A music teacher career is ideal for those who have a passion for music and a desire to teach it. Music teachers are responsible for many different aspects of the classroom, including preparing lessons, grading homework and reviewing concepts with students outside of class. Music teachers also help their students prepare for auditions, competitions and performances
First, it’s important to note that the starting salary for a music teacher varies widely. Your geographical location and the type of school where you teach will have an impact on your salary.
Starting Salary For Music Teacher Overview
Music teachers are some of the most dedicated and inspiring professionals in the world. They are also one of the hardest-working, since they spend their days working with students who have different interests and needs and who come from a wide variety of backgrounds.
It’s no surprise then that music teachers are among the highest paid educators in the country, with an average salary of $63,360 per year (according to The Bureau of Labor Statistics). But what if you’re just getting started? How much can you expect to make at the beginning of your career?
How Much Do Music Teachers Make Per Month?
One way to start thinking about how much you’ll make as a music teacher is to look at how much other people in similar positions make. A recent survey conducted by PayScale shows that elementary school teachers earn an average salary of $46,000 per year, while high school teachers earn $56,000 on average. This means that if you’re teaching high school music classes, you could expect to make around $5,000 more than an elementary school teacher each year.
Music teacher job description
As a music teacher, your classroom is your workplace. You will probably teach several groups of children each day in sessions up to an hour long. During these sessions, you will teach your students to sing songs and play musical instruments. Your job is to channel your students’ creative energy into a more disciplined expression through music education.
Music education often includes theoretical and practical approaches to music. Therefore, in addition to teaching your students how to read musical notes, you may cover music theory, music history and other academic aspects of the discipline. In some cases, you may assign and grade homework. This could simply be practicing a song or playing an instrument, or it could be essays or other assignments with a more academic approach to music.
Music teachers can expect to work school days (mornings and afternoons five days a week, nine to 10 months of the year). You will teach more than one class of students each day. Between classes and after school, you may have to prepare lessons, attend meetings and work one-on-one with students. You may enjoy winter, spring and summer vacations. Some teachers pursue a second career when school is not in session.
Who makes a good music teacher?
Someone who is:
- Passionate about music
- Creative and always generating ideas
- An experienced musician
- Highly curious and a lifelong learner
- Sociable and easy to talk to
- Patient and resourceful
- Organized and careful about time management
- Devoted to learning
- Service-oriented
- Informed on music history and theory
- Careful about documentation and note-taking
- Qualified with training in music and a degree in music and/or education
Different types of music teachers
As you think about becoming a music teacher, you’ll want to consider what age group you want to teach.
Elementary school music teachers
Elementary school music teachers teach songs and musical techniques to children under the age of 10. Each day, they provide lessons about a particular song or aspect of musical performance.
Continue reading to learn more about elementary school music teachers
Middle and high school music teachers
Middle and high school music teachers lead elective music classes for students interested in pursuing a musical education.Continue reading to learn more about middle and high school music instructors
Professional development for music teachers
If you are serious about becoming a music teacher, start thinking about how to improve your career prospects, develop your skills and improve your connections. Consider becoming involved in an organization such as the National Association for Music Education (NAfME) or the Music Teachers National Association (MTNA).
You may want to focus on becoming an accomplished musician before you begin to teach full time. Giving private lessons part time is a great way to gain teaching skills before you are ready to work for an elementary or secondary school.
Eventually, working in a music classroom with students will be great preparation for becoming a professional music teacher. Look for internships as well as student and assistant teaching opportunities. You’ll also want to consider going back to school for an advanced degree.
Benefits of continuing education
Music teachers with a master’s degree have a greater chance for promotions and salary increases. The difference in salary between a bachelor’s degree and a master’s degree for a novice teacher is $3,000 annually, and after 10 years, the bump increases to $4,500.
How Much Do Music Teachers Earn?
According to Americans for the Arts, students who participate in art and music education for four years score nearly 100 points higher on the SAT than those who study for one and a half years or fewer. Among lower-income students, arts education correlates strongly with lower dropout rates.
Many may consider arts courses—which include art, drama, and music—frivolous extracurriculars. They couldn’t be more wrong. Arts education is, in fact, a significant contributor to student success.
If you’ve got an aptitude for music and a calling to instruct young people, you might be cut out for a career as a music teacher. Like most musicians, you won’t get rich doing what you love. School music teachers earn the same as other educators—after accounting for factors like years of experience, education, the grade they teach, and state and district salary expectations. However, unlike their peers, music teachers can increase their earning potential by offering private lessons before and after school hours.
What is the average music teacher salary?
As a rule, music teachers earn the same average salary as other teachers. According to the United States Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), kindergarten and elementary school teachers earn a median income of just under $59,420 per year. High school teachers earn $61,660. These numbers shift depending on where you work and live. For instance, New York, California, and Massachusetts pay secondary school teachers over $80,000 annually—a pay increase usually absorbed by the relatively high cost of living in these locations.
Teacher pay frequently works on a “step and lane” schedule, according to the National Council on Teacher Quality. This means raises may correspond to accruing experience, additional degrees, or certifications. Teachers commonly start their careers earning under $45,000 and work their way up the scale (musical pun not intended). Individual school districts have the largest impact on salary with wealthier ones paying the most.
As you consider a career teaching in the arts, keep in mind that tight education budgets post a constant threat to arts education. When purse strings get tight, art and music are often the first subjects to face cuts, translating to inadequate facilities and equipment or even fewer jobs. Low-income areas usually feel budget cuts the most—especially in districts where individual families cannot afford to pay for equipment and materials themselves through extra fees. If you want to have a higher impact, these areas are where music teachers are most needed.
Private school teachers
As a rule, private school teachers earn less than their public school counterparts. According to ZipRecruiter, the national average annual salary for a private school teacher is $46,079 per year.
It may be possible to earn more teaching at one of the United State’s prestigious music conservatories—though it’s difficult to get exact numbers. Ziprecruiter says that boarding school teachers earn nearly $60,000 per year, with the highest salaries reaching over $125,000 annually. Naturally, these numbers depend heavily on the individual school and your status as a teacher. Still, they illustrate that it’s possible to make good money for teaching at a very high level—where jobs are extremely competitive.
College professors
The BLS reports that art, drama, and music teachers earn an average wage of $78,720. The top 25 percent makes $94,510 and above, with the top ten percent making $134,000. Not every college professor earns that much (or anywhere close), but many of the top-earning music teachers in the United States teach at colleges and universities.
Can good benefits make up for low salaries?
Teachers often get great benefits, which can help make up for comparatively lower salaries. The benefits package for public school teachers includes better insurance and pension plans than the average worker.
Why is this, and what does it mean? One reason is that school districts frequently offer to increase benefits rather than give monetary raises, meaning total compensation can look different from salary. Still, according to the Economic Policy Institute, “The benefits advantage of teachers has not been enough to offset the growing wage penalty.” Teachers face a 19.2 percent direct wage penalty (meaning they earn 19 cents less on the dollar than workers with a similar education) and a 10.2 percent penalty when factoring in other benefits. Teachers still earn less than other workers, but the divide isn’t quite as large as it seems.
Do private music teachers earn more money?
The good news is that becoming a private music teacher doesn’t require any degrees or certifications, though they can help market yourself to potential clients. Still, if you’re a wickedly talented musician with a personable teaching style, you’ll do well. Music is a subject where talent shines through more than credentials. Teaching privately also allows room for specialization—for instance, becoming a piano teacher or clarinet teacher, if the market supports it—rather than needing to play numerous instruments.
According to ZipRecruiter, private music teachers earn an average income of $76,389 per year, which translates to $37 per hour. But, the exact number is harder to pin down than that; much depends on how good you are at things like advertising and maintaining clients. The main benefit of being a private teacher is you can set your rate. Still, it’s not as simple as charging more means you’ll make more. You likely need better qualifications to increase your rate successfully. Plus, if you live in a place with lower incomes, you likely won’t be able to charge as much because the community cannot support it.
So, the answer comes down to whether you want to bet on yourself. Self-employed music teachers have a higher earning potential than others—usually excluding college professors—if they can master the business side. Keep in mind that the self-employed must pay for things like healthcare and retirement out of pocket.
The third option for those who love music—or money—is teaching at a school and having private students on the side. It is theoretically possible to teach plus tutor, but you’d need to manage your time judiciously. You could also use the summer months to take on extra students or work at a music camp, which generally garners hourly wages.
Not every musician becomes the next Prince, but teaching music is a flexible career path with numerous ways to make a living.
