Dr. Don Ester is professor and area coordinator of music education at Ball State!

“I have wanted to teach as long as I can remember. I was the organist and director of my home church’s adult choir starting as a 13-year-old. I was sometimes the substitute music teacher while I was in HS. I always loved learning, and I loved leafing and helping others learn.

“With Ball State’s roots in teacher education, all education degrees have always been Bachelor of Science (BS) and Bachelor of Arts (BA) degrees. This has included music education degrees. The National Association of Schools of Music (NASM), our accrediting body, recommends the title “Bachelor of Music Education” (BME) for professional degrees in music education. I have tried at various points over the past 20 years to transition our degree to a BME. Following our most recent NASM accreditation visit in 2018, we were able to again make this formal request for change through the Ball State governance system. This time it was approved. We are very excited that music education majors will now be receiving the BME degree.

“It continues to be a profound privilege to serve as a professor of music education at Ball State. I am passionate about helping guide music education majors to be the best teachers they can be so that they can make a positive difference in the lives of their future students. Being part of a team of committed teacher educators for over 25 years has allowed me to directly and indirectly impact thousands of K-12 music students.” 📸 @dzellidesign