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High school music director education requirements
Updated January 8, 2025
4 min read
There are several educational requirements to become a high school music director. High school music directors usually study music, general education, specific areas, or education. 70% of high school music directors hold a bachelor's degree, and 19% hold an master's degree. We analyzed 231 real high school music director resumes to see exactly what high school music director education sections show.
The most common colleges for high school music directors are the University of North Texas and the University of North Texas.
There are also many online high school music director courses to help get the education required to be a high school music director.
What education do you need to become a high school music director?
What degree do you need to be a high school music director?
- Bachelor's, 70%
- Master's, 19%
- Associate, 4%
- High School Diploma, 4%
- Other Degrees, 3%
What should I major in to become a high school music director?
Most common colleges for high school music directors
| High school music director common college | Percentages |
|---|---|
| University of North Texas | 9.30% |
| University of South Florida | 6.98% |
| Eastern Michigan University | 4.65% |
| Marshall University | 4.65% |
| Otterbein University | 4.65% |
Best majors for high school music directors
| Rank | Major | Percentages |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Music | 18.2% |
| 2 | General Education, Specific Areas | 13.6% |
| 3 | Education | 11.0% |
| 4 | Business | 9.1% |
| 5 | Psychology | 6.5% |
Best colleges for high school music directors
The best colleges for high school music directors are Northwestern University, University of Pennsylvania, and Columbia University in the City of New York.
A high school music director with advanced education typically earns a higher salary and has access to better jobs. That's why Zippia looked into the best colleges for high school music directors. 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 high school music directors.
1. University of Pennsylvania
Philadelphia, PA • Private
In-state tuition
$55,584
Enrollment
10,764
2. Northwestern University
Evanston, IL • Private
In-state tuition
$54,568
Enrollment
8,451
3. University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
Chapel Hill, NC • Private
In-state tuition
$8,987
Enrollment
18,946
4. Harvard University
Cambridge, MA • Private
In-state tuition
$50,420
Enrollment
7,582
5. Columbia University in the City of New York
New York, NY • Private
In-state tuition
$59,430
Enrollment
8,216
6. New York University
New York, NY • Private
In-state tuition
$51,828
Enrollment
26,339
7. University of Southern California
Los Angeles, CA • Private
In-state tuition
$56,225
Enrollment
19,548
8. University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
Champaign, IL • Private
In-state tuition
$15,094
Enrollment
32,974
9. Stanford University
Stanford, CA • Private
In-state tuition
$51,354
Enrollment
7,083
10. SUNY at Buffalo
Buffalo, NY • Private
In-state tuition
$10,099
Enrollment
21,404
20 best online courses for high school music directors
Advertising disclosure
1. Adventures in Classical Music-Music Appreciation for All!
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2. Music Theory Comprehensive: Part 1 - How To Read Music
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3. Orchestral Music Composition & Music Theory for Video Games
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4. Music Theory
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5. Music Theory for Electronic Music COMPLETE: Parts 1, 2, & 3
Electronic music theory, digital music theory, and dance music theory. Learn music theory with ableton live and more!...
6. Music Theory ABRSM Grade 5
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7. Music Theory for Electronic Music Producers - Complete Guide
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8. Game Music Composition: Make Music For Games From Scratch
Learn to compose music for any and every type of video game, from complete beginner to competent game music composer...
9. Music Theory Comprehensive Complete: Part 4, 5, & 6
Learn music theory through this music theory course app, music theory exercises, and music theory tutorials...
10. Music Producer Masterclass: Make Electronic Music
Compose Music At A Professional level. Learn FL studio From Beginner To Expert Level. Become A Music Producer...
11. Music Theory Comprehensive Complete: Part 7, 8, & 9
Learn music theory through this music theory course app, music theory exercises, and music theory tutorials...
12. Music Theory Comprehensive Complete: Part 10, 11, & 12
Learn music theory through this music theory course app, music theory exercises, and music theory tutorials...
13. Music Theory Comprehensive Complete! (Parts 1, 2, & 3)
A Complete College-Level Music Theory Curriculum. This edition of the course includes levels 1, 2, & 3...
14. Music Theory - Fundamentals for Composition in Any Genre
Expand your music composition skills through learning universal music theory principles, mindset, and ear training...
15. Music Composition with the Piano: Ultimate Keyboard Theory
Music Composition - The Ultimate Guide to Piano, Chords & Music Theory for Producers, Film Composers & Songwriters...
16. Complete Electronic Music Production for EDM Music Producers
EDM: Learn professional electronic music production techniques from an expert electronic music producer - produce EDM!...
17. GarageBand Masterclass: GarageBand for Music Production
Learn Garage Band for music production, music composition, music mixing, audio production, songwriting, and so much more!...
18. Music Theory for Electronic Producers - The Complete Course!
Join Successful students in Music Theory for Electronic Producers for Creating, Arranging, and Analysing Music Theory...
19. Music Production + Mixing Music in Presonus Studio One
Learn Presonus Studio One + Music Production in this Complete Course for Creating, Recording, Mixing Music + Mastering...
20. Songwriting & Music Production In GarageBand- A Total Guide!
Learn how to use the powerful tools that Garage Band offers for creative songwriting and high quality music production!...
Top 10 most affordable universities for high school music directors
The most affordable schools for high school music directors are Baruch College of the City University of New York, california state university - long beach, and california state university - bakersfield.
If the best universities for high school music directors 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 high school music directors.
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. California State University - Long Beach
Long Beach, CA • Private
In-state tuition
$6,798
Cost of attendance
18,306
3. California State University - Bakersfield
Bakersfield, CA • Private
In-state tuition
$7,309
Cost of attendance
16,714
4. USF Sarasota-Manatee
Sarasota, FL • Private
In-state tuition
$5,587
Cost of attendance
13,043
5. Brooklyn College of the City University of New York
Brooklyn, NY • Private
In-state tuition
$7,240
Cost of attendance
13,991
6. California State University - Dominguez Hills
Carson, CA • Private
In-state tuition
$6,942
Cost of attendance
14,469
7. California State University - Los Angeles
Los Angeles, CA • Private
In-state tuition
$6,749
Cost of attendance
14,823
8. Brigham Young University
Provo, UT • Private
In-state tuition
$5,620
Cost of attendance
18,136
9. Lehman College of the City University of New York
Bronx, NY • Private
In-state tuition
$7,210
Cost of attendance
14,359
10. Florida Atlantic University
Boca Raton, FL • Private
In-state tuition
$4,831
Cost of attendance
19,559
Top 10 hardest universities to get into for high school music directors
The hardest universities for high school music directors to get into are Northwestern University, University of Pennsylvania, and Columbia University in the City of New York.
Some great schools for high school music directors 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 high school music directors 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. Columbia University in the City of New York
New York, NY • Private
Admissions rate
6%
SAT average
1,512
4. Harvard University
Cambridge, MA • Private
Admissions rate
5%
SAT average
1,520
5. Vanderbilt University
Nashville, TN • Private
Admissions rate
10%
SAT average
1,514
6. Johns Hopkins University
Baltimore, MD • Private
Admissions rate
11%
SAT average
1,513
7. University of Southern California
Los Angeles, CA • Private
Admissions rate
13%
SAT average
1,445
8. New York University
New York, NY • Private
Admissions rate
20%
SAT average
1,419
9. Stanford University
Stanford, CA • Private
Admissions rate
4%
SAT average
1,497
10. Boston University
Boston, MA • Private
Admissions rate
22%
SAT average
1,420
Top 10 easy-to-apply-to universities for high school music directors
The easiest schools for high school music directors to get into are Barry University, mount saint mary's university, and gwynedd mercy university.
Some schools are much easier to get into. If you want to start your career as a high school music director 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 high school music directors.
1. Barry University
Miami, FL • Private
Admissions rate
91%
SAT average
1,006
2. Mount Saint Mary's University
Los Angeles, CA • Private
Admissions rate
84%
SAT average
1,031
3. Gwynedd Mercy University
Gwynedd Valley, PA • Private
Admissions rate
92%
SAT average
1,031
4. Felician University
Lodi, NJ • Private
Admissions rate
81%
SAT average
999
5. Holy Names University
Oakland, CA • Private
Admissions rate
70%
SAT average
849
6. Notre Dame de Namur University
Belmont, CA • Private
Admissions rate
82%
SAT average
983
7. Oklahoma Wesleyan University
Bartlesville, OK • Private
Admissions rate
68%
SAT average
964
8. Notre Dame College
Cleveland, OH • Private
Admissions rate
90%
SAT average
994
9. The University of Texas Permian Basin
Odessa, TX • Private
Admissions rate
91%
SAT average
1,046
10. Wayland Baptist University
Plainview, TX • Private
Admissions rate
98%
SAT average
1,003
Average high school music director salary by education level
| High school music director education level | High school music director salary |
|---|---|
| Master's Degree | $58,088 |
| Bachelor's Degree | $57,966 |
| Some College/ Associate Degree | $67,334 |
High school music director education FAQs
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Updated January 8, 2025
Updated January 8, 2025