<p>Hi everyone, </p>
<p>My passion is to be on stage, but with the competition out there I'm not sure if I really want to pursue it. I applied to CSU Fullerton for their BFA in Musical Theater. Now let's say I decide to pursue this degree and try my chances at professional Musical Theater, my question is this: If it goes horribly and I get no work, can I use my BFA and teach musical theater at the high school level? If not, what steps do I need to take? I really need your help!!</p>
<p>Am moving this to the Musical Theatre forum, where you will likely get some responses!!</p>
<p>To teach in a public school (or private school which requires it) you would need to be a certified teacher to hold a teaching position in a K-12 school. Depending on the state there are different ways of obtaining this certification post undergrad. It may take a little more schooling (possibly a master’s degree), and student teaching.</p>
<p>Many private schools do not require teachers to be certified. </p>
<p>Some public and private schools also hire freelance, part-time artists to direct shows and teach theatre in the schools. Often these people are not certified teachers.</p>
<p>I know quite a few people who graduated with Musical Theatre or Theatre degrees who now teach, or have taught, elementary or HS (myself included). Some went through Teach for America, others went to graduate school for education, others followed alternative routes to certification and/ or teach in private (or public) schools where certification is not needed.</p>
<p>I’m a secondary school public teacher. My two cents is that you should never use teaching as a back up plan. </p>
<p>First, teaching requires an entirely different skill set than performing the arts. Sometimes the two skills overlap, but often they don’t. I have known many miserable arts teachers. I am not talking about the first few years when you are young. I am talking about doing this for a career, supporting your family. Most people do not understand the bureaucracy and hierarchy involved in public school teaching. I didn’t, going in. THink whether you want to work in a very bureaucratic environment in which you have less and less autonomy every year and your work is far less valued than the football coach’s or the Math teacher for that matter - you can’t decide what to teach, you are judged and possibly fired by people with no expertise in music and the arts at all (a middle school science teacher, say, or a former gym teacher), based on factors that are often ludicrous, such as whether your room is decorated prettily, whether you write down a clear objective in the proper jargon (it doesn’t matter if you actually teach it, only if you and the students can recite it), whether you use the correct jargon in speaking to the students, etc. </p>
<p>You really have to have a <em>passion</em> for teaching young people or you will burn out extremely quickly.</p>
<p>Secondly, the environment is increasingly toxic. Arts programs across America are being slashed. Whole departments are being obliterated. It is increasingly difficult for people to find and stay in a job. I know many out of work teachers. You may think, “Oh, I’ll be fine working in an inner city school.” Well, they’re really competitive too. I work in one. The high school choir teacher graduated from Juilliard. One of the music teachers is a professional composer. The music and arts program however has been massively slashed as more and more money is going into testing, computers, and Math & English & Special Ed. There is no middle school theatre or choir or music. Finally, in public schools, the MT program is often run by the English teachers. Indeed, if the school were to hire a drama teacher, you would be in the English department. So you would be competing with English teachers. In the past, before the testing craze, this was fine–schools supported their drama teacher. But now the drama teacher is viewed as frivolous. Drama is not tested on the standardized tests. Certainly MT is not. When a school is reported to be ‘failing’ by the media, they are not talking about the MT program. Ever. So from the perspective of most administrations, school musicals are certainly fun but they don’t have anything whatever to do with state testing, ranking, money coming in or being removed. So whether they are run by an English teacher who happens to enjoy musicals or a trained BFA person is not really relevant to them–actually the most important thing is that the musicals are self supporting, so the person running it needs to be good at marketing. I do know a fabulous and talented young person who graduated from NYU STeinhardt and has been teaching acting in a high school, galvanizing the students–but he was hired by a principal who was devoted to the arts. That principal is now retired, and his drama classes have been removed. He was just given a ‘bad’ observation because he didn’t write a clear objective on the board. THe young man is quitting.</p>
<p>Third, you can go to privates, but the pay is often much less, by tens of thousands of dollars. This might be fine if you are a second income, or if you are young, but if you are supporting your family on it, it can be impossible. Note that not all privates pay less. Just on average. And there are many fewer private schools. If you are able to up and move around in the country, that would increase your chances with privates. But bear in mind with top privates you are competing with some really top people. For instance, my friend acted professionally for at least a decade. In her 30s, with three children, she decided she wanted to retire from acting though she was still working steadily. Besides being an equity actress with over 10 years of experience acting and winning awards, she also had a math degree from a top Ivy. She got a job in a top private across the country, teaching math <em>and</em> running their theatre program. This is the sort of person you would be competing with in top privates. </p>
<p>I don’t mean to be dire, but teaching is no longer a ‘safe’ choice (if it ever was). Colleges themselves won’t tell you this. You can still decide to go into teaching and you may be lucky and fall in love with working with children, get a district that pays well, supports your work, and that allows you to keep your job and the department. But if you don’t have a passion for this, I really urge you to reconsider teaching as a back up option.</p>
<p>ABSOLUTELY agree with Connections…</p>
<p>The situation with teaching jobs in Theatre Arts in our area (a major city in Texas), is not nearly as dire as described in the post above. Our economy is strong and new schools are opening every year. Theatre teachers in Texas have to be certified in Theatre Arts, so if the school offers theatre courses, then they have to be taught by teachers certified in that area (I am not an expert, but as far as I know, Theatre Arts classes can’t be covered by those with only a certification in English, for example, at least not on a permanent basis at a school). Schools have to offer Fine Arts electives, and so theatre courses are taught in almost every high school and most middle schools in our area. Private schools are growing and many have fairly lavish Theatre budgets, outstanding facilities, and lots of parent interest and involvement. I had to build a mailing list of the schools in our area and I know that there are more 200 theatre programs (taught mostly by BFA’s and BA’s in Theatre) in high schools and more than 150 in middle schools. There are Middle Schools with multiple theatre teachers, and High Schools with Theatre Departments of 3-4 teachers.</p>
<p>There is a strong tradition in the statewide One Act Play Contest and Theatrical Design Contest that helps support the Theatre Arts area in Texas.</p>
<p>This is not to say that teaching in the Theatre Arts is an easy road in our neck-of-the-woods, and you certainly have to deal with bureaucracy and administrators and parents and rules and competition for jobs against those with inside connections, etc., but it is not nearly as draconian as described above (and, by the way, you have to deal with all that stuff in other fields as well). Problems like those described no doubt exist and occur, and it is probably not a great career choice for someone attempting to support a family on a single income, but there are jobs and opportunities.</p>
<p>Outside a major urban area in Texas, opportunities are much more limited, although theatre programs are fairly common in high schools as far out as 100 miles from our city.</p>
<p>Pianoenthusiast - although the arts may be thriving in the schools that EmsDad is familiar with, in all good conscious, I must tell you that I agree 100% with what connections is telling you. I live in an extremely wealthy neighborhood and I can tell you that the arts are under attack like you wouldn’t believe. If it’s happening in my neighborhood, it’s happening many places. I live in a suburb of New York City.</p>
<p>Chiming in on Connections’ post, the competition for private school positions can be fierce, and the top schools look for arts teachers with master’s degrees (often preferring an MFA). As Connections points out, it is absolutely not a fallback plan, and on behalf of those of who teach, I’d encourage you not to buy into the “those who can’t do, teach” mentality! Teaching is a calling and requires a different set of skills from practicing an art (I’m a photography teacher–by choice). Try volunteering or working in a summer arts program to see if this is a good fit for you; you may fall in love with working with kids, or you may realize it’s never going to be your thing! There are many paths to teaching, just as there are to performing. Good luck, and take your time figuring this stuff out!</p>
<p>For those truly interested in teaching theatre - there ARE Theater Education majors and degrees out there!</p>
<p>The OP’s question is actually amusing. I realize she’s looking for a back-up plan and that’s wise. But if it goes horribly and I get no work can I teach is probably not a good plan.</p>
<p>PIANOENTHUSIAST:</p>
<p>A lot will depend on where you live. I like most others agree with CONNECTIONS. The art programs are the first cut from the budget, followed by sports. </p>
<p>I live on Long Island, about 30 miles from NYC so I have a different perspective. In my town, art is valued. As of today (budget vote is close every year) the music and choral programs are intact. But, there is no theater program I am aware of other than performance schools which a very far and few between. </p>
<p>That said, there is ample opportunity earn a nice living. My daughter graduated Boco in 2011 and while she pursues her performance goals, auditions, takes expensive lessons, work shops etc., she still has a thriving business (turns away students constantly) teaching beginner piano, voice, performance and dance from the home and local studios. I’m talking $1,500/$2,000K cash per week!!! When you add this to her voice over work, paid performances, residuals from past work, etc. she doing pretty darn good with her fall back plan!</p>
<p>Wagner College on Staten Island has a combo Theatre arts/education degree.</p>
<p>Thank you all for the swift responses. All this information is extremely beneficial! I know pursuing a career in music will not be easy, but I have the drive to do what it takes to get somewhere. I couldn’t see my self doing anything else.</p>
<p>pianoenthusiast, you said, “I applied to CSU Fullerton for their BFA in Musical Theater.” I hope you applied to more than this one program, b/c putting your eggs all into one basket is extremely risky in MT!</p>
<p>VeritasMT: Do you mean as a major?</p>
<p>No, pianoenthusiast, VeritasMT means she hopes you have applied to a lot more schools than just CSU Fullerton.</p>
<p>Is Fullerton an audition school this year? If not, it’s a pretty good safety for most.</p>
<p>As I understand it, Fullerton is initially a non-audition school but a series of juries are held at the end of freshman and sophomore years that will ultimately determine admission into the BFA Musical Theatre program as a junior. Only around 10-12 get accepted into the BFA program each year. If you don’t get accepted you may still complete a BA in Theatre.</p>
<p>Right. It’s a cut program. But I assume she knows that since she applied. Thanks.</p>
<p>Hmmm. Reading over the initial post I’m not so sure she does know.Yikes!</p>
<p>CSUF is definitely a cut program. We know kids who survived and kids who didn’t, sadly.
Many get cut.</p>