The American College of Music (ACM) was established in 2019 by music educators and started operating in July 2021. Their primary objective is to offer an affordable, 100% online graduate education highly valued academically and centered on hands-on instruction that caters to the student’s needs. ACM promotes critical and creative thinking through teaching and learning, vital for gaining fact-based knowledge, achieving positive results, and finding informed solutions. Upon graduation, students are encouraged to continue their pursuit of objective truth through lifelong learning and independent thought.

• ACM offers a fully online master’s degree program for working music educators who want to advance their educational goals, academic knowledge, and pedagogical skills. Due to their busy schedules, which include out-of-school preparation time and extracurricular activities such as rehearsals, performances, and competitions, it can be challenging for in-service music practitioners to attend traditional brick-and-mortar graduate programs.
• Over the past 20 years (2000-2019), public and private graduate education tuition has increased by 250%, while inflation has remained around 2.1%. However, during the last three years (2021-2023), the inflation rate has surged to 17.3%, making the cost of living even higher (according to InflationData.com). The sky-high tuition rates are due to the introduction of government-secured student loans into the market, which has negated free-market competitiveness.

• Teacher preparedness is a significant issue, particularly among new, untenured music educators. According to a 2011 survey by the US Department of Education, fifty percent of teachers are not prepared to meet the challenges of their profession. Music educators are looking for practical, hands-on content that covers topics such as musical repertoire, advanced instrument techniques, and technology utilization, among others. Above all, K-12 music practitioners are seeking mentorship programs with experienced master teachers.
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Your donations will help ACM with its mission to transform music education.

• ACM’s 100% Online master’s program in music educators has no required residency or out-of-state tuition. The program consists of 5-ten-week quarters, graduating students in 15 months, expediating class time and program length to accommodate working educators’ demanding schedules.

• One of ACM’s main priorities is to help music educators achieve their educational goals by keeping tuition rates affordable and providing low-interest private financing, culminating with a debt-free degree. Maintaining a cost-effective overheard and seeking individual donations and grants facilitates the program’s success.

• ACM Online curriculum is designed to increase the music educator’s effectiveness in the classroom by incorporating heuristic (hands-on) learning, critical thinking, problem-solving, and mentorship into every offered course. As a result, ACM students can overcome their educational challenges, have successful programs, and become master teachers.

  
  “Music and the other arts foster in our students the characteristics employers want to see in the people they hire.”
  (Denese Odegaard – Past President of the National Association of Music Educators)