By Joanie Harmon, UCLA Ed&IS News
The Joint Music Education Program is a partnership between the Teacher Education Program at UCLA Center X and the UCLA Herb Alpert School of Music.
With the passing of Prop. 28, the already high need for music teachers in California schools is expected to grow. The UCLA Teacher Education Program (TEP) in Center X, collaborates with UCLA’s Herb Alpert School of Music (HASOM) to produce committed, high-quality music educators to fill that demand, with the only music education program at a public university in California, where it is possible to earn a teaching credential in a four-year undergraduate degree program.
Lily Chen-Hafteck, UCLA professor of music education, oversees the program from the HASOM side, working with Emma Hipolito, TEP director. Chen-Hafteck, who currently chairs the Music in Schools and Teacher Education Commission of the International Society for Music Education (ISME), says that the unique and rigorous program seeks applicants who are, “… strong musicians, have strong academics, and are passionate about teaching music and working with young people.”
“One of the objectives of TEP is to support novice teachers in acquiring the ‘knowledge, skills, and dispositions needed to provide rigorous academic content and high-quality learning experiences to K–12 students,’” says Hipolito. “The Joint Music Program embodies that mission. Music Education students continue to hone their own knowledge of music while simultaneously learning to teach. Under the leadership of Drs. Chen-Hafteck and (Joanna) Gamboa-Kroesen (UCLA assistant professor of music education), this program can serve as a model of rigorous teacher preparation, rooted in a deep knowledge of content and a culturally responsive approach to K–12 music curriculum.”