Music Education vs. Piano Performance Degree for Private Teaching

[jam8086]

(I changed this topic a little...it used to be called "How hard is it to start your own teaching studio?")

Calling all private teachers!

Next year I will be attending the University of Maryland School of Music as a freshman, and my current major is Music Education, however, my piano teacher told me that a Music Ed. degree is more for teaching something like chorus or band in an elementary or high school, whereas a Piano Performance degree is better for giving private piano lessons.  Personally, I would MUCH rather teach privately, but is what my teacher said correct?  If so, I would actually gladly switch to a Performance degree, but there is still one more problem...there seems to be a lot of data saying that students with a Music Ed. degree have a very high (something like 99%) rate of getting jobs straight out of college, but students with a Performance degree have a much harder time.

A double degree of Music Ed and Performance is a possibility, but I was already thinking of doing a double degree of Music Ed and Theory.  I don't really know how useful a Theory degree would be (any suggestions?), I just find Music Theory to be very interesting.

[cora]

A music education degree is probably more useful, especially combined with a piano performance diploma from the Royal American Conservatory of Music, the name for the imported examining board the Royal Conservatory of Music in Toronto, Canada.

Take a lot of pedagogy classes from an established piano teacher to help you get started as a teacher.

It's not too terribly hard starting although you may have to be patient in building up your studio.

[jam8086]

Well, I looked at the ARCT certificate requirements for both performers and teachers, and is it just me, or does it look like if you got a degree in music from college, ARCT should be a walk in the park? If I'm missing something, please notify me.

Basically, I'm asking because if the ARCT for teachers/performers is relatively easy to get, wouldn't a college degree be more respected?

[maryruth]

Well, if you are good with kids and turn out to be good at teaching, it shouldn't take long to start up a studio if you know how to market yourself.  I started teaching less than two years ago and now have 22 students.  It's all been word of mouth, for the most part.  One person is happy then their friend's kid wants lessons so they say, "go see so and so".  Make sure all new students know you want more students.  THat's my advice.

[mike_lang]

I think that you would find yourself better qualified for private teaching with a Performance degree.  You can still take piano pedagogy classes, but you will be a better player, know the rep better, have more performing experience to relate to the students, etc.  Your teacher is right - Ed. degrees are for teaching entire K-12 classes, e.g. Band/Chorus.

[jam8086]

A music education degree is probably more useful

I think that you would find yourself better qualified for private teaching with a Performance degree.

Hm...so thats one for Music Education and one for Piano Performance. Anyone else???

[Bob]

Music Ed for teaching in the public schools.  Instrumental or vocal.  With piano, you would probably be put in the vocal/general music category -- That means teaching kids in a classroom.  K-6.  There is also junior and high school general music class too.   This is of course not much like private piano lessons -- content or skill-wise.

I can see a music ed degree being very useful for someone interested in teaching more of a "piano class"  "movement class"  "introduction to music"  type of class.  The classes for young kids.  If you have a general music background (and Orff, Kodaly, etc.) that could help out that kind of teaching.

Talk to a counselor at a university or college.  No offense, but I don't quite understand why the let you in if you don't want to do music ed.  Talk to someone there who can explain this in person.

Yeah, 100% job placement rate.  What they don't tell you is the type of job you get -- probably garbage, the ones that other teacher don't want, a starter job where things are far from perfect.   What else don't they tell you?  50% of teachers quit after the first year; 70% within the first five years.  So, you get the job, but do you stay and can you keep it?  Either way, the college has already made its money.    I can't imagine the dropout rate during college.  That must be huge -- maybe 10% actually making it all the way through?

The piano performance degree.  You may need more than this.  A masters at least -- in performance.  The dual piano perf and piano pedagogy idea is good and doable.  A performance degree means squat though.  It's how you play that will get a gig.  No one cares if you have a degree and if you are playing somewhere they will probably just assume it -- Of course, they have studied and went to school. 

With the performance degree, you have a big "so what?" waiting after you graduate.  With the ed degree, you have the entire public school system there.  Both have pros and cons.  If you plan on running a private teaching studio, business classes are not a bad idea either.  A business minor is always an option, but you can't neglect your development if you do performance.  Building a teaching studio and reptution takes time. 

You have to decide what to do of course.  The ed degree is much more stable but you become part of a system.  The private teaching studio is less stable, but you have more control. 

I think a lot of private (MTNA wants people to use the term "independent") teachers make their living by teaching, performing, and maybe some other part time job to make ends meet.  Or they survie with financial assistance from their spouse.

Maybe you can find some people who are already working in these fields?  Meet them, see if they are doing something you would like to do.  The college advisor is going to give advice, but they also work for that college ($), and they will give you a degree if you do all the work and pay for it.  That doesn't mean that degree with enable or guarantee that you can get a job with it. 

If you're running a private studio, survival depends on many things -- like location, an area that has the interest to even support a private music teacher.

The theory degrees.  I think those are for the people who want to go on to become theory teachers -- at the college level.  But teaching at the college level usually means a doctorate.  So if you got a theory bachelors, probably a theory masters and then doc would follow.  I'm kind of out of my element in this area though.   Same with music history.

Good luck.  Kind of sucks to have the real world creep in like that though.

[jam8086]

Well, Bob, thanks a lot for your reply.  With regards to "why they let me in if i didn't want to do music ed," I actually thought I would like to do it when I was applying and interviewing, but now I realized how much more I would prefer to teach privately.  So I'm definitely thinking of switching to a performance degree, and most likely a double degree with theory, and also a masters in both afterwards, and possibly in additional subjects.  I want to do theory because I think it would be useful when teaching my students, because I think I should put as much emphasis on theory as performance.

Any thoughts?
Thanks!

[Appenato]

as everyone else has said, yeah, the music ed degree is more for if you're inclined to teach band or in the public schools. like you, i was in the same position when i was trying to decide my major. my potential teacher at the college advised me to go with performance when he learned i wanted to teach privately. basically said the same thing your teacher told you. over the last 2 years of being a performance major, i can see how beneficial it is to have a wide range of repertoire and knowledge of it. so even though i was at first wary about the "performance" title, i'm taking the approach that it's just giving me some good material to work with and expand my musical knowledge for when i continue teaching in my own studio. i don't know how the music ed degree works at your university, but at mine, the ed majors take a LOT of classes that would make it difficult, or rather, a challenge, to do an additional performance degree. if you're concerned about getting a job with a performance emphasis after you graduate, perhaps you could consider a music business minor? or vice versa, music business major, performance minor? considering that, if your studio doesn't build as quickly as you anticipate, you could at least look into getting some sort of job still relating to music... if that's what you desire.

in any case, best of luck on your college degree.

[Tash]

well i've found, after doing a session of music ed, whilst it does focus on school classroom music, you do learn about lots of interesting and exciting things that can enhance your private teaching. if anything it's an interesting course (at my uni anyway). at my uni there isn't a huge difference between the music and music ed courses, except the music ed people obviously do music ed subjects and learn lots of different instruments, whilst music ppl do performance and musicology/composition classes. i think music ed is just interesting to learn about, and the classes are heaps of fun!

[pianowelsh]

Is it possible for you to do a combined degree? I know I would have if my college had offered it. Much more flexibility.

[m1469]

What matters most is having people skills, knowledge of the repertoire, and an array of ways to communicate musical knowledge to people.  There is not a degree which will *guarantee* any of those things, and no matter what, a person will need to put in individual effort and time to hone these skills. 

An individual can work on and decide to obtain all of these things during the course of earning a scholastic degree (or multiple degrees) but they can also be obtained in other ways, too.  Having some sort of business sense and knowledge is also preferrable (and in many ways is not directly taught in either one of those cases of degree programs). 

Learning how to work with children is an endeavor... but would serve any teacher well who plans on dealing with kids.  So, even gaining experience by working at after school programs, summer programs, in classrooms, nannying, babysitting... etc.. will be a HUGE help.  Same goes with people in general.  Working in gorcery stores, clothing stores, or any other customer service oriented company or corporation will give a big insight into the workings of dealing with people and business.  Working for a business and learning how the business-world works is also a great way to gain a business-sense that will serve an individual in starting their own teaching business.

In short, no matter what, the responsibility to prepare for having your own teaching business is yours.  And the good news is, it can be gained in various ways.  If these degree programs offer classes that specifically cover issues of owning your own business, or dealing with "customers" or people, provide a venue to acquire repertoire knowledge and other musical knowledge... then they will be helpful no matter what name they hold.  However, if they do not offer such classes, you will still need to find this kind of education in other ways.

Best wishes,
m1469

[timothy42b]

I know hardly anybody who teaches privately, because it tends to be a private type of task.  Beyond your own or your kids's teacher, who are you going to meet?

But I know quite a lot of public school music teachers, both band and choral, because I have kids in school, and because the teachers often gig in the community and I run into them at performances. 

I think there is a lot to be said for the music education degree.  Among other things, it allows you to touch a much larger group of people and have a larger impact on their lives, musical and otherwise.  I may have been lucky in who I've met, but I've been very impressed on the whole with the quality and dedication, and obviously the kids respond. 

[pianistimo]

i think music ed is for people that quite haven't figured out which method they plan to use and want to compare.  BUT, if you have a piano performance mentor (your piano teacher) - you can basically follow them around and annoy the heck out of them.  asking them questions all the time and basically forcing them to teach you what they learned at their school.  that's my philosophy.  practice piano a lot and just have fun. 

but, as i've gotten older - sometimes i think - well, maybe one of those summer seminars wouldn't hurt.  kodaly appeals to me as something i would like to specialize in later.  but, for now - it's an amalgomation of all my previous piano teachers - plus the current one.  a sort of 'let's use this for this age (younger ages)' and 'let's use this (my current teacher's style) for older students.'  i think experimentation is good - and likem1469said - every student is so different so you can't really have experience until you experience it.  then - you learn from them and they learn from you.

what i have learned most has been from tutoring.  there is a learning 'cycle' they talk about in tutoring.  it has to do with how information is relayed, processed, regurgitated, and installed in long term memory.  tutoring doesn't have to be an expensive class to take.  i think i took one at the community college.  of course, this does not deal with the specifics of music ed (theories and methods).  i'm sure people that take music ed are very happy - as tash pointed out - to learn and get right to the point of learning HOW to teach. 

it's a catch -22 - you can learn how and practice on 1000 students - or you can practice on your piano yourself.  the time spent teaching is not paid time when you are doing it for credit, i might mention.  it's good experience, but a lot of TIME!  that made me, personally, jsut want to volunteer when i wanted, to tutor reading - but not piano. i always get paid for piano lessons.  I can't afford it any other way - witha family.

and, i like the time to practice my own music.  But, learning all the repertoire necessary for teaching is also good.  catch-22 again.

[pianistimo]

i'm finding that there are a tremendous amount of 'special needs' types of children who's parents are somewhat desperate to find someone who knows how to transmit information in unusual ways.  this is also a source of interest to me.  basically, i learned in tutoring that you can start to think in very creative ways to transmit information.

piano lessons also teach life skills.  they learn responsibility, time management, a sense of purpose... all these things are really kind of like a whole person type teaching.  i'm really into that.  i think that you should not ask too many personal questions - but that you can gear the lesson towards weak spots that you see and cover many bases without them even knowing some of the ones you are covering.  it's kind of like parents do -  you sneak in the spinach int he potatoes.