<p>Besides becoming a band director or music teacher in K-12, what other careers are common to have with a Music Education degree? Also, I've heard that University of South Florida has a good MusicEd degree/department. Can anyone verify this?</p>
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<p>Well…if you’re a music education major, one would think that your plan is to become a music teacher somewhere in the K-12 system in either a public or private setting. There are instrumental and general music teachers at the elementary level, and choral and instrumental teachers at the secondary level. </p>
<p>Of course some music education majors to go to graduate school and pursue other careers. BUT if you’re only degree is in music education, and you plan to pursue a degree in that field…I can’t think of anything else you could be besides a teacher of music.</p>
<p>The only other idea I could come up with is related to teaching in schools. I know some music ed people who opened private businesses teaching music and music-related pre-school activities. This sort of thing is very popular in the suburbs! Also, there was a traveling music teacher in the Religious Schools here who specialized in leading groups in religious and folk songs. I supposed there are creative ways to use the teaching degree, but it is still a teaching degree.</p>
<p>An other good thing about a Mus. Ed. degree, is that all the programs we visited reported a 100% school job placement rate, with equally high projected rates (due to impending large number of retirements) for the foreseeable future.</p>
<p>Job placement may be dependent on the area of the country. I know that the student teacher we have right now is lamenting how hard it is to find a music teaching job in the northeast, despite graduating from a solid state program and having great references from student teaching.</p>
<p>There may be more growth and opportunities in the south or southwest.</p>
<p>My wife has a Bachelor’s degree in Music Ed. She tried to make a go of it as a private teacher and freelance performer for a couple of years, then decided to go back to school to learn about computers. She now has a day gig in mid-level management at an insurance company, but also teaches flute one night a week at a small local college and can afford to take only the playing gigs that interest her. She feels that she would rather have music be a source of relaxation than a source of stress, and this arrangement has worked for her over the years. When she retires from the insurance job, she may well ramp up the teaching and performing, but will not need to scramble to earn a living from those activities.</p>
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<p>Allmusic, Music teachers are an area of shortage in the state of Connecticut (meaning there are unfilled positions each year due to a shortage of certified folks in the field). CT is in the Northeast…</p>
<p>Do you know where in CT? I know she has been looking mostly in MA and NH.</p>
<p>Allmusic, I sent you one PM which I think got through…but on the second one…got a message that your PM box was FULL. </p>
<p>Google Connecticut Music Educators Association…and Massachusetts Music Educators Association. There are lots of job listings in MA…and a bunch that were just posted there on May 30. There are some on the CT one as well…not sure how many of them are still active.</p>
<p>Allmusic, all my son’s compadres with BM’s in ed had solid jobs within six months of graduating. Let me know when your PM inbox has room and I’ll send you another link or two besides what thumper mentioned.</p>
<p>Thank you both. I have cleared out my PM box, so thanks for any additional information, which I will pass on to our student teacher friend.</p>
<p>I also know someone in NJ with a music teacher daughter (graduated in '06) who has also found it somewhat daunting to get a job (got one but was pink slipped at the end of the year, due to budget woes), so it is good to hear that some new grads are having good luck.</p>
<p>It is only June tomorrow, and I know districts hire right through August, so I have advised both to keep the faith! But leads would be great! Thanks!</p>
<p>Thanks for all of the replies so far! Another question: How can I find out if prospective schools have a good music program or not? To be specific, FSU, USF, UCF and UF.</p>
<p>Whadabala, I’m assuming Florida is your state of residence. Most state programs do a decent to excellent jobs of providing necessary undergrad training for music education, and most are geared towards the end result of preliminary teacher certification/licensure within that state, although the requirements for cross licensing between states is not that disparate.</p>
<p>I’d suggest talking with your public school music teachers (instrumental, choral, and general) and get a feel for where they went, where their associates went, and a feel for their take on current programs at the state system within Florida. FSU has a national rep as being a strong producer of quality music ed graduates. I don’t know anything specifically about the others. I have heard that Florida, like Colorado, has begun cost cutting measures that have begun to effect certain state u’s/colleges and programs. I don’t know if this has impacted their music departments.</p>
<p>You don’t specify your discipline, but most of the same criteria for a music performance major apply to a music ed major. Size of school, geography, trial lessons and good rapport with private instructor, number and quality of performing organizations, costs and financial aid are usually at the top of the list. For an ed major, you can add placement rate of graduates, student teaching requirements/distances and potentiual transportation and housing issues that can be related to the student teaching semester. If you are a string concentration, I’d strongly suggest a school with a String Project. [NSPC:</a> NSPC](<a href=“http://www.stringprojects.org/]NSPC:”>http://www.stringprojects.org/)</p>
<p>This post has a link to most other music ed threads <a href=“http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/5196658-post30.html[/url]”>http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/5196658-post30.html</a></p>
<p>Here’s a link to MENC’s career page [MENC</a> Career Center](<a href=“http://www.menc.org/careers/]MENC”>http://www.menc.org/careers/)</p>
<p>I have a related, or maybe opposite question: if a student earns a B.A. in music in a liberal arts program, what are his options for a music education career? Will he have to add on education courses later? Would this be true for private schools?</p>
<p>Hunt, somewhere along the line the student will need to acquire teacher licensure and acreditation if they want to teach in a public school system. Depending on the state and local system, and the need for teachers, some systems/districts will allow you to teach while you actively pursue initial licensure. Additional coursework can be done in a masters program, either in ed, or in music ed specifically. There are a number of grad level programs where a masters in music ed can be acquired over three, maybe four summer sessions.</p>
<p>Private schools, faith based schools have a bit more leeway depending on the state requirements. In a specialized discipline such as music, an ed or mus ed degree is not a requirement, but these schools (at least the ones I’ve seen) tend to look for an MMus (or an active performing musician) but the concentration need not be MMusEd.</p>
<p>Local private and community music schools are all over the board. Depending on the quality and reputation of the program, it can be as simple has having a music talent and an ability to teach to a conservatory quality actively performing musician of note.</p>
<p>Just wanted to make up for my lack of thanks. I appreciate all of the feedback.</p>