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Choir teacher education requirements

Updated January 8, 2025
4 min read

There are several educational requirements to become a choir teacher. Choir teachers usually study general education, specific areas, music, or education. 75% of choir teachers hold a bachelor's degree, and 16% hold an master's degree. We analyzed 172 real choir teacher resumes to see exactly what choir teacher education sections show.

The most common colleges for choir teachers are the Northern Arizona University and the Northern Arizona University.

There are also many online choir teacher courses to help get the education required to be a choir teacher.

What education do you need to become a choir teacher?

What degree do you need to be a choir teacher?

The most common degree for choir teachers is bachelor's degree, with 75% of choir teachers earning that degree. The second and third most common degree levels are master's degree degree at 16% and master's degree degree at 4%.
  • Bachelor's, 75%
  • Master's, 16%
  • High School Diploma, 4%
  • Associate, 3%
  • Other Degrees, 2%

What should I major in to become a choir teacher?

You should major in general education, specific areas to become a choir teacher. 32% of choir teachers major in general education, specific areas. Other common majors for a choir teacher include music and education.

Most common colleges for choir teachers

Choir teachers often get their degrees at Northern Arizona University, William Jewell College, and University of Wisconsin Colleges. Here are the most common colleges for choir teachers in the US based on their resumes.
Choir teacher common collegePercentages
Northern Arizona University5.71%
William Jewell College5.71%
University of Wisconsin Colleges5.71%
Texas State University5.71%
Brigham Young University5.71%

Best majors for choir teachers

Best colleges for choir teachers

The best colleges for choir teachers are Northwestern University, University of Pennsylvania, and Harvard University.

A choir teacher with advanced education typically earns a higher salary and has access to better jobs. That's why Zippia looked into the best colleges for choir teachers. We based this list on several metrics: admissions rate, retention rate, mean earnings of graduates, the ratio of working vs. non-working students ten years after admission, the average cost of attendance, and median debt for graduates who become choir teachers.

1. University of Pennsylvania

Philadelphia, PA • Private

In-state tuition

$55,584

Enrollment

10,764

2. Harvard University

Cambridge, MA • Private

In-state tuition

$50,420

Enrollment

7,582

3. Northwestern University

Evanston, IL • Private

In-state tuition

$54,568

Enrollment

8,451

4. University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill

Chapel Hill, NC • Private

In-state tuition

$8,987

Enrollment

18,946

5. New York University

New York, NY • Private

In-state tuition

$51,828

Enrollment

26,339

6. Boston University

Boston, MA • Private

In-state tuition

$53,948

Enrollment

17,238

7. University of Washington

Seattle, WA • Private

In-state tuition

$11,207

Enrollment

30,905

8. Columbia University in the City of New York

New York, NY • Private

In-state tuition

$59,430

Enrollment

8,216

9. Brown University

Providence, RI • Private

In-state tuition

$55,466

Enrollment

6,752

10. Stanford University

Stanford, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$51,354

Enrollment

7,083

20 best online courses for choir teachers

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Top 10 most affordable universities for choir teachers

The most affordable schools for choir teachers are Baruch College of the City University of New York, hunter college of the city university of new york, and california state university - long beach.

If the best universities for choir teachers are out of your price range, check out these affordable schools. After factoring in in-state tuition and fees, the average cost of attendance, admissions rate, average net price, and mean earnings after six years, we found that these are the most affordable schools for choir teachers.

1. Baruch College of the City University of New York

New York, NY • Private

In-state tuition

$7,262

Cost of attendance

14,046

2. Hunter College of the City University of New York

New York, NY • Private

In-state tuition

$7,182

Cost of attendance

13,998

3. California State University - Long Beach

Long Beach, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$6,798

Cost of attendance

18,306

4. Brooklyn College of the City University of New York

Brooklyn, NY • Private

In-state tuition

$7,240

Cost of attendance

13,991

5. Lehman College of the City University of New York

Bronx, NY • Private

In-state tuition

$7,210

Cost of attendance

14,359

6. Queens College of the City University of New York

Queens, NY • Private

In-state tuition

$7,338

Cost of attendance

14,281

7. California State University - Fullerton

Fullerton, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$6,886

Cost of attendance

17,645

8. California State University - Dominguez Hills

Carson, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$6,942

Cost of attendance

14,469

9. California State University - Los Angeles

Los Angeles, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$6,749

Cost of attendance

14,823

10. Brigham Young University

Provo, UT • Private

In-state tuition

$5,620

Cost of attendance

18,136

Top 10 hardest universities to get into for choir teachers

The hardest universities for choir teachers to get into are Northwestern University, University of Pennsylvania, and Harvard University.

Some great schools for choir teachers are hard to get into, but they also set your career up for greater success. The list below shows the most challenging universities to get into for choir teachers based on an institution's admissions rates, average SAT scores accepted, median ACT scores accepted, and mean earnings of students six years after admission.

1. Northwestern University

Evanston, IL • Private

Admissions rate

8%

SAT average

1,508

2. University of Pennsylvania

Philadelphia, PA • Private

Admissions rate

8%

SAT average

1,492

3. Harvard University

Cambridge, MA • Private

Admissions rate

5%

SAT average

1,520

4. Vanderbilt University

Nashville, TN • Private

Admissions rate

10%

SAT average

1,514

5. Johns Hopkins University

Baltimore, MD • Private

Admissions rate

11%

SAT average

1,513

6. Columbia University in the City of New York

New York, NY • Private

Admissions rate

6%

SAT average

1,512

7. Brown University

Providence, RI • Private

Admissions rate

8%

SAT average

1,492

8. New York University

New York, NY • Private

Admissions rate

20%

SAT average

1,419

9. Boston University

Boston, MA • Private

Admissions rate

22%

SAT average

1,420

10. University of Rochester

Rochester, NY • Private

Admissions rate

29%

SAT average

1,422

Top 10 easy-to-apply-to universities for choir teachers

The easiest schools for choir teachers to get into are Barry University, felician university, and holy names university.

Some schools are much easier to get into. If you want to start your career as a choir teacher without much hassle, check out the list of schools where you will be accepted in no time. We compiled admissions rates, average SAT scores, average ACT scores, and average salary of students six years after graduation to uncover which were the easiest schools to get into for choir teachers.

1. Barry University

Miami, FL • Private

Admissions rate

91%

SAT average

1,006

2. Felician University

Lodi, NJ • Private

Admissions rate

81%

SAT average

999

3. Holy Names University

Oakland, CA • Private

Admissions rate

70%

SAT average

849

4. Oklahoma Wesleyan University

Bartlesville, OK • Private

Admissions rate

68%

SAT average

964

5. The University of Texas Permian Basin

Odessa, TX • Private

Admissions rate

91%

SAT average

1,046

6. Mount Saint Mary's University

Los Angeles, CA • Private

Admissions rate

84%

SAT average

1,031

7. Gwynedd Mercy University

Gwynedd Valley, PA • Private

Admissions rate

92%

SAT average

1,031

8. Saint Martin's University

Lacey, WA • Private

Admissions rate

96%

SAT average

1,111

9. College of New Rochelle, The

New Rochelle, NY • Private

Admissions rate

83%

SAT average

982

10. Nyack College

New York, NY • Private

Admissions rate

98%

SAT average

999

Average choir teacher salary by education level

According to our data, choir teachers with a Master's degree earn the highest average salary, at $57,451 annually. Choir teachers with a Doctorate degree earn an average annual salary of $57,105.
Choir teacher education levelChoir teacher salary
Master's Degree$57,451
Bachelor's Degree$49,522
Doctorate Degree$57,105

Choir teacher education FAQs

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Updated January 8, 2025

Zippia Research Team
Zippia Team

Editorial Staff

The Zippia Research Team has spent countless hours reviewing resumes, job postings, and government data to determine what goes into getting a job in each phase of life. Professional writers and data scientists comprise the Zippia Research Team.

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