How To Become A Guitar Instructor: What It Is and Career Path

What is a guitar instructor and how to become one

Updated January 8, 2025

3 min read

Quoted Expert

David McMahan Ph.D.

A Guitar Instructor is a person who teaches people how to play the guitar. They can either teach an individual (as a tutor), a group of students in a school setting, or a group of aspiring musicians.

Guitar instructors give lessons to help their students become better guitar players or to prepare for performances. Regardless of the person(s) being taught, a guitar instructor must have a passion for music and exceptional prowess for playing the guitar.

Guitar instructors are often employed by schools, churches, musicians, or county music services, although a huge percentage of them are freelancers.

Other duties of guitar instructors include developing a curriculum based on students' needs, teaching music theory, planning lessons according to students' schedules and interests, and basic administrative duties. Guitar instructors mostly work in the evenings and weekends, depending on the students' availability. They do not have regular work schedules.

What general advice would you give to a Guitar Instructor?

David McMahan Ph.D.

Charles A. Dana Professor of Religious Studies, Franklin and Marshall College

Keep open to possibilities beyond the narrow range of what your diploma lists as your major or minor. Whatever job you get trained for today, in 10-20 years, it may be very different. Or it may not exist. Focus on obtaining and maintaining flexibility, critical thinking, creativity, and passion for learning. Being an interesting person is as vital as any credential.

ScoreGuitar InstructorUS Average

Salary

3.6

Avg. Salary $46,506

Avg. Salary $59,228

Stability Level

4.9

Growth Rate 19%

Growth Rate 0.3%

Diversity

8.4

Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 0.53%

Asian 6.03%

Black or African American 10.23%

Hispanic or Latino 16.39%

Unknown 5.54%

White 61.27%

Gender

female 11.59%

male 88.41%

Age - 43

Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 3.00%

Asian 7.00%

Black or African American 14.00%

Hispanic or Latino 19.00%

White 57.00%

Gender

female 47.00%

male 53.00%

Age - 43

Stress Level

4.9

Stress level is manageable

7.1 - high

Complexity Level

5.9

Complexity Level is intermediate

7 - challenging

Work Life Balance

10.0

Work Life balance is excellent

6.4 - fair

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Key steps to become a guitar instructor

Explore guitar instructor education requirements

Most common guitar instructor degrees

Bachelor's

65.6 %

Associate

15.0 %

Master's

8.7 %

Start to develop specific guitar instructor skills

Skills	Percentages
Music Theory	31.17%
EAR Training	15.80%
Course Materials	11.80%
Songwriting	10.24%
Community Events	8.65%

Complete relevant guitar instructor training and internships

Accountants spend an average of 3-6 months on post-employment, on-the-job training. New guitar instructors learn the skills and techniques required for their job and employer during this time. The chart below shows how long it takes to gain competency as a guitar instructor based on U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics data and data from real guitar instructor resumes.

Research guitar instructor duties and responsibilities

Manage social media accounts while promoting camper interaction and sharing of the UCA brand experience.
Jazz, classical, blues, funk & rock.
Offer individual music instruction to children from low-income families
Provide exceptional music skills instructions to beginners through advance students.

Prepare your guitar instructor resume

When your background is strong enough, you can start writing your guitar instructor resume.

You can use Zippia's AI resume builder to make the resume writing process easier while also making sure that you include key information that hiring managers expect to see on a guitar instructor resume. You'll find resume tips and examples of skills, responsibilities, and summaries, all provided by Zippi, your career sidekick.

Choose From 10+ Customizable Guitar Instructor Resume templates

Build a professional Guitar Instructor resume in minutes. Browse through our resume examples to identify the best way to word your resume. Then choose from 10+ resume templates to create your Guitar Instructor resume.

Apply for guitar instructor jobs

Now it's time to start searching for a guitar instructor job. Consider the tips below for a successful job search:

Browse job boards for relevant postings
Consult your professional network
Reach out to companies you're interested in working for directly
Watch out for job scams