What is a music instructor and how to become one

Updated January 8, 2025

4 min read

Quoted Experts

Donald Fisher,

Fred David Romines Ph.D.

A music instructor teaches individuals or groups how to play musical instruments, sing, or compose music. They typically possess advanced knowledge of music theory, performance techniques, and teaching methods. Music instructors work in schools, colleges, universities, private studios, or online platforms. Their duties include preparing lesson plans, conducting classes, evaluating student progress, providing feedback, and organizing performances. They also have strong communication and interpersonal skills to connect and motivate their students to achieve musical goals.

What general advice would you give to a Music Instructor?

Donald Fisher

Director of Instrumental Studies, Iowa Western Community College

First and foremost, take care of those who truly run the building. Secretaries, custodians, and other hourly workers truly make the educational institution run. Treat them well, and your life as an educator will be so much easier! Second is to lean on your friends. No one should be expected to know everything, and it’s perfectly acceptable to say “I don’t know.” Finally, it’s easy to focus on the more difficult students. Force yourself to recognize those students who are doing well and you’ll find that you enjoy teaching that much more!

ScoreMusic InstructorUS Average

Salary

4.5

Avg. Salary $57,930

Avg. Salary $59,228

Stability Level

4.8

Growth Rate 12%

Growth Rate 0.3%

Diversity

5.2

Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 0.28%

Asian 11.26%

Black or African American 7.19%

Hispanic or Latino 10.23%

Unknown 4.94%

White 66.10%

Gender

female 36.33%

male 63.67%

Age - 46

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 - 46

Stress Level

4.8

Stress level is manageable

7.1 - high

Complexity Level

9.7

Complexity Level is advanced

7 - challenging

Work Life Balance

8.9

Work Life balance is excellent

6.4 - fair

What are the pros and cons of being a Music Instructor?

Pros

Opportunity to share your love and passion for music
Ability to work independently or in a team environment
Opportunity to constantly learn and improve your skills as a musician
Ability to teach different age groups and levels of expertise
Opportunities for performance and collaboration with other musicians

Cons

Unpredictable income depending on the number of students and their attendance
Need for constant promotion and marketing to attract new students
Difficulties in managing difficult or uninterested students
Time-consuming lesson preparation and planning
Potential for competition from other music instructors in the area.

Key steps to become a music instructor

Explore music instructor education requirements

Most common music instructor degrees

Bachelor's

65.5 %

Master's

15.7 %

Associate

9.4 %

Start to develop specific music instructor skills

Skills	Percentages
Classroom Management	12.85%
Adaptive	10.37%
Fine Arts	8.29%
Music Program	7.27%
Instructional Materials	6.75%

Research music instructor duties and responsibilities

Direct camper band, lead collaborative songwriting, and organize performances.
Accomplish building curriculum that do not exist in previous years focuse on Pre-K through 6th grade.
Instruct musical skills and techniques to middle and high school students on the saxophone, clarinet, and flute.
Apply classical/jazz saxophone and clarinet tutor

Prepare your music instructor resume

When your background is strong enough, you can start writing your music 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 music 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 Music Instructor Resume templates

Build a professional Music 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 Music Instructor resume.

Apply for music instructor jobs

Now it's time to start searching for a music 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

How do music instructors rate their job?

-/5

5 Stars

4 Stars

3 Stars

2 Stars

1 Star

Music Instructor reviews

A zippia user wrote a review on Jan 2023

Pros

The transfer of knowledge and the joy on the student's face when they understand