Majoring in music education provides an opportunity to earn both a college degree and a teaching license. In some states, you will become certified to teach both vocal and instrumental music for grades K–12. Others are broken down by grade-level of student or by vocal/instrumental focus. To find what your state requires for teacher licensure, see your state’s Department of Education website to find the most up-to-date information. At the time of this publication, 49 states offered an all-level music teacher license (K–12 or P–12) and, in more than 30 of those, it was the only license available. If your desire is to teach high school band, that is certainly possible but know that you will be spending practicum and student teaching time at the elementary level as well and will have some coursework with a vocal focus as well. If you are thinking about attending college in a state other than the one in which you will be teaching, you will be able to see if there are additional requirements to obtain a license or, at the very least, find contact information for someone who can help.

A music education major must not just have a desire to teach music, but students. If you’re looking to major in education merely for a steady paycheck, you’re in the wrong place! The profession needs people who are excited to share their passion with others. We feel very fortunate that music is the subject through which we reach students.

Dispositions

As an education major, you’ll be asked to examine and reflect on several personal qualities needed to be an effective teacher. Here are five of the dispositions most commonly assessed in teacher education programs:

Caring

Teachers must have a passion for working with people and possess the ability to empathize (see things from another person’s perspective). Enthusiasm about the content is as important as patience and compassion. Finally, an effective teacher is able to recognize the issues surrounding and appreciate diversity.

Communication

Effective interpersonal skills and the ability to collaborate or work together as a team are also important. Teachers should be aware of and able to respond to other’s needs. It is essential to be authentic and responsive.

Creative

A teacher must be flexible. Teaching requires that one adapt/adjust/think on their feet. The best teachers are resourceful, finding inventive ways to meet the needs of their students.

Critical

Regular self-evaluation and a willingness to work to overcome weaknesses are hallmarks of good teaching. The needs of the learner must come first. A good teacher takes initiative and maintains high expectations for their students and themselves.

Professional

Appropriate dress, punctuality, and a strong work ethic are important. Perhaps even more important is the need to provide a role model who is responsible, respectful and has integrity.

InTASC Standards

In addition to dispositions, there are standards for teachers that were created by the Interstate Teacher Assessment and Support Consortium and are most often assessed through portfolios that include artifacts like lesson plans and teaching videos and are built throughout the degree program. The 10 standards are organized in four different categories:

The Learner and Learning

1. 1. Learner Development
   2. Learning Differences
   3. Learning Environments

Content Knowledge

1. 4. Content Knowledge
   5. Application of Content

Instructional Practice

1. 6. Assessment
   7. Plan for Instruction
   8. Instructional Strategies

Professional Responsibility

1. 9. Professional Learning and Ethical Practice
   10. Leadership and Collaboration

Some states require a standardized test, like Pearson’s Praxis test, for licensure. Others require a portfolio, like the edTPA, that you assemble during your student teaching semester. Requirements change fairly often, so it is best not to worry too much about it until you are nearing the end of your program. Often a teaching license in one state will be sufficient to obtain at least a provisional one in another state.

National Core Arts Standards

Rather than setting a bar for teachers, these standards were created as goals to strive for when teaching students. They were created in 2014 to guide educators in providing a unified quality education in all art forms for students in Pre-K through high school. The 2014 Music Standards are all about music literacy. Musicians in the Western European tradition often think of music literacy as the ability to read standard notation. It is so much more! The standards emphasize conceptual understanding in areas that reflect the actual processes in which musicians engage. The standards cultivate a student’s ability to carry out the three Artistic Processes of Creating, Performing, and Responding. These are the processes that musicians have followed for generations, even as they connect through music to themselves and their societies.

There are five strands in the 2014 standards: Music (which refers to K–8 music education and is organized by grade level), Harmonizing Instruments, Theory and Composition, Traditional and Emerging Ensembles, and Technology. The last four strands are organized by achievement level: novice, intermediate, proficient, accomplished, and advanced. These levels offer success to the student who, for example, joins for the first time as a sophomore as well as to the student who has studied multiple instruments privately and intends to make music a career. The big-picture overview is provided below.

NASM Standards

The National Association of Schools of Music (NASM) is an organization that provides comprehensive processes to ensure program quality. Those institutions deemed worthy are then given accreditation. NASM created a list of desirable attributes, essential competencies, and professional procedures. These standards were created for music programs. The following attributes are to be nurtured and competencies demonstrated by students in accredited programs.

The prospective music teacher should have:

1. Personal commitment to the art of music, to teaching music as an element of civilization, and to encouraging the artistic and intellectual development of students, plus the ability to fulfill these commitments as an independent professional.
2. The ability to lead students to an understanding of music as an art form, as a means of communication, and as a part of their intellectual and cultural heritage.
3. The capability to inspire others and to excite the imagination of students, engendering a respect for music and a desire for musical knowledge and experiences.
4. The ability to articulate logical rationales for music as a basic component of general education, and to present the goals and objectives of a music program effectively to parents, professional colleagues, and administrators.
5. The ability to work productively within specific education systems and promote scheduling patterns that optimize music instruction.
6. The ability to maintain positive relationships with individuals of various social and ethnic groups, and be empathetic with students and colleagues of differing backgrounds.
7. The ability to understand, apply, and practice principles of professional ethics.
8. The ability to evaluate ideas, methods, and policies in the arts, the humanities, and in arts education for their impact on the musical and cultural development of students.
9. The ability and desire to remain current with developments in the art of music and in teaching, to make independent, in-depth evaluations of their relevance, and to use the results to improve musicianship and teaching skills.

Competencies listed as a “means for developing these attributes” include: conducting and musical leadership; arranging; functional performance on piano, voice, and another instrument appropriate to specialization; and knowledge of analysis, history, and literature. Essential teaching competencies are also listed:

1. ability to teach music at various levels to different age groups and in a variety of classroom and ensemble settings
2. understanding of child growth and development
3. ability to assess aptitudes, experiential backgrounds, orientations of individuals and groups of students
4. knowledge of current methods, materials, and repertories appropriate to the teaching specialization
5. ability to accept, amend, or reject methods and materials based on personal assessment of specific teaching situations
6. understanding of evaluative techniques

There is still more! Additional specialization competencies are listed for general music, vocal/choral music, instrumental music, all levels/all specializations, and specific music fields or combinations (composition, electronic music, guitar keyboard, history, theory, and popular music). These can be found in the NASM handbook which is available on their website.

The Future of Music Education

Next, we provide a quick introduction to some of the challenges to progress in what tends to be a very traditional profession. The question is, whose tradition? A focus on Western European traditions in American schools raises concerns about equality and social justice. The changing demographics of students in American classrooms along with the evolution in how we create and consume music in the 21st century are but what happens in those classrooms has not changed much, despite numerous calls to do so, in many decades. Music is an important part of any culture and can benefit all students, but how that education is being delivered is the question.

Teacher Education Programs

In nearly all institutions, applied faculty make the decisions regarding scholarships and who is admitted to the music program. Initially, your performance skills are simply more important than what you bring to the table in terms of teaching. Sadly, this process, along with an almost complete focus on band, orchestra, and choir, have resulted in a lack of diversity among preservice teacher candidates. If musicians who can afford private study on the “right” instruments are the ones being accepted into teacher education programs, it is likely that they will continue to perpetuate the stereotype when they become teachers. As you have already read, the focus on performance continues once you are admitted as well, with requirements for juries, recitals, and ensemble participation. All of this makes for strong performing ensembles, but does not embrace musical traditions outside of the privileged Western European tradition.

The good news is that the study of popular music, world music, and instruments beyond those found in traditional large ensembles are starting to be accepted, much in the same way jazz was once not recognized in academia (and now you can earn a doctoral degree in it!)

Reaching the “Other 80%”

In addition to the established choir, band and orchestra programs, today’s music educator needs to be prepared to meet the needs of a wide variety of students. Music education is offered (but not necessarily required) almost exclusively in the form of large ensembles at the secondary level. Jazz, chamber and other assorted select groups are common and necessary to further challenge “the talented few,” but what happens to the rest of the students? If we are to serve more than about 20% of our students, we must provide more varied opportunities for them to make music.

These opportunities might mean allowing students to focus on composition, listening, music history, guitar or keyboard. Secondary offerings might include mariachi, rock/fusion, steel pan, gospel, world drumming, recorder ensembles, etc. High school programs may also offer AP music theory, composition, guitar and keyboard in addition to choir, band and orchestra ensembles. In deciding what and how to teach, music educators should consider how students in their communities interact with music outside of school.

Many students interact with music outside of school for their own personal enjoyment. This music tends to be mostly non-classical. Concert attendance is no longer a big deal. We have many ways to hear anything we want to listen to without even leaving our homes. We no longer need to attend concerts to hear good music. We can easily make our own, too, with a guitar or keyboard. Today, the best-selling instruments are electronic keyboard and guitar. (Think about that – especially considering the cost of school band and orchestra instruments.) We might even use electronic means or share our music digitally. This kind of interaction with music can lead to a lifetime of musical involvement.

In contrast, school music is often classical, composed by someone else, rehearsed for a one-time performance, and often focused on instruments that restrict musical involvement after graduation except in large ensembles. Choir, band and orchestra involve an elite few and tend to be autocratic. The conductor makes the decisions on repertoire and interpretation. The rehearsal can become more about carrying out the instructor’s musical ideas and less about students’ musical growth.

Honoring Tradition While Rising to the Challenge of the Future

Music education is about finding a balance between upholding traditions and embracing new ones. Live performance is not as important as it once was. Thanks to technology, musical communities can be formed by shared interest rather than physical proximity. Music teachers must be versed in the use of technology, arranging, and a wide variety of music from folk to Latin American to rock and pop. The ability to understand the contexts in which many styles of music are created is crucial in helping students to use music for personal expression.

The music curriculum must meet the needs, desires and abilities of students. It can and should be affected by available school and community resources. Music educators must be prepared to connect students with musical offerings in the community to avoid the divide between school music and music in “real life” to promote lifelong participation. We are not suggesting throwing away the amazing large ensemble tradition that is envied by others internationally; we humbly ask you to consider what could be if you believe music is an important part of the education of all students.

It is an exciting time to be a music educator! If you have taken piano lessons since first grade, you are well on your way. If your high school band director took you to every honor band in a five-hour radius, you have experiences that can greatly benefit you as a teacher. If your experiences include playing bass in a rock band, the profession needs you. If your experiences consist of gospel choir at your church, there is a place for you in school music education. If you learned 300 songs on guitar by ear, you have skills that will help make you an amazing music educator. Just as there are a variety of musical genres, there are an even greater variety of students in our schools who will benefit from your expertise!

Advice from Current Students, Practicing Teachers, and College Faculty

Students

“What is one thing you wish you had known before beginning your music education degree?”

“The best part about being a music education major is…”

Current Teachers

“What advice would you give to future music educators?”

“What do you like best about your job?”

Music and Music Education Faculty

“What do you like best about your job?”

“What advice would you give to a student majoring in music education?”