Music Education at Oberlin Conservatory
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Description
This work serves as an exemplary case study on the evolution of music education in the US from 1833-2017 through the history of the Oberlin Conservatory.
While nominally the history of music education at Oberlin, this book also illustrates changing views and values related to music, evolution of musical taste, and its place in society. The history of teacher education writ large, particularly in terms of qualifications and teacher certification requirements, is also a core part of this in-depth narrative.
The Oberlin Conservatory is allegedly the first institution in the United States to offer a Bachelor of Music Education degree, beginning in 1922. Music forms a part of Oberlin almost from the institution's inception in 1833, through choral singing as a part of worship services. Following the conservatory from its nascent days as a musical institution, where choral singing was a part of worship services, to the influence of Mendelssohn's Leipzig Conservatory to the development of a bachelor's degree in music education, through the institution's golden age and subsequent evolution through social, political, and educational changes, and finally onto the program's decline in enrollment and institutional support.
This unique study of music education is institutionally specific but with broader implications for the value and importance of music education in contemporary higher education curricula as well as society at large.
Table of Contents
1. Introduction
2. Music at Pre-Conservatory Oberlin: 1833 – 1865
A Foundation of Egalitarian Values
Influences of Lowell Mason and Calvinism on Music at Oberlin
Charles Henry Churchill Helps Build Instrumental Music
Changing Musical Tastes Form the Seed of the Conservatory
3. Founding of the Conservatory and its Early Growth: 1865 – 1884
Oberlin Conservatory: Leipzig in the Midwest
Steeles and Rices Lead to Schism
Rice Grows the Conservatory
Curriculum Expands to Orchestral Instruments
Innovative Corset Provides Conservatory a Boost of Support
4. The Birth of Music Education as Oberlin Enters the 20th Century: 1884 – 1907
Curriculum Expands to Include Music History and Wind Instruments
20th Century and the Birth of Music Teacher Education
From Diplomas to the Bachelor of Music Degree
5. Karl W. Gehrkens Transforms the “Discard Heap:” 1907 – 1917
Transforming the “Discard Heap”
Music Teacher Education Becomes a Two-Year Program
Music Teacher Education Includes String Pedagogy
6. The Three-Year Certificate and Bachelor of School Music: 1917 – 1922
Three-Year Certificate in Public School Music
Music Teacher Education Includes Band Instruments
Building a Bachelor's Degree in Music Education
7. The “Golden Age” of Music Education at Oberlin: 1922 – 1942
From One Individual to a Department
Three Professional Tracks
The First Master of Music Education Degrees
Modernizing the Music Curriculum
Sunset of the Golden Age
8. From World War II to Salzburg: 1942 – 1964
Music Education Under New Management
“Freshman Core” Curriculum for First Year Conservatory Students
The Wind Ensemble Concept and Stability for Double Reeds
Oberlin in Salzburg
Seeds of the Coming Era
9. A Time of Transition and Unrest: 1964 – 1970
Towards Curricular and Academic Freedom
Introduction of Jazz and Music Technology
A Department Without Heritage
10. Radical Curricular Change, Radical Social Change: 1970 – 1983
Radical Curricular Changes
Faculty of the “Second Age” of Music Education
State Teacher Accreditation Challenges Curriculum Freedom
“Affirmative Action” for Music Education Major Admissions
11. Rebuilding, Stability, and Death: 1983 – 2017
Special Topics Courses
Renewed Push to Recruit
The Beginning of the End
Twilight of Music Education Under the Graduate-Only Program
12. Retrospect on 116 Years of Music Education
Demographic Analyses
Conclusions
Appendix – List of Oberlin Music Education Alumni
Index
Product details
| Published | 30 Apr 2026 |
|---|---|
| Format | Ebook (Epub & Mobi) |
| Edition | 1st |
| Extent | 224 |
| ISBN | 9798765159279 |
| Imprint | Bloomsbury Academic |
| Publisher | Bloomsbury Publishing |
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