Music Professor Jobs Overview
Do you wish you had more people to share your passion for music with? Whether you’re a performing artist or well-read in musical theory and history, becoming a music professor can enable you to find new ways of connecting to your art. Music professor jobs are teaching positions at universities and colleges where you get the opportunity to share your knowledge with students while expanding your own.
Music professors develop and teach classes, mentor students, and grade assignments and tests. Many professors also conduct research and lead studies. Some professors are also the head of their department, which comes with additional administrative responsibilities.
A job as a professor can be the right fit if you’re a natural leader and enjoy helping others reach their full potential. It’s also a good career if job security is important for you since jobs in secondary education are expected to grow at a rate of 12%. After the first few years as an associate or adjunct professor at a school, you can earn a tenured position, which means the university can only terminate your job under a few specific circumstances.
Also consider searching for other jobs in higher ed, for example:
Education and Skills for Music Professors
Most music professors have a Ph.D. in music education, but for some positions a master’s degree is sufficient. Choosing a program accredited by the National Association of Schools of Music can help you secure a job.
Professors need to have excellent communication skills and good leadership abilities to teach and mentor students, as well as organizational skills for administrative tasks such as grading papers and tests.
You’ll also need good musical abilities, either academically, to teach music theory, or practically, to teach instruments and vocal techniques. (Ideally, you excel in both, which qualifies you to teach a larger number of classes.) Being a skilled musician used to performing will put you ahead of other candidates.
Before you’re hired for a tenure-track position, you’ll need teaching experience. Many professors start teaching undergraduate courses as a grad student, then continue to a postdoctoral position. To increase your chances of taking this career path, make sure to network both within and outside your institution during your education by attending conferences and other events.&
Alternative options include gaining teaching experience as:
- a teaching assistant
- a private instructor or tutor
- a kindergarten teacher
- a private instructor or an after-school program teacher
- a teacher at an elementary, middle, or high school
- an instructor at a college or university
If you’re aiming for a position that combines instruction and research, you’ll need experience publishing academic articles and conducting research, which you can start doing as a Ph.D. student.
Hit the Right Note With Your Resume
Academic credentials are essential when you’re applying for a job as a professor. Consider structuring your resume around yours by placing your education towards the beginning. You can see an example of this in our professor resume sample. Be sure to also include the instruments in which you’re proficient, a list of compositions, and a link to your performance portfolio, if relevant.
When it comes to your cover letter, be sure to use traditional openings and closings, as universities are often quite formal.
Interviewing for a Music Professor Job
Strike a chord at your job interview by preparing thoughtful answers to challenging interview questions. You can also get more advice on how to tackle other common interview questions in Monster’s library of articles on interview questions.
How Much Do Music Professor Jobs Pay?
The median salary for a college professor is $57,473. Use our Salary Tools to find out the median salary in your city, as well as locations where professors are in high demand.
Pick Up the Tempo on Your Job Search With Monster
Are you unsure of what the next step should be in your search for music professor jobs? Get started by creating a Monster profile. We make it easy for you to search for jobs in and out of academia by giving you several different free services, including the ability to upload your resume and make it visible to recruiters, apply to jobs on Monster with your profile, and sign up for notifications when employers post new job openings that are relevant to you.