Every year approximately 1,00,000 students apply for BA Music and only 35,000 of them secure a place in some of the prestigious colleges of India offering BA Music to become a Music Teacher.
In order to be a Music Teacher one has to complete BA Music and a Certificate Course in Music. Some of the Top Music Colleges that educate or have Music as a Speciality are, Calicut University, Ramjas College-Delhi, BVDU-Pune, Miranda House-New Delhi
Mostly many Schools and Colleges hire Music teachers on the basis of their qualifications and experience. Some of the Companies that hire Music teachers are the Institute of Museum and Library Services, Commission of Fine Arts, National Endowment for the Arts, National Capital Arts and Cultural Affairs, National Endowment for the Humanities, etc.
After completing B.A. Music one can work as a freelancer or can start giving private classes to students who are willing to learn Music.
- How to Become a Music Teacher: Quick Facts
- What Does a Music Teacher Do
- Types of Music Teachers
- Steps to Become a Music Teacher
- How to Become a Music Teacher
5.1 How to Become a Music Teacher After 12th
6.1 BA Music
6.2 MA Music
7.1 Australia
7.2 UK
7.3 USA
7.4 Canada
- Benefits of Becoming a Music Teacher
- Skills Required to Become a Music Teacher
- Salary of a Music Teacher
10.1 Annual Salary
10.2 Specialization Wise
10.3 Experience Wise
How to Become a Music Teacher: Quick Facts
| Industry | Music |
| Eligibility | B.A Music: 50% in 10+2. M.A Music: 50% in B.A Music |
| Average Starting Salary | INR 20,000-INR 30,000 per month |
| Job Opportunity | Music Teacher, Music Therapists, Performers, Music Composers |
What Does a Music Teacher Do?
The list of activities that are performed by a Music Teacher are listed below for your reference,
- Music Teachers educate their students to play Musical Instruments and they also organize concerts or performances to showcase their and their student's capability.
- Music Teachers can also be held responsible for teaching theory, appreciation, or composition classes to advanced students.
- Some Music Teachers can teach students at their homes or can teach online. A Music teacher who also teaches voice lessons teaches students to maintain pitch while singing and helps them to find their genre of singing.
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Music Teachers list lesson planning (51%), mathematics, language arts as the top skills they need to polish to pursue a career as a Music Teacher.
Types of Music Teachers
Music teachers are categorized as Instrumental Music Teacher and Vocal Music Teacher. Let's have a look at both of them.
- Private Instrumental Music Teacher: An Instrumental teacher is one who teaches students to play various instruments such as Piano, Guitar, Sitar, Tabla, Flute, etc. these music teachers recite with the students and give feedback to their students on their performances. Music teachers also hold performances and concerts wherein they participate with their students to showcase the talent of their students. They help students to become successful musicians.
- Vocal Music Teachers: A Vocal Music teacher is a person who teaches students singing and the art of singing. They are entrusted to bring the hidden talent of students into existence. Private Vocal Teachers recite with their students and help them to pick the correct pitch at the correct point. Vocal Teachers encourages its students to participate in various performances/concerts/shows to skill out their talent so that they get great exposure and make their way in the Music Industry.
Steps to Become a Music Teacher
There are not many steps to follow to be a Music Teacher. However, aspirants willing to pursue a career as a Music Teacher must follow some of the following steps to become a Music Teacher.
- Make a Decision: Look out for all the possibilities even abroad and in India for better understanding of a career as a Music Teacher. You should find out the pros as to how becoming a Music Teacher is better than normal music teachers, in terms of higher salary, flexible work hours or benefits of teaching music from the comfort of your home.
- Choosing the right set of Subjects: There is no well-defined structure in 10+2 to choose a particular course to become a Music Teacher. But one needs to have basic knowledge of Mathematics, Chemistry, and Physics as this course are the building blocks of the Music course. While taking up a Music course you might/will have to choose B.A. Music and M.A. Music.
- Preparation for Entrance Examination: The admission to B.A. Music is based on Merit scores a student has obtained in the last qualifying examination. However some colleges might conduct their own entrance exams for admission to music courses. Give as many mock tests as you can and learn from the mistakes that you did in previous mocks to not repeat the same mistake.
- Get Admission to a Good Music College: Find out the best colleges for the program and have a detailed knowledge of the college like its Fees, Placements, Alumni, Faculty, Infrastructure, Facilities. Be associated with the Music Industry stalwarts to get a good knowledge of Music courses. Christ University, Miranda House, Ramjas College are the top Music colleges in India.
- After Qualifying Exam: Some colleges offer admission via the Centralised Admission Process wherein different rounds of admission are conducted to offer deserving candidates. Some colleges offer admission on the basis of merit and some colleges offer admission on the basis of merit and other academic undertakings. Some PG Colleges even take note of the profile you have like the previous work experience, Academics, Social work, Certifications, Accolades, etc. to offer admission.
- After Completing Graduation: Graduation is the only step that opens doors to infinite possibilities for any student. Graduation can land some in the corporate world, pave a way for Post-Graduation, or open doors to work in Government sectors. After Completing Graduation many viable options open up. s/he can choose the option of pursuing Post-Graduation in India or Abroad or He/she can start preparation of Government Exams.
How to Become a Music Teacher in India
In order to become a Music Teacher one has to follow certain courses and steps that would help them understand the subject and make a thorough base about the same,
School Level Preparation: Students can choose any subject in their school. In the majority of schools, Music is a part of elective subjects up to class 10th. After 10th, they can take arts stream and music as an optional subject, to be aware of language, arts and music.
How to Become a Music Teacher After 12th
The list of courses that should be pursued after clearing class 12th board exams are listed below for your reference,
UG Level Preparation
After a Candidate has cleared 10+2, He/she will have to appear for various entrance exams that are taken for admissions to Music Courses.
- After one has cleared the written entrance exam, he/she will be called for Group Discussion/Personal Interview/ Merit Rounds.
- Candidates are called for document verification after the candidate has cleared all stages of shortlisting.
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After clearing all stages and if the documents of the candidates are found to be perfect the candidate is offered admission in that college.
PG Level Preparation
- After a Candidate has cleared Graduation, He/she will have to appear for various entrance exams that are taken for admissions.
- After one has cleared the written entrance exam, he/she will be called for Group Discussion/Personal Interview/ Merit Rounds.
- Candidates are called for document verification after the candidate has cleared all stages of shortlisting.
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After clearing all stages and if the documents of the candidates are found to be perfect the candidate is offered admission in that college.
Private Music Teaching Courses
Aspirants can find two most popular courses: BA Music and MA Music to become a Music Teacher in India.
BA Music
BA Music is opted by those who want to get good knowledge in a respective field and to earn a professional degree. This degree helps aspiring candidates to get a deep knowledge of the course in order to prepare them for future employability satisfaction.
- One should have secured at least 50% in 10+2 in order to get admission in BA Music.
- The Bachelor course is of 3 years duration.
- Admission for BA is offered on the basis of Merit. Colleges offer admissions on the basis of scores obtained in 10+2. Few colleges conduct Entrance Exams to admit students to their Music courses.
- The Average Fees of Bachelor's courses range from INR 3,00,000 to INR 5,00,000.
- After completing a BA in Music, candidates should complete an MA in Music and should have a minimum 3 years of work experience in order to be eligible for a Music Teacher job.
- After completing BA and MA and gaining skills and knowledge one can start teaching students about various instruments and how to play them.
- Subjects taught in BA Music are Classification of Music, Concepts of Ragas and Tala in Indian Music, Classifications of Ragas, Different Gharanas and their history, Evolution of Notation System, Laws of Acoustics, Role of Music in Multimedia, Taal Study.
Top BA Music Colleges
| Colleges | Fees |
|---|---|
| Calicut University | INR 1,100. |
| Ramjas College, Delhi | INR 10,000 |
| BVDU Pune | INR 16,000. |
| Miranda House, New Delhi | INR 12,000 |
| Department of Music- Delhi University | INR 9,000. |
MA Music
- One should have secured at least 50% in Graduation in order to get admission in MA Music.
- Admission in MA music course is offered on the basis of Merit. The scores obtained by a candidate in graduation becomes a medium of admission in a Master's course.
- Jain University however conducts Jain Entrance Test for admission in its MA Music Course.
- MA Music is of 2 years duration.
- The Average Fees for MA Music range from INR 50,000 to INR 1,00,000.
- Subjects taught in MA Music are History and Aesthetics in Music, Revision of Ragas and Sessional, Stage Performance, History of Indian Music.
Top MA Music Colleges
| Colleges | Fees |
|---|---|
| Miranda House, New Delhi | INR 15, 330 |
| Ramjas College, Delhi | INR 14, 284 |
| Chandigarh University | INR 50,000 |
| Banasthali Vidyapeeth, Jaipur | INR 75, 500 |
| Jain University, Bangalore | INR 50,000 |
How to Become a Music Teacher Abroad
Apart from India many other countries offer Music Teacher courses. To become a Music Teacher, one has to complete Graduation/ Post-Graduation in Music after which one has to go through some Entrance exams conducted internationally.
How to Become a Music Teacher in Australia?
- Australia is one of the most ideal choices for study as it has a high standard of living and low tuition costs as compared to the USA and UK.
- International students in Australia are permitted to work part-time while studying, which offsets their living costs.
- For admission to any course in Australia, one should have cleared IELTS
- On should have scored more than 7.0 in IELTS
- For the UG course, a candidate should have completed 10+2 from a recognized board with at least 70% in 10+2.
- For PG candidates should have completed graduation in Music with at least 65% in Graduation.
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Bachelor of Arts – Music General Studies, Bachelor of Arts – Musicology, Bachelor of Music, Graduate Diploma in Music Performance and Diploma in Music are the top courses in Australia to become a Music Teacher.
Top Colleges
| College | Fees |
|---|---|
| University of Western Australia | INR 14,00,000- INR 18,00,000 |
| Western Sydney University | INR 14,00,000- INR 16,00,000 |
| CQ University | INR 16,00,000 |
| University of Adelaide | INR 19,00,000 – INR 22,00,000 |
| TAFE Queensland | INR 10,00,000 |
| University of Wollongong | INR 15,00,000 |
| Charles Darwin University | INR 15,00,000 |
How to Become a Music Teacher in UK?
- Degrees from UK universities are respected around the world and UK provides exhaustive course choices. UK has 3 of its universities in the top 10 universities. UK offers 20 hours in a week of Part time jobs to international students.
- IELTS is mandatory for admission to any course in the UK.
- IELTS score of 6+ is required for entry into Music courses of UK
- For the UG course, a candidate should have completed 10+2 from a recognized board with at least 70% in 10+2.
- For PG courses, candidates should have completed graduation in Music with at least 65% in Graduation.
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Music BA (Hons.), Music PhD, Music M.Phil., MA Music, Music BMus are the top choices to become a Music Teacher abroad in UK.
Top Colleges
| College | Fee |
|---|---|
| Anglia Ruskin University | INR 14,00,000 |
| Keele University | INR 14,00,000 – INR 17,00,000 |
| University of Birmingham | INR 19,00,000 – INR 22,00,000 |
| Ulster University | INR 15,32,000 |
| University of Aberdeen | INR 18,00,000 – INR 20,00,000 |
| CITY, University of London | INR 12,00,000 – INR 16,00,000 |
| Glasgow Caledonian University | INR 12,60,000 |
| Northumbria University | INR 16,00,000 |
| Manchester Metropolitan University | INR 18,00,000 |
| University of Derby | INR 14,50,000 |
How to Become a Music Teacher in USA?
- USA has some of the finest universities in the world and are consistently ranked among the top universities of the world. American Universities are known for their quality education and High academic standards making the curriculum rigorous for students which helps them in learning and getting in depth knowledge of the concepts.
- IELTS is the mandatory exam for entry into most courses in the US.
- Admission in Music courses of US universities is done on the basis of IELTS score which should be greater than 7.
- For the UG course, a candidate should have completed 10+2 from a recognized board with at least 70% in 10+2.
- For PG courses, candidates should have completed graduation in Music with at least 65% in Graduation.
- MBA for Music Management, BA Music, BM in Music, Music Performance AAAS and MA Music are the top music courses in USA to become a Music Teacher.
Top Colleges
| College | Fee |
|---|---|
| Suffolk University | INR 35,00,000 |
| Oklahoma State University | INR 21,00,000 |
| University of New Orleans | INR 9,00,000 – INR 11,00,000 |
| Virginia Commonwealth University | INR 24,00,000 |
| Shoreline Community College | INR 7,00,000 |
| Virginia Tech | INR 22,25,000 |
| University of Illinois | INR 25,00,000 |
| Washington State University | INR 19,00,000 |
| Northeastern University | INR 40,00,000 |
How to Become a Music Teacher in Canada?
- Canada has some of the finest universities in the world. International students in Canada are permitted to work part-time while studying, which offsets their living costs. And the fact that Canada provides Permanent Nationality makes it one of the ideal choices for students.
- Canadian Universities accept IELTS scores.
- A score of 6.5+ in IELTS is considered to be a safe score for admission into any course in Canada
- For the UG course, a candidate should have completed 10+2 from a recognized board with at least 70% in 10+2.
- For PG courses, candidates should have completed graduation in Music with at least 65% in Graduation.
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Diploma in Music, Associate of Arts degree in Music, Bachelor of Arts in Music (Hons.), Bachelor of Music (Hons.), Bachelor of Arts and Science in Music are some variety of courses that one can pursue to become a Music Teacher in Canada.
Top Colleges
| College | Fees |
|---|---|
| Kwantlen Polytechnic University | INR 12,00,000 |
| Lakehead University | INR 15,00,000 |
| Capilano University | INR 8,00,000 - INR 15,00,000 |
| Carleton University | INR 17,50,000 |
| St. Lawrence College | INR 8,75,000 |
| University of Alberta | INR 5,00,000 – INR 18,00,000 |
| University of Lethbridge | INR 10,50,000 |
Benefits of Becoming a Music Teacher
- Salary- Music Teachers earn an average monthly salary of INR 25,000 to INR 30,000 at the start of their career. With this experience, they can make INR 50,000 to INR 80,000 per month.
- Job Security- Career in Music is a promising career as the field of Music is never going to run out of business. There will always be a need for a vocalist, instrument player.
- Positive Impact of career- Music Teacher works in upgrading the quality content of music which impacts the lives of many people.
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Higher Studies- After completing Graduation candidates can opt for higher studies. Candidates can choose to do M.A.
Skills Required to Become a Music Teacher
The Skills required to be a Music Teacher are mentioned below.
| Ability to organize and plan out music lessons | Mathematics |
| Passion to learn new instruments | Familiarity with Language and Arts |
| Team working skills. | Good Communication skills |
| In-depth Knowledge of Music and Composition. | Knowledge of Musical Instruments. |
Salary of a Music Teacher
The salary of a Music Teacher can be competitive in the initial stages as the salary mainly depends on the performance of the candidate. The average salary can range between INR 3,00,000 to INR 4,50,000 per annum.
Average Annual Salary
| Name of Organisation | Average Annual Salary |
|---|---|
| Govt | - |
| Private | INR 3,00,000 - INR 4,50,000. |
Specialization Wise Salary
| Specializations | Salary |
|---|---|
| Private Musical Instrument Teacher | INR 3,00,000 |
| Private Vocal Teacher | INR 4,00,000 |
Experience Wise Salary
| Experience | Salary |
|---|---|
| Fresher | INR 3,50,000 |
| Experienced | INR 4,50,000 |
How to Become a Music Teacher: FAQs
Ques. What are the Qualities of a Music Teacher?
Ans. In-depth Knowledge of Music and Composition, Knowledge of Musical Instruments, Team working skills, Good Communication skills, Passion to learn new instruments are some of the qualities a Music Teacher is known for.
Ques. What is the role of a Music Teacher in the Music Industry?
Ans. Music teachers are responsible for skilling the students with the right set of instruments and their nodes. Music teachers educate their students to play Musical Instrument
Ques. What are the career Prospects of a Music Teacher?
Ans. After completing a course in Music Teacher a person can become Vocalist, Music Composer, Music Teacher, etc.
Ques. What are the companies that recruit Music Teachers?
Ans. Some of the top companies that hire Music Teachers are the Institute of Museum and Library Services, Commission of Fine Arts, National Endowment for the Arts, National Capital Arts and Cultural Affairs, National Endowment for the Humanities, etc.
Ques. Which books I can refer to for being a successful Music Teacher?
Ans. Following are the books you can refer to for being a successful Music Teacher
- Becoming a Music Teacher by Shelly Cooper
- The Music teacher’s Handbook by Mark Stringer
- Professional Knowledge in Music Teacher Education by Pamela Burnard
- Music teaching style by Alan Gumm
Ques. What are the subjects taught in BA Music?
Ans. Candidates are taught about Classical Music, Reggage Music, Latin Music, Metal Music, Rock Music, etc.
Ques. What is the duration of the Music course?
Ans. The duration of Music varies based on the course chosen. The degree course is of 3 while the Post-Graduation course is of 2 years duration.
Ques. How do I prepare for a Music Teacher Job Interview?
Ans. Having a good understanding of the company’s background and concept clarity about the subjects taught in the Music course can really make the way in the interview. One should be thorough with the knowledge of the subjects taught in the course and should be confident enough to answer all the technical questions asked in the interview.
Ques. Can I do any other bachelor's degree along with the bachelor's degree in Music?
Ans. Yes, one can pursue two courses at the same time. One course should be a regular course and the other should be either online or distance and open education.
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