I have realized that I want to be a music professor(I know I’m ambitious 
). I know that I would not want to tach elementary or middle school. I would teach at a high school as a temporary position, not for the rest of my life.
I know I would need at least a master’s degree, but I am not sure which type of bachelor’s degree to get. Are there any good schools where I can go and get my Bachelor’s and then transfer to get my master’s that are also affordable?
I know that to be a full-time professor, I would most likely need a doctoral degree. I would like to either teach music theory or music history. I could also teach vocal music in a private practice.
My main mission is to light a flame for music in other people, as my teacher did for me, whether it is through theory, history, or singing.
Just to be realistic, there are many more smart, talented, and creative people who would love to be college professors than college professor jobs available. So it is a very hard path which many will fail to follow, for one reason or another.
But to start down that path, I would make a point of choosing a college where you feel like you would be able to work closely with the professors in your department. In terms of degrees, my understanding is you probably want to do a BM if you want to go the performance path, but can do a BA in any of Music, Composition, or Music Education for the theory path, and then maybe Music Education specifically for that path. But others may have more thoughts on that.
1 Like
I’m in academia but not in the performing arts, so this advice might not be spot on. However, I recommend that you look up music departments at a variety of colleges and universities (because if you do go into higher ed and are successful at finding a tenure-track job, you won’t likely have much of a choice as to where you end up, so it’s good to consider a spectrum of possibilities). Find out how many people in these departments are tenured/tenure-track, and how many are adjunct (the tenure-track titles are assistant, associate, and full professor). Look at individual faculty CVs, if you can (sometimes there are links on the department faculty page, sometimes you can google). Look for the following information: where did they go to school (BA/BFA-Ph.D., or MFA, if applicable), what kinds of ensembles/bands/orchestras have they played for, how did they shape their careers, etc. What kinds of prior jobs have they held? If you’re looking at adjuncts, are they primarily performers who teach part-time, or do they have to patch together teaching gigs to earn their living? Maybe, after looking around, you might try contacting a few of these professors for information interviews. At that point, you might be able to ask some informed questions and get valuable advice.
One thing I can tell you – careers in K-12 and higher ed are not interchangeable, and they require different kinds of preparation. So a Music Ed teaching certification program is unlikely to lead you to higher ed, and a Ph.D. is unlikely to lead you to a primary or secondary ed teaching career. So if you’re hesitant to teach K-12, it’s just a matter of choosing a different career path.
1 Like
Thank you so much. This is very helpful!
1 Like
I have a kid who is a professional musician. He is also an adjunct at a community college system. And he also has a few other income streams. He never has wanted to work in the public schools and does not have that certification.
You mentioned getting a degree in music education. Please…do that only if you actually want to be a teacher. If you do….once you get your bachelors and hopefully a job, just work a few years. You might find that you can complete your masters by attending part time in the evenings and summers. Many public school teachers do this.
Some states actually require you to get a masters within a certain time period to maintain your certification.
You know…once you get that masters, you might find you can teach a CC course each term in the evenings. Maybe.
I will say…music education jobs in the schools are not exactly plentiful.
You definitely want to attend a program in the state in which you plan to teach…and make sure that the program will fulfill all of the certification requirements.
Yes, for four year college teaching or a full time salaried CC job , you will need a PhD. But even with that, a job won’t be easy to get. You will need to be VERY flexible about where you are willing to work. We know a number of music PhD folks who are teaching in the public schools…for a variety of reasons (pay and benefits are sometimes better).
I think you have some good options to explore. Just take your time. You might want to discuss this all with your music teacher(s) at your school. They will likely be a good resource.
2 Likes