A Day in the Life of a Music: Instrumental Teacher Back to Top

Overview

Instrumental Instruction is a sector of Music Education. Instrumental classes focus on the students reading sheet music, learning the notes, and learning to play any given instrument. Instrumental teachers may also be the general Music Education teacher and/or the Choral teacher. Each level of Instrumental lessons becomes more involved and difficult to the student. Only a select few school districts require that a student take a Instrumental Class. Usually, students are taught the basics of instruments such as the recorder and keyboard when they are younger, and the student can choose whether or not they will continue to pursue Instrumental lessons. A teacher of musical instruments must first and foremost be capable of playing a wide variety of instruments, as well as patient, creative, and engaging.

Elementary and Middle School

An elementary chorus teacher begins to introduce children to notes, sheet music, and the basics on simple instruments. Often, elementary teachers will demonstrate with recorders or pianos and help students to duplicate it on the instrument. Besides these basic lessons usually given in a general Music Education class, students are then able to choose whether or not they will continue to study an instrument. Students may choose to take an instrument class which can be an elective or an extra-curricular activity. Middle School bands begin to play more difficult songs and introduce different instruments that harmonize together, which will be built upon in high school.

High School

A high school instrumental teacher may direct several bands, both classes and extra-curricular. Most high schools offer band as an elective for the arts. For more dedicated students interested in playing an instrument, most high schools have selective bands that participate in competitions and other performances. High school Instrumental teachers build on the foundation children learned in elementary and middle school. More Instruments are introduced, sheet music becomes much more difficult, and the overall quality of the music becomes much more advanced. To become an Instrumental teacher, one must first hold a Bachelor of Arts degree in Music, a Bachelor of Music in Music Education or another related field, and a state teaching certification in music. The average Elementary School Music Teacher earns a salary of about $41,000. However, the salary can vary depending on location, experience, and the level of teaching.

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