DISTANCE LEARNING AND ONLINE GRADUATE PROGRAMS IN MUSIC TEACHER EDUCATION

There have been new developments in Masters of Music Education degree programs across the country which include the implementation of completely online and hybrid online, summer course, and residential graduate course offerings. These advances have transformed education to meet the needs of today's music educator. Therefore new opportunities for instruction provide convenience for the fast-paced, expansive, and inundated lives of the common woman and man as s/he fulfills the responsibilities of daily life. Given the increasing presence and popularity of these programs, there is a need for serious, substantive examination of the structure, design, and effects of online graduate education on the educational landscape of music teacher education. This study examined current designs, issues surrounding the growth of online graduate degree programs, and potential for positive development of online graduate music teacher education programs. Attention was given to coordination between distance education and music departments, online course structure, pressure to maximize profits at the expense of educational quality, management of full time and adjunct music instructors, and management of student professional development and training, provision of instructional and student services, and technological hardware/ software, equipment, educational resource materials, and facilities used to support online learning. Increasing interest in the development of university partnerships as an entrepreneurial business enterprise to provide graduate degree opportunities to today's music educator will be presented. This presentation will give participants a summary of current distant learning practices in various graduate music education programs in the United States.