5 REASONS TO GO MUSIC ED AND 3 REASONS NOT TO
Are you thinking about music school or changing your major? Maybe you were like me and were constantly told the only practical avenue to pursue a college degree in music is music education. According to the National Center for Education Statistics, around 80% of students change their major. Maybe you are in the middle of a program and just gave your first lesson plan and realize teaching may not be for you. If you're going back and forth on the possibility of earning a music ed degree, I have a few things to keep in mind when weighing the pros and cons that your academic advisor may have left out.
The Pros
You Love Teaching
I know this seems obvious, but there is more nuance to this than you would think. As an educator, you will work with children—lots of them, all types of personalities, ages, and skill levels. If your dream is to be the Jazz Band director for a high school band, you may get there, but you're most likely going to have a few other assignments along the way. Unless you are hired right out the gate in a wealthy suburban school district or looking to work part-time to fill the perfect spot, you will have other teaching duties to fill out your schedule. Without the flexibility or willingness to take on sixth-grade band, or music in our lives class, the likelihood of obtaining that perfect assignment can get tricky. The great thing about teaching music is that your possible focus and experience bleeds into all types of K-12 possibilities. Music ed may not be for you if you have little interest in teaching basic skills and learning how to diagnose issues on the fly. Teachers teach, and because of that, it is important you love to do it in any setting. Teaching 6-8 hours a day 180 days a year can take its toll. Without having a love for transmitting knowledge and creating growth in your students, you will burn out. I'm not advising you to settle on a teaching position that isn't your dream job but be comfortable taking a journey to get there. Without the desire to teach music regardless of the focus, you are setting yourself up for disappointment, burnout, and anxiety.
2. Job Security
Who doesn't enjoy a steady paycheck and stable work environment? Don't get me wrong; a teaching career is not guaranteed to coast you into retirement. Budget cuts can leave a music program to be the first gutted. Even with tenure, you can be transferred to another school or work in another discipline (i.e., orchestra to general music). Don't be naive about the possibility of these situations. Regardless, the position is one of the most stable and consistent jobs in the field. You can leave school with an actual state certification (after you take the appropriate exams, of course) that allows you to apply for positions that offer retirement, sick pay, health insurance, and a community that isn't quite as cutthroat as breaking into the jazz scene. The market is competitive, but even back in 2004, the U.S. Department of Labor reports a median income of 50k. University HQ reports 2017 average earnings between 56,900 and 59,170. Career explorer notes an estimated 122,500 music teachers are in the U.S, and the job market is expected to grow by 12% between 2016-2026. Places like New York and California have over ten thousand active jobs. If you are looking for a music-based job, you are hard-pressed to find a better degree to walk out of college with.
3. Work-Life Balance
I know; it's a cliché. I'm sure other articles will talk about the countless hours of unpaid work teachers put in. Those are truthful and accurate. As a new teacher, you will spend countless hours preparing lesson plans and or late nights teaching yourself classroom songs on a recorder. It also comes with the coveted summer and winter breaks, built-in state and federal holidays, additional sick and personal time. These vary widely between states and even counties, but all things considered, the security and prosperity your future self gets by being a public-school music teacher is something worth weighing. If you want to be able to perform, it frees up most nights and weekends. When I was teaching full-time, I still found myself performing regularly without feeling burnout. The job allows the ability to continue other passions and focus on your family as well.
4. Well Rounded Musician
Maybe you're on the fence. You have a passion for teaching, enjoy working with kids but aren't sure if you can see yourself doing it for the rest of your life. If you put the work in each semester, your musical skills will grow beyond your primary instrument. Many music ed programs allow direct access to the studio professors in semester-long techniques courses. My time at The Crane School of music was filled with school-provided secondary instruments and semester-long courses where I learned the basics of teaching with the studio professors. It improved my wind doubling chops and allowed me to experience instruments like trumpet, giving me a different perspective for approaching saxophone playing. Suppose you're thinking about playing in pit bands or juggling multiple instruments. Music ed programs are a great way to experience these instruments and work with university-level teachers.
5. Interest in Conducting
Conducting is often overlooked when deciding to pursue a music ed degree. Some of us constantly equate music ed with being the best solo performer and teaching our favorite instruments to the next generation of musicians. What is often left out is your ability to lead an ensemble. There is nothing more exhilarating than the actual performance aspect of music teaching. You can curate a program and lead a group of students to success on stage. The concert is a massive part of a music program. The stress of concert week aside, concerts give students a clear, direct goal that you can guide them through. If you enjoy leading, music education is a surefire way to take the reins and get the rush of commanding the stage to get the best out of your students.
The No's
Not a fan of working with students (lots of them)
Many music ed programs progress into their junior year without interacting with students. In many ways, it makes sense. You are busy learning the skills needed to teach music appropriately; therefore, schools hold off the interaction until the program feels you develop a toolset necessary to teach. Is it realistic to spend two years of coursework without getting in front of a group of students? Especially when teaching music could include upwards of 60 students at a time. Maybe you have given a few private lessons or babysat three children at once, but this is a far stretch from managing a classroom filled with different learning abilities, maturities, and attention spans. Working with kids is tricky, and you can develop more effective classroom management skills, but you can't avoid the large numbers and unexpected needs of your students. It isn't for everyone. I remember back in undergrad, a few classmates taking their first practicum course and abruptly changing majors. At the time, I remember thinking they were crazy, investing all that time to back out after a couple of weeks of music lessons to a group of students, but looking back, I applaud them for making the course correction. Work at a summer camp, volunteer at a community center, find out as soon as possible if working with a group of children is something you can picture yourself doing long term. It's ok if it isn't for you.
2. You have no interest in teaching
Maybe you want to pursue a career as an orchestral performer or be a gigging jazz musician. These are admirable goals, and perhaps you're anxious about constantly being told by relatives and family friends that "you can't make a career performing" or "you need a fallback option." If you do not like teaching, don't get a degree in it, and worse, don't try to get hired and take a position that someone who wants to educate a future generation of musicians. I'm not saying you shouldn't have a "backup plan," it's great if you're going to pursue a performance career while being an educator, but if you're looking for a steady paycheck while searching for gigs, you aren't helping anybody. Giving half-baked lesson plans and being a lazy music teacher to students is terrible for everyone in the long run. You're giving the students a bad experience they will look back on negatively. Fast forward a few years, and they are going into a polling booth to pass the school budget. They think back to their terrible experience in music class and don't think twice about cutting funding. If you don't want to teach, don't fall into it because everyone says you should.
3. Hyper-focus
Some of us love multi-tasking. Being able to double major in performance and music ed is something some people seem built for. Credit overloads every semester, and learning additional instruments while being expected to practice 3-5 hours a day keeps some people sharp. I was not one of those people. I remember retaking one or two classes while juggling a performance certificate with my music ed degree and jazz minor. Nothing is wrong with showing hyper-focus and pursuing performing, becoming a conductor, or being a music business entrepreneur. Going all-in can feel risky when met with constant judgment. If you think you have what it takes to use your college education and adequately set yourself up with the skills needed to make it in the real world, then go for it (that means keeping keg stands on the weekends to a minimum). Leaving school without a guaranteed path doesn't seem practical to many. If you have the temperament to withstand constant criticism, sacrifice quality time with family and friends, enjoy constantly reflecting on your flaws… and relentless hyper-focus, nothing should stop you from going all-in if music ed isn't your vibe.
Final Thoughts
Take these ideas with a grain of salt, each path is different, and the choice to become a music educator should be something you decide for yourself. I hope that if you choose to go into music ed, you pursue the degree with the seriousness that it deserves. Teaching the next generation is a privilege and isn't for everyone, and that's ok. I hope that these thoughts were provocative enough to illuminate the choice in a new way. If you have any thoughts on what goes into the music ed decision, be sure to share them in the comments below.
