Hey y'all! I'm in a new classroom for general music this year, and I share a wall with a teacher and would love to lessen as much disturbance to her as I can. I'm thinking of doing rugs, but are there any other ways you've found that work for you to lessen your disturbance to other classrooms that share a wall with you? She said she'd also be willing to contribute to funding things to help with the soundproofing.

Hello all! Anyone have "TIPPS for Band" by Nilo Hovey? How do you like it? Would you recommend? I'm thinking of buying a set for myself. Just wanted some general info before I drop $100+ on it.

I teach middle school band - one section of advanced band, one section of beginning band

Hi all,

A bit of background on me. I hold a BM in Music Composition and an MFA in Video Game Music Composition. I work primarily as a private music instructor, I teach piano and guitar lessons and have a studio of around 45 students I teach a week. I've been teaching for about 3 years now. I am also a church musician, an arranger, and I run a business playing piano for wedding ceremonies and private events. My passion is music composition though I haven't been very successful yet in turning that into a reliable income stream. I enjoy my teaching job immensely and I love to meet with my students, learn about their life and watch them grow under my tutelage. I find it incredibly rewarding though it's not what I had envisioned for my career (young me thought I could easily support myself just with writing music haha.)

Despite being a fully-fledged professional musician I hustle 7 days a week teaching/gigging and only make a paltry amount of money, so I've thought about becoming a licensed music educator. The reason I don't make much even with a large studio is because I teach through a private music school and I don't get to set my rates. I've thought about leaving and starting my own private studio where I can charge double what I'm making per lesson, but it would mean starting over and looking for students again, plus I need to review the non-compete I signed when I got the job. Also the job is just not a reliable income stream, as students cancel all the time and I don't get payed for cancelled lessons unless they are a no-call no-show.

So I've thought about switching to music ed, teaching general music at elementary school or even band at middle school. I've even thought about making my own arrangements or compositions for middleschool/highschool bands and orchestras. This is actually what my composition professor, Joshua Reznicow did. He's a highschool orchestra director and composer and as I understand it his compositions are highly regarded by middle and high school orchestra directors. It would be really cool to write music specifically for a band or orchestra I am directing, tailoring it for the students levels.

So my question is, what are my options to make the career pivot? I have real-world experience in music education (albeit just private one-on-one music instruction, though I teach kids as young as 4 and my oldest student is 65) and I already hold several music degrees. What type of program should I look into to get licensed? I'm assuming I don't need to go back for a bachelors in music education, and I'm not sure if I even need a masters in music education either? Are there any accelerated programs I can take, or just programs that get me licensed? I appreciate any and all advice, thank you!

Hi all! I’ll be starting my first year as an elementary music teacher in just a few weeks. I will be teaching K-5 general music as well as 4th and 5th grade choir. I am an instrumentalist so I am a bit nervous to teach choir. However, the main reason I am coming on here is because as ready and excited as I felt… I am very nervous now as the date approaches. I feel like University taught me a lot about how to teach AFTER you’ve established a classroom community, but not a lot about the very beginning. I have a rough idea of what the first day should look like, but am worried I will miss something— so I would love to hear from those who are seasoned on how they plan for the first day, or even the first month of school while getting into the routine with students.

Are recordigns of Imlsp free of copyright? Where can I find them? THanks

Hi piano teachers,

I’ve been blocking out my curriculum for the upcoming year today and got on a bit of a roll. I’m feeling motivated and wanted to keep the momentum going through the end of the week.

Would anyone be interested in joining a casual Zoom this Friday at 12:00 PM Eastern? I’m looking for a few teachers who want to either attend or sit on a short panel to share what’s working for them. things like how you’re structuring the year, sequencing skills, or any practical frameworks you’re using.

No formal presentations. Just teachers swapping real ideas.

If you’re interested (either as a participant or panelist), just DM me and I’ll send the Zoom link. Looking forward to hearing some good tips and stuff.

Hey guys I saw a post on here about work life balance with voice lessons. Does anyone with experience with private voice lessons have success stories? I would love to pursue music education and I worry working in public schools would have a horrible work life balance.. I believe I would prefer private lessons I’ve bartended forever I enjoy building relationships and trust with individuals and building regulars.. I feel like I would be suited well for building a clientele but just see a lot of bad experiences. Anyone out there figuring it out??

With that, what is the job outlook for a new graduate in Texas? My child is looking into this field, and I hate for him to regret his hard work because the job opportunity is not there. He is a HS senior this year. He wants to teach MS and HS. I understand the colleges will have all their certifications done before he graduates, but reading the Tx Teacher tread and here, seems like a lot of people are having a tough time even getting an interview. His main school right now is UH and SMU.

Opinions, suggestions?

Hi everyone,

I’m looking for advice from anyone who has taken an unconventional path into music education.

I just graduated in May with a bachelor’s degree in Business Management from a well-regarded business school, but over the past few years I’ve gone back and forth trying to decide whether to pursue a career in business or follow my passion of music.
I’m still not 100% certain this is the right path, so I’d genuinely appreciate any advice on that decision as well.

While my degree isn’t in music, music has been a major part of my life. I have experience as a vocalist, pianist, guitarist, and percussionist, have taught private piano lessons, co-directed and accompanied a church choir, performed as a freelance jazz pianist, played in jazz ensembles, and have been involved in music for most of my life.

I was recently accepted into a public university’s Music Education program as a second bachelor’s student, which I’m incredibly grateful for. However, before committing to that route, I’m trying to determine whether there’s a legitimate pathway to initial K–12 music licensure that doesn’t require earning a second bachelor’s degree or already having a bachelor’s in music.

I’m hoping to find a program that would allow me to continue working (ideally utilizing my business degree) while completing my licensure. Online or hybrid options would be especially appealing, but I also recognize online programs are hard to come by. With that being said, I’m open to relocating if there’s a significantly better or faster program.

My main questions are:

• Has anyone here earned initial K–12 music licensure without already having a bachelor’s degree in music?

• Are there post-baccalaureate, certificate, master’s, or licensure-only programs that accept students with non-music bachelor’s degrees?

• Are there any reputable online or hybrid programs that make it realistic to work full-time while completing the program?

• If you were in my position, would you pursue a second bachelor’s, or is there another pathway you’d recommend?

• Realistically, what’s the quickest legitimate route from where I am now to becoming a licensed public school music teacher?

• Lastly, I’d really appreciate any general advice. Whether you’re a music educator, know someone who is, or considered this path yourself, what would you tell someone in my position? What are the biggest pros, cons, or realities I should think about before making the leap?

I’m really just trying to make the most informed decision I can before potentially committing to another several years of school. Part of me wonders if I’d be naive to make a career change before ever giving my business degree a real chance, but another part of me feels that music education would be a much more fulfilling career. I’m hoping to hear perspectives from people who have wrestled with similar decisions.

Any advice, experiences, program recommendations, or even reasons why one path is better than another would be greatly appreciated.

Thank you!

TL;DR: I recently graduated with a Business degree but am seriously considering becoming a K–12 music teacher. I’m looking for the quickest legitimate path to initial licensure that doesn’t require a second bachelor’s if possible, ideally through a program that would allow me to continue working. I’d also love any general advice on whether making this career change is a good idea.