For many musicians, a career as a music educator is one of the most fulfilling choices they can make. One thing that is a constant among the various teaching venues is a need for a solid background in music and education fundamentals. If you are planning to teach in the public or private schools, you should have a degree in music education, and to teach at the college level, you almost always need to have an advanced degree in music and/or music education. Learn more about continuing your education.
Whether you are a new graduate, beginning teacher or seasoned veteran, or are just interested in what is involved in getting a teaching career started, we hope the following resources will be helpful in developing a successful career as a music educator.
About the Music Education Field
- Why Teach, Why Music, Why Me? – A look at how fulfilling teaching music can be, and how to get started
- What It Takes to Be a Music Major – What to expect in the undergraduate study of music
- Music Educator Supply and Demand – Stats on the job outlook for music teachers
- Testing and Certification – PRAXIS, state licenses, and national certification
- Finding a Job in Music Education – Tips for the job search
- Preparing to Teach Music in Today's Schools – Articles about student teaching, finding a job, and the first year of teaching
Teacher Resources
MENC has many resources for music teachers at any stage in their teaching careers. MENC members receive discounts on teaching resources and access to resources like My Music Class (a lesson plan library) and the MENC forums.
- National Standards for Arts Education: What Every Young American Should Know and Be Able to Do in the Arts – Achievement standards for music, dance, theatre, and visual arts for grades K-12
- Crowd Control – A manual for teachers of performance-based classes
- Strategies for Teaching Series - Lesson plans, specific to class type, based on the National Standards
- Teacher Success Kit: How to Succeed in Music Education – An interactive CD designed for new and future music educators
- Teacher to Teacher: Music Educator's Survival Guide – Strategies and suggestions for coping with the challenges facing teachers today
- MENC Online Networks for Band, Chorus, Future Teachers, General Music, Higher Ed, Jazz, and Orchestra.
For more information, visit Career Center Resources and MENC Resources.
Helpful Links
For more information about what it's like to be a music teacher, visit:
- Collegiate MENC - MENC membership for college music education majors—a great place to share your thoughts about becoming a music teacher.
- Tri-M Music Honor Society® - International Honor Society recognizing junior high and high school students for their musical ability, academic excellence, school involvement, and community service.
- The Society for Music Teacher Education - The Society was founded in 1982 and is open to those members of MENC with a particular interest in music teacher education.
- Music Achievement Council - Web site provided by NAMM, the International Music Products Association. This site is an excellent resource of information on becoming a music educator. It includes how to choose the right school as well as job search preparation and interview questions.
- College Music Society - Information on mentoring, jobs, and other professional resources.