor of Musical Arts (DMA) in Music Education at BU School of Music is a collaborative program that prepares music educators for advancement in their field by developing and honing research skills, sharpening proficiency in teaching techniques, and producing a dissertation of publishable quality that introduces new knowledge designed to push the field of music education forward. Boston University’s graduate programs in music education have been created for the continuing growth of forward-thinking leaders and educators who serve as advocates for the importance of music in our lives, communities, and schools.

Study with a cohort of the nation’s most innovative thought leaders, teachers, policy makers, and researchers in music education, and learn from BU’s large, diverse faculty representing a broad range of music research and practice interests.

BU’s online DMA in Music Education is for educators seeking leadership through scholarship. For you, the classroom or studio is a laboratory. You seek new and better techniques to encourage students to improve as musicians and succeed as well-rounded people. When you find something that works, you want to share it with other music professionals. Perhaps you have participated in a teacher research group in your school district, presented a clinic on best practices at a music conference, or have been invited to teach a course at a local college. It was a satisfying professional experience, and you would like to deepen your skillset.

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Now, you’re ready for more. You’re eager to develop your scholarship, keep your musicianship sharp, and continue your teaching career. This is where online learning comes in. We’ve designed this program for you to be an important member of a small, academically vigorous online doctoral program without uprooting your family or leaving the work that fulfills you.

You will prepare for advancement in the field of music education by developing and honing research skills, sharpening proficiency in theory and history, developing a specialization, and producing a dissertation of publishable quality that adds new knowledge, moving the field of music education forward. Your dissertation can become the basis for a scholarly article, series of articles, or book.

Along the way, you’ll develop close relationships with fellow students and our expert faculty, who teach both online and on campus, and benefit from their guidance. Many of our online doctoral students have collaborated with faculty mentors on music education research and have presented alongside faculty at international conferences.

Join the ranks of scholars and practitioners redefining music education for the 21st century.

Curriculum requirements for the online DMA in Music Education program can be found on the Academic Bulletin.

Program of Study

As an online Doctor of Musical Arts (DMA) in music education degree student, you will critically examine a variety of research that informs music education. You will discuss and analyze philosophical, sociological, and psychological ideas and problems in the field of music education. Music theory and analytical techniques in composition will sharpen the eye and ear. Scholarly writing and research skills are honed as you choose from a list of engaging electives. Your online student colleagues will be music education professionals from around the world who will become lifelong friends and professional contacts.

This world-class program is an incredible place to meet future colleagues and leaders of the profession where you will be challenged and tested to your limits to produce your very best.

Dr. Gareth Dylan Smith, Assistant Professor of Music Education, Boston University

The Music Education faculty aim to prepare students to work effectively within contemporary music and education landscapes. We are a theoretically-grounded and practice-oriented department committed to practices of diversity, equity, and inclusion. We expect our students to be flexible musicians and thinkers who strive for excellence, no matter the venue in which they teach.

Our faculty include nationally- and internationally-recognized leaders in early childhood and elementary music education; instrumental and choral music education; community music facilitation; music technology; accessible music education; diversity, equity, and inclusion; student leadership; trauma-informed music education; arts integration; rock and pop pedagogy; music and wellbeing; and policy and advocacy.

We offer courses and professional development for 21st century music teachers and future professors who teach within and beyond the traditionally-conceived school day, with populations that include K–12 students, early childhood and adult students, in higher education and a variety of community settings. We encourage students to think creatively and critically, to be dedicated collaborators, and to work in multilingual and multicultural contexts with students from across the socioeconomic spectrum and with a range of ability.

online DMA Courses

We model and encourage self-reflection and dedication to continual growth. Graduate students may concentrate their degree in areas such as diversity, equity, and inclusion; antiracist pedagogy; early childhood; musicology/ethnomusicology; music technology; popular music; and wellbeing.

Our students benefit from pursuing their doctoral studies with world-class faculty publishing innovative, traditional, relevant, and diverse scholarship. Boston University’s online DMA in Music Education is a challenging and rigorous program that welcomes students who are committed to making a difference in and through music education.

Study at Top-Ranked, Fully Accredited Boston University

As the oldest degree-granting music program in the U.S., BU has shaped generations of music educators and the pedagogy of music education globally, earning a reputation for excellence.

Our program was the first (and longest-running) online DMA in music education anywhere in the world.

The diverse interests and expertise of BU’s music education faculty provide students with access to
unparalleled depth and diversity of expertise.

A blend of synchronous and asynchronous learning opportunities provide a distinct hybrid study experience.

Online programs at BU

Faculty

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  Alexandre Abdoulaev

  Lecturer, Musicology

• 

  Mark Berger

  Lecturer, Music Theory

• 

  Kelly Bylica

  Assistant Professor of Music, Music Education

• 

  Diana Dansereau

  Associate Professor of Music; Chair ad interim, Music Education

• 

  André de Quadros

  Professor of Music, Music Education

• 

  Ruth Debrot

  Lecturer, Music Education

• 

  Andrew Goodrich

  Associate Professor of Music, Music Education

• 

  Karin Hendricks

  Associate Professor; Chair, Music Education

• 

  Brian Kellum

  Lecturer, Music Education

• 

  David Kjar

  Lecturer, Musicology

• 

  Ulrike Präger

  Lecturer, Musicology

• 

  Gareth Dylan Smith

  Assistant Professor of Music, Music Education

• 

  Jacqueline Smith

  Lecturer, Music Education

• 

  Tawnya Smith

  Assistant Professor of Music, Music Education

• 

  Katharine Stuffelbeam

  Lecturer in Music, Musicology

• 

  Kính Vũ

  Assistant Professor of Music, Music Education

• 

  John Wriggle

  Lecturer, Music Theory

Alumni Scholarship Contributions to the Field of Music Education

Below is a selection of completed dissertations from recent online graduates of the Doctor of Musical Arts in Music Education at Boston University that demonstrate the breadth and scope of topics and research methods employed by our DMA candidates:

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