Designed for musicians, teaching artists, and arts professionals, this innovative program prepares graduates to lead music-learning experiences beyond the traditional classroom. Through internships and experiential learning with community arts organizations, cultural institutions, and nonprofit partners across New York City, you'll develop the skills to design impactful programs, strengthen your artistic practice, and build a career where music and community intersect.
Official Degree Title
Master of Arts in Music Education in Communities
Degree
MA
Application Deadline
Fall Start:
January 15
Plan Code
MUSE
Credits
30
Format
Full-time or Part-time
Contact
Program Information
music.education@nyu.eduAdmissions Requirements
We welcome applicants representing a range of musical styles, traditions, practices, and educational experiences. Musical preparation may have been developed through formal study, professional practice, community or cultural traditions, self-directed learning, or a combination of experiences. Applicants may have an undergraduate degree in music or demonstrate equivalent musical training and experience sufficient for graduate study in music education.
Applicants should demonstrate a strong musical foundation and an interest in developing as responsive artist-educators who design and facilitate meaningful musical experiences in diverse communities and settings. Prior formal teaching or community-based experience is welcomed but not required.
While the program recognizes and values different forms of musical preparation, basic competence in music theory and music history is a departmental requirement for all graduate music degree programs. Entering students must complete the departmental music theory and history entrance requirements. Based on entrance exam results and a review of the student’s transcript, remedial coursework may be required. Students who need additional preparation in these areas may complete the required remedial coursework after admission. Detailed information about the music theory and history entrance requirements is available here.
This program does not lead to New York State teacher certification.
How to Apply
These instructions and requirements are for all applicants. If you are not a citizen or a permanent resident of the United States, please read the special instructions for international applicants.
Your application will require the following items. The following are acceptable document types for uploads: .pdf, .jpeg, .jpg, .gif, .tiff, .png, .doc, .docx, and bitmap.
1. Prepare Your Application Materials
Résumé/CV
Upload a copy of your most recent résumé or curriculum vitae. This document should include your educational background and relevant musical, artistic, professional, teaching, leadership, and/or community experiences. Prior formal teaching or community-based experience is not required.
Statement of Purpose
Upload a typed, double-spaced, two- to three-page statement explaining your purpose in undertaking graduate study in the MA in Music Education in Communities.
This is your opportunity to help the admissions committee understand your background, interests, professional goals, and career plans as they relate to your intended academic pursuits.
In your statement, please clearly address:
- The musical, educational, artistic, professional, and/or community experiences that have shaped your interest in music education
- How your experiences as a musician and learner have influenced the artist-educator you hope to become
- The communities, populations, or educational and cultural settings in which you are interested in working
- The kinds of musical experiences you hope to design or facilitate for your students
- Why you are interested in pursuing the MA in Music Education in Communities at NYU Steinhardt
Letter of Recommendations
Two letters of recommendation are required. Letters should come from individuals who can speak to your academic, musical, artistic, professional, educational, leadership, and/or community experiences and your potential for graduate study in music education.
At least one letter should preferably come from an academic instructor, music teacher, ensemble director, artistic mentor, or another individual familiar with your musical or academic preparation.
Transcripts
List and upload a copy of an official transcript from every postsecondary institution (college/university) you have attended or are attending. Please note: This includes community college transcripts and transcripts from institutions where you received transfer credits or did not complete a degree. Make sure to request an official transcript(s) in advance of the deadline.
- Transfer Credits: We understand accepted transfer credits may be clearly listed on your degree awarding institution’s transcript. The Office of Graduate Admissions still requires a transcript from the initial credit-granting institution where you took the course(s). Failure to list and upload these transcripts can significantly delay the application review process.
Please note the copy of an official transcript must include the following:
- Name of institution and show institutional logo
- Student name
- Student ID
- Semesters
- Course title and grade received
- Grading scale (if different than 4.0 scale)
- Level of study
- Degree conferral date (if degree granted)
If the transcript(s) submitted do not meet the above requirements, you will be required to submit an official transcript.
Institutions Outside the US or Canada
If you completed or are completing a degree at an institution outside of the US or Canada, you are required to provide a WES, ECE or TEC/SpanTran international credentials evaluation. Please review our requirements for translation and a course-by-course evaluation of your transcripts.
GRE
Not required.
Proficiency in English
See testing requirements.
Pre-Screening Materials
All applicants to the MA in Music Education in Communities are required to submit pre-screening materials through the portfolio section of the online application.
The pre-screening consists of a musicianship and creative practice recording and a personal introduction.
Musicianship and Creative Practice Recording
Submit approximately 15 minutes of video recordings that provide evidence of your musicianship and creative practice. You are welcome to submit additional material if needed, but your full submission should not exceed 30 minutes.
Your submission should include at least two brief selections that together provide a comprehensive representation of your musical and creative practice. These may be complete short works or excerpts from longer works. We encourage you to use your recordings to demonstrate the breadth of your musicianship and to select materials that best showcase your musical fluency, expressivity, creativity, versatility, and potential for continued musical growth.
We are interested in learning about the musical and creative practices through which you identify and engage as a musician, and your selections may represent any musical styles, traditions, or practices.
There is no required repertoire. However, your submission should reflect your own musical background and provide faculty with sufficient evidence to assess your current musicianship and readiness for continued musical development at the graduate level.
For each example, briefly identify what you are presenting, the context in which the music was created or performed, and your role in the performance or creative process.
If a submitted example involves collaborative music making, clearly identify yourself and your contribution.
Recordings do not need to be professionally produced but should have sufficient sound and video quality for faculty to evaluate your work.
Personal Introduction
Submit a 3–5 minute video introduction in which you respond to the following prompts:
- Tell us briefly about yourself and your musical background.
- How have you learned and developed as a musician?
- What experiences have shaped your interest in bringing together music, education, and community engagement?
- Tell us about a musical experience that has been particularly meaningful to you. What made it meaningful?
- Why would you like to study music education at NYU Steinhardt?
You may also share any additional information about yourself that you would like the admissions committee to know.
The personal introduction is an opportunity to share aspects of your background and experiences that complement your statement of purpose. We encourage you to respond to the prompts in your own words and avoid repeating or reading directly from your statement of purpose.
Interview
Following review of the application and pre-screening materials, selected applicants will be invited to an online interview with Music Education and other faculty from the Department of Music and Performing Arts Professions.
The interview is designed to help us learn more about you as a musician, learner, and prospective artist-educator and to assess your readiness for graduate study.
Faculty may ask you to discuss:
- Your musical, artistic, educational, and professional background
- The ways you have developed as a musician
- Experiences that have shaped your perspectives on music teaching and learning
- Your interest in working with and alongside diverse communities
- The relationship between your musical and creative practice and your educational or community interests
- Your ideas about culturally responsive music education
- Your experiences with musical traditions, practices, communities, or perspectives different from your own
- Your professional goals
- Areas in which you hope to grow as a musician and artist-educator
- Your interest in NYU Steinhardt's approach to music education in diverse communities and settings.
Musicianship Assessment During the Interview
The interview is not a performance audition.
Because your pre-screening materials provide evidence of your musicianship and creative practice, any musical component of the interview will be used primarily to help faculty better understand your current musical practice, the breadth of your musical skills, and areas for continued development.
On a case-by-case basis, you may be asked to discuss or briefly demonstrate aspects of your musical or creative practice, such as:
- Instrumental or vocal performance
- Playing by ear
- Improvisation
- Composition, songwriting, or arranging
- Collaborative music making
- Music production or technology-based music making
- Conducting or ensemble leadership
- Facilitation of participatory music making
- Musical styles or practices beyond those represented in your pre-screening materials
You are not expected to demonstrate advanced proficiency in all of these areas at the time of admission.
The interview is also an opportunity for you to learn more about the program and ask questions of Music Education faculty.
2. Apply
Application
After you fill in and upload the required information, you can submit your completed application. Your application must be completed, dated, electronically signed, and submitted by 11:59 p.m. EST of the stated deadline.
Application Fee
You will be prompted to pay a $75 application fee, payable by major credit card only. After submitting your payment, you will see your application status change from “saved” to “submitted.” Please print this screen for your records, as it confirms that your application has been successfully sent to our school. If you have problems submitting your payment, please contact the Office of Graduate Admissions. Learn more about our fee waiver policy.
Sending Materials
Most application materials can be successfully submitted via the online application.
If you plan to send application materials, transcript(s) or international credentials evaluation(s) to NYU Steinhardt Office of Graduate Admissions, please review these instructions. Materials sent to other divisions of NYU may not be obtainable by our office and will significantly delay processing.
Application Policies
Application deadlines are "in-office" deadlines, not postmark deadlines. It is your responsibility to ensure that all materials are in the Office of Graduate Admissions by the appropriate deadline, and we reserve the right to return any application that arrives after the deadline. Only completed applications will be considered. Should a deadline fall on a weekend, the in-office deadline will be the next business day. We advise you to apply early.
Please check the online system to confirm that you have successfully submitted your application. Due to the volume of applications and related materials received, the Office of Graduate Admissions will only contact you if your application was successfully submitted and is deemed incomplete because of missing required materials. Otherwise, you will hear from us when the admissions committee has made its decision.
Deferral policy: NYU Steinhardt does not allow deferrals. Applicants who wish to be considered for a future semester must reapply by submitting a new application with all supporting materials, including letters of recommendation, by the application deadline.
3. Receive Your Admission Decision
Decision
You will be notified about your decision by email. Typically, decisions will start going out in late November for Spring semester enrollment and in late March or early April for Summer or Fall enrollment. You may learn of your decision before or after this timeline.
Financial Aid
Financial Aid, Scholarships and Cost of Attendance
- Learn more about applying for financial aid.
- Learn more about scholarship opportunities.
- Learn more about cost of attendance and tuition and fees.