Every person on Earth is born with the potential to learn and appreciate music, says music education professor Wendy Valerio.

“The School of Music aims to help students understand how humans access their music potentials and develop music skills, so they and their students may enjoy their musical birthrights throughout life,” Valerio says. “The faculty encourages students to be open-minded and curious and to continuously develop their skills as they transfer their knowledge and the love for music to the students they serve.”

The University of South Carolina’s comprehensive music education curricula balances theory with practical experience to prepare students for accreditation and state certification requirements. Faculty members emphasize leadership and performance opportunities, community engagement and hands-on practice to prepare well-rounded music educators who can adapt to different roles in public schools.

“The growth and development of the music education program at the University of South Carolina mirrors national trends as opportunities in public schools expanded,” says distinguished professor emeritus Andy Gowan.

For example, music instruction has grown from occasional classes with a music specialist post-World War II to regular weekly instruction — including band, strings, chorus, orchestra, elementary and early childhood music — in today’s schools. USC’s program has also expanded to offer graduate programs, including master’s and doctoral degrees, which provide additional opportunities for students to specialize music education.

Gowan notes that many music education majors are inspired by their own positive experiences with pre-college music instructors.
“Students have had a very enjoyable and successful experience in a middle or high choral ensemble, orchestra or the band, and that experience is often the thing that triggers their desire to become a music teacher,” he says. “Their music teachers have been influential in their lives, and they want to share those experiences and passion with others.”

Mentorship and musical exploration

USC’s undergraduate and graduate music education programs are highly regarded, Gowan says, emphasizing the comprehensive nature of the curricula. In addition to their education classes, students are expected to develop good performing skills, and they receive thorough instruction in music theory and history.

“Being a music educator is a calling, and we are committed to helping our students realize their potentials as leaders who facilitate music education experiences for others,” Valerio says.

That includes offering inclusive and culturally relevant music education, providing opportunities for leadership and exploring other musical fields, and participating in community engagement programs.

“Our students, at all levels, take on leadership roles in ensembles and community programs and gain practical teaching experience with all ages through programs like the USC String Project, Children’s Music Development Center, and Congaree New Horizons Band,” Valerio says. “If they want to excel in music education, we can help them find the opportunities to do so. We offer such a wide variety of experiences that everyone can find a place where they fit best.”

Students also may offer private lessons in area schools or work with summer band camps, teach at St. Peter’s Catholic School through a partnership with the School of Music, engage in research, or participate in local choirs and other ensembles.

Gowan emphasizes the importance of high-quality teacher training and experiential opportunities for maintaining a strong pipeline of music educators. Graduates teach all over the country, but many are in South Carolina classrooms.

“Another way you can see the impact and influence of USC graduates is through the South Carolina Music Educators Association, where our graduates are often in leadership roles,” he says.

Beyond the classroom: Community engagement

The School of Music’s mission to enrich the musical life of the community extends beyond public school classrooms through community engagement programs.

“Our school is a national leader in identifying and filling community needs through the wide variety of community engagement activities we offer,” says Associate Dean and Director of Graduate Studies Danny Jenkins, who serves as Coordinator of Public Music. “That could be performances or involving community members in music-making themselves. We’ve been able to reach out to the very young, to the very advanced and to beginners, to people with special needs, and to incarcerated and homeless populations.”
The public music initiative is built on those strengths in community engagement with accessible and affordable opportunities for music enrichment including workshops, classes, camps, lessons and clinics coordinated by faculty, students, staff and alumni.

Jenkins, a leader in the field of public music theory, is available as a resource for faculty, whether they are starting new projects or leading already well-established programs, for talking through opportunities, reaching out to community partners, or determining best practices.

Programs for specific age groups and populations, collectively called “Music for Your Life,” include the USC String Project, Children’s Music Development Center, Congaree New Horizons Band and Carolina Lifesong. In addition, the School of Music enriches the musical life of the university and the Midlands by offering more than 300 concerts and recitals a year.

Cameron Coffee from Pembroke Pines, Florida, who recently completed a master’s degree in jazz studies, says, “As an extension of USC’s mission to increase the musical awareness of South Carolina, New Horizons gives older instrumentalists a creative outlet that is much needed in today’s world.”

Drew Connolly, a Ph.D. candidate in music education from Spartanburg, South Carolina, points out that the New Horizons band program serves around 100 members across nearly a dozen ensembles, including experienced, practicing musicians; beginners; and those who have taken a hiatus from playing.

“The university invites community members to our campus with the sole goal of providing them with enriching musical experiences. As a music educator, it is difficult to imagine a greater service we could provide,” he says.

Regardless of their playing level, Connolly adds band members receive exceptional instruction to guide their musical growth and the opportunity to rediscover the joys of music making.

Music for Your Life outreach programs not only offer both musical and extra-musical benefits, such as a sense of belonging and community with individuals who share their interests, Jenkins says, but also provide experiential learning opportunities for students that enhance their learning outside the classroom.

“My experience working with a variety of ensembles such as New Horizons or the commercial music ensembles (Music Industry Studies) has given me many tools to communicate complex musical ideas to students of all ages and skill levels,” says Coffee, who works as a musician and hopes to land a job in education.

In addition to their academic transcript, USC students also have an experiential transcript supported through the Center for Integrative and Experiential Learning and Beyond the Classroom Matters, which provides a comprehensive record of USC students’ learning experiences.

“Those experiences could be civic engagement and volunteering, campus activities and sports, internships or — in the case of music students — participating in the school’s community engagement and other opportunities,” he says. “I’ve been working to strengthen record-keeping for our students’ experiential transcripts, so they’ll have documentation of the wealth of their activities and the wonderful experience they’ve had.”  

Connolly says these opportunities not only provide teaching experience and philosophical benefits, but they are also fun and rewarding.

“The members of the New Horizons program are kind, talented and a joy to work with. One of the things I miss most from teaching high school band is getting in front of an ensemble and making music with them. I really enjoy having that opportunity again,” he says. “I also am incredibly grateful to work with Dr. Mandi Schlegel, director of the New Horizons program and an outstanding musical leader.”

Pilot program addresses teacher shortage

Bridging both music education and community engagement, a new three-year pilot program seeks to expand music learning opportunities in South Carolina by providing training to equip working musicians to fill critical gaps in arts education. 
The School of Music’s groundbreaking initiative, the Music Teaching Artist Certificate Program (MTAC), aims to address South Carolina’s music teacher shortage, particularly in rural areas, by providing professional development and advocacy skills for teaching artists in their communities.

“We affirm our public schools and firmly believe that every child should have access to a certified music teacher, but in some areas, that opportunity is lacking,” says Hassan Anderson, oboe professor and associate director of the certificate program. “Experienced gigging musicians who have the habits, mindsets and curiosities of an educator are a good solution to provide music enrichment in those communities.”

He adds that the pilot program would not have been possible without the collaboration and participation of the music education faculty, who train teachers for pre-K through 12th grade.

While other schools offer similar certificates, Anderson says the depth and breadth of USC’s curriculum could serve as a model for institutions across the country. In 2025-26, School of Music Dean Tayloe Harding and leadership professor-of-practice and MTAC Director Mary Luehrsen will be delivering lectures and participating on panel discussions around the country presenting the structure and details of USC’s program.

Separate from the USC undergraduate or graduate admissions process, the accelerated, one-semester micro-credential curriculum includes coursework such as teaching methods and lesson planning, mentoring, individual observation, a capstone project and paid attendance to the S.C. Music Educators Association Professional Development Conference.

“It’s a wonderful professional development opportunity for persons in our community who teach music, but don’t have a degree in music education,” Valerio says. “They might want to know more about the artistry of teaching or how humans learn music and develop musical skills.”

The Gretsch family and its foundation offered full scholarships to the 12 participants in the program’s pilot cohort, ranging from experienced private and classroom teachers to professional musicians. All 12 students in the initial cohort completed the curriculum requirements and are now engaged in some form of teaching, either private instruction or in classrooms. Some are considering further certification.

Community impact and musical heritage

The program is tailored to meet the specific needs and interests of each participant, providing a flexible and supportive learning environment with the opportunity to complete a capstone project. For their projects, students could identify and further study an element of their teaching they wanted to improve or work on an independent project to address musical needs in their communities.

For example, Valerio and three of this spring’s participants worked to develop a popular music summer camp for youth planned for 2026. The camp would address the diverse interests of modern music learners.

“The initiative grew from the program’s goal to encourage participants to explore topics they were interested in,” Valerio says. “Guess what? Not everybody wants to learn Bach, Beethoven and Mozart, but if everybody has music-learning potential, then how can we help them learn what they want to learn?”

Although the pilot cohort members have received their certificates, the program will continue to offer support for the expertise and advocacy skills they gained. Anderson says MTAC demonstrates the School of Music’s commitment to deepening South Carolina’s music ecosystem, aligning with its mission of serving the community and advancing its goal to be the top public music school in America.

“One of the biggest things that came out of the program for me is that these gigging, intelligent musicians want to see impact in their own communities,” he says. “These communities have unique identities and personalities, and their culture and musical heritage deserved to be recognized and celebrated.”