The Certificate in Keyboard Pedagogy is a specialized course of study intended for those who will teach private or group piano lessons. Students receive both theoretical and practical training in the art of teaching, including ongoing participation through observation, assisting, and teaching in group and studio keyboard settings.
The program can be completed in two semesters and is for students who already have a degree in music or who wish to take the program in conjunction with the BA in music. Candidates with prior private or institutional training and/or teaching experience may apply up to nine units of transfer credit in lieu of required or elective courses.
Course Requirements for the Certificate
The following courses, or their approved transfer equivalents, are required of all candidates for this certificate.
Candidates with prior private or institutional training and/or teaching experience may apply up to nine units of transfer credit in lieu of required or elective courses.
Applicants must pass the entrance examinations for music theory and music history and pass a keyboard audition for studio instruction at the upper-division level before they can be officially admitted into the program. Applicants who do not meet these entrance requirements may be admitted into the program on a provisional basis at the discretion of the keyboard faculty. As provisional students, they may enroll in required courses for the certificate program with the understanding that they must meet the minimum entrance standards before a certificate can be awarded. This may be accomplished by taking appropriate courses or working independently or with a tutor. Applicants who have earned degrees outside of music and have sufficient prior musical training may be accepted provisionally into the program provided that they meet all the entrance requirements.
Music Majors/Minors
Students enrolled in music degree programs may concurrently be accepted into the keyboard pedagogy certificate program. Courses common to both the music degree and the certificate program may count for both programs. See the degree option advisor prior to enrolling in the pedagogy program.
