You want to become a music teacher!

For many musicians, a career as a music educator is one of the most fulfilling choices they can make. Although the title "music teacher" often brings to mind someone singing songs with children or standing in front of a band or chorus, music educators work at all levels and with all types of students. The Music Careers glossary provides a more detailed look into some different areas of teaching music and the "Careers in Music" online brochure offers information about salary, educational requirements, and more. If you are curious to see if a career in music education would be the best choice for you, you might want to read, "Why Teach, Why Music, Why Me?"

One thing that is a constant among the various teaching venues is a need for a solid background in music and education fundamentals. If you are planning to teach in the public or private schools, you should have a degree in music education, and to teach at the college level, you almost always need to have an advanced degree in music and/or music education. To learn more about studying music and finding schools to prepare you to teach, visit "How can I continue my education?".

Whether you are a new graduate, beginning teacher or seasoned veteran, or are just interested in what is involved in getting a teaching career started, we hope the following resources will be helpful in developing a successful career as a music educator!

• Music Educator Supply and Demand If you are interested in the job outlook for music teachers, here are some statistics that may help. There is a music teacher shortage!
• Testing and Certification Certification is required in most states, and National Certification is now offered for experienced teachers.
• Finding a Job in Music Education Tips to help make the job search easier.
• "Preparing to Teach Music in Today's Schools" Articles about student teaching, finding a job, and the first year of teaching.

MENC has many resources for music teachers at any stage in their teaching careers, all of which can be found in the online Resource Guide.

Life in the Music Classroom - Anecdotes from music educators at various points in their careers.

National Music Education Standards Trio - Three books focusing on different aspects of the standards and their affect on the music classroom: assessing progress, providing a well designed class environment, and standards-driven curricula.

Strategies for Teaching Series - Lesson plans, specific to class type, based on the National Standards.

Teaching Examples: Ideas for Music Educators - Instructional strategies, based on the National Standards, to help with designing and implementing a curriculum.

TIPS: Discipline in the Music Classroom - Suggestions for conducting an orderly and enthusiastic music classroom.

Teacher Success Kit: How to Succeed in Music Education (CD Rom)

For potential and new teachers:

Great Beginnings for Music Teachers: Mentoring and Supporting New Teachers

Description: This practical guide covers the challenges faced by beginning music teachers, district and state -sponsored mentoring and induction programs, alternative certification, and ideas for ongoing professional development. Based on the latest research, this book includes first-person accounts written by beginning music teachers and a state-by-state list of mentoring policies and programs. Edited by Colleen M. Conway, assistant professor of music at the University of Michigan. 2003. 216 pages. ISBN 1-56545-159-7.

Teacher to Teacher: Music Educator's Survival Guide

Description: Another new title addressing the issue of teacher retention, this practical guide is full of "real-life" strategies and suggestions for coping with the challenges facing teachers today. An excellent resource for beginning teachers, it includes chapters on classroom management, relationships with colleagues and students, setting goals, curriculum, training, working with parents and the community, and the importance of staying musical. 2004. ISBN 1-56545-161-9. 144 pages.

Would you like more information about what it's like to be a music teacher? Try visiting...

Collegiate MENC - MENC membership for college music education majors...a great place to share your thoughts about becoming a music teacher.

Tri-M Music Honor Society®- International Honor Society recognizing junior high and high school students for their musical ability, academic excellence, school involvement, and community service.

The Society for Music Teacher Education -The Society was founded in 1982 and is open to those members of MENC: The National Association for Music Education with a particular interest in music teacher education.

Music Achievement Council - Website provided by NAMM. This website is an excellent resource of information on becoming a music educator. It includes how to choose the right school as well as job search preparation and interview questions.

College Music Society - This site was set up to provide information on mentoring, jobs, and other professional resources.