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Bachelor of Science (B.S.)
A Concentration In
Instrumental Emphasis
An emphasis within the B.S. in Music Education — prepare to lead bands and orchestras with skill and conviction.
Instrumental + General Methods
Instrumental methods plus general music methods
Instrumental Conducting
Dedicated conducting for the band/orchestra podium
Ensemble Experience
Chorale + a choice of ensemble electives
If the classroom you picture yourself leading is a band room or orchestra hall — students shaping tone, learning to blend across sections, growing into ensemble musicians — the Instrumental emphasis prepares you to lead it well. It builds on the full Music Education music and secondary-education core with focused study of instrumental conducting, instrumental methods, and general music methods.
Alongside the shared music core (four semesters of theory and sight-singing, music history, applied lessons, piano) and the full secondary-education preparation (classroom management, exceptional learners, SEI methods, Directed Student Teaching), you’ll add sixteen credits shaped around the instrumental classroom: Instrumental Conducting, Instrumental Music Education Methods, General Music Education Methods, and Developmental Band, plus four semesters of Chorale and a choice of ensemble electives. You’ll graduate a certified music teacher, prepared to lead a band or orchestra and a general music classroom.
Conduct Ensembles With Confidence
Study instrumental conducting — gesture, rehearsal technique, and score preparation for the band or orchestra podium.
Teach Instrumental Music
Learn methods for teaching band and orchestra at the secondary level, from repertoire to rehearsal to performance.
Teach General Music Too
Round out your preparation with general music methods for the elementary and middle-school classroom.
Grow Through Ensemble Playing
Developmental Band plus ensemble electives keep you in performance and rehearsal habits throughout the degree.
Sing With Skill Every Semester
Chorale each term rounds out your musicianship — helpful for instrumental directors too.
The band or orchestra room teaches skill, patience, and life together — hard work over time producing something bigger than any one player. A Biblical Worldview shapes how you frame that work.
Every Player Has Worth
Every ensemble includes the section leader, the middle-of-the-pack player, and the student still learning to hold the instrument — all image-bearers, all worth your investment. That conviction shapes how you seat, teach, and encourage every player.
Forms a rehearsal room where every student is treated with dignity.
Excellence Through Patient Work
Instrumental music rewards long, patient practice — most of it invisible to anyone but the teacher and the student. Framing that work as stewardship of a real gift keeps it meaningful when progress is slow.
Sustains your patience with slow-growing players over full seasons.
The Ensemble as Community
A band or orchestra runs on listening, blending, and setting self aside for the group's sound. Those habits form character alongside musicianship.
Frames your ensemble as a place where character is formed alongside skill.
MED 323B: Instrumental Methods – Brass
A music education course at Arizona Christian University.
MED 323S: Instrumental Methods – Strings
A music education course at Arizona Christian University.
MED 323W: Instrumental Methods – Woodwinds
A music education course at Arizona Christian University.
MED 323X: Instrumental Methods – Percussion
A music education course at Arizona Christian University.
MED 315Instrumental Conducting
A this discipline course at Arizona Christian University.
MED 412Instrumental Music Education Methods and Literature
A this discipline course at Arizona Christian University.
MEL 100Large Instrumental Ensemble
A this discipline course at Arizona Christian University.
The Instrumental emphasis prepares you specifically to lead bands, orchestras, and general music at the K–12 level.
Middle & High School Band Director
Lead bands at the secondary level with dedicated instrumental conducting and methods preparation.
Middle & High School Orchestra Director
Lead orchestras with the same conducting and methods foundation.
Elementary & Middle School General Music Teacher
Teach general music, supported by MED 413 General Music Methods.
Christian School Music Teacher
Teach instrumental music in Christian schools alongside classroom work.
Studio Teaching & Community Ensembles
Teach lessons on your primary instrument and lead community ensembles alongside teaching.
Graduate Study in Conducting or Music Ed
Continue into a master's in instrumental conducting, wind literature, or music education.
The Instrumental emphasis focuses your Music Education degree on the podium — and rounds it out with general music preparation.
Focused Instrumental Preparation
Dedicated instrumental conducting and instrumental methods for leading bands and orchestras.
General Music Too
MED 413 rounds you out for elementary and middle-school general music classrooms.
Full Certification Track
Includes the Sec Ed core and a full semester of Directed Student Teaching.
Musician + Teacher Together
Built on the shared 22-cr music core, so you graduate a real musician who happens to teach.
Already drawn to the Music Education degree? Adding the Instrumental emphasis is simple.
Choose Instrumental as Your Emphasis
Tell your music-education advisor you want the Instrumental track, and they'll sequence the instrumental methods and conducting into your plan.
Build Toward the Podium
Complete Music Theory II before Instrumental Conducting and the methods courses (they carry a MUS 102 prerequisite).
The Instrumental emphasis prepares you to conduct and teach in the band or orchestra room — with the musicianship, methods, and certification schools require. Apply or reach out today.
