How To Become A High School Music Instructor: What It Is and Career Path

What is a high school music instructor and how to become one

Updated January 8, 2025

3 min read

Quoted expert

David McMahan Ph.D.

There is more than meets the eye when it comes to being a high school music instructor. For example, did you know that they make an average of $19.44 an hour? That's $40,429 a year! Between 2018 and 2028, the career is expected to grow 5% and produce 48,700 job opportunities across the U.S.

What general advice would you give to a high school music instructor?

David McMahan Ph.D.

Charles A. Dana Professor of Religious Studies, Franklin and Marshall College

Keep open to possibilities beyond the narrow range of what your diploma lists as your major or minor. Whatever job you get trained for today, in 10-20 years, it may be very different. Or it may not exist. Focus on obtaining and maintaining flexibility, critical thinking, creativity, and passion for learning. Being an interesting person is as vital as any credential.

ScoreHigh School Music InstructorUS Average

Salary

3.2

Avg. Salary $40,429

Avg. Salary $59,228

Stability level

8.4

Growth rate 5%

Growth rate 0.3%

Diversity

4.7

Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 0.45%

Asian 3.56%

Black or African American 7.85%

Hispanic or Latino 11.47%

Unknown 3.96%

White 72.71%

Gender

female 53.97%

male 46.03%

Age - 43

Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 3.00%

Asian 7.00%

Black or African American 14.00%

Hispanic or Latino 19.00%

White 57.00%

Gender

female 47.00%

male 53.00%

Age - 43

Stress level

8.4

Stress level is high

7.1 - high

Complexity level

8.3

Complexity level is challenging

7 - challenging

Work life balance

5.9

Work life balance is fair

6.4 - fair

Key steps to become a high school music instructor

Explore high school music instructor education requirements

Most common high school music instructor degrees

Bachelor's

69.0 %

Master's

15.0 %

Associate

7.0 %

Start to develop specific high school music instructor skills

Skills	Percentages
at-Risk	37.24%
Social Studies	27.95%
School Administration	15.92%
IEP	6.86%
Student Performance	6.57%

Complete relevant high school music instructor training and internships

Accountants spend an average of 3-6 months on post-employment, on-the-job training. New high school music instructors learn the skills and techniques required for their job and employer during this time. The chart below shows how long it takes to gain competency as a high school music instructor based on U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics data and data from real high school music instructor resumes.

Research high school music instructor duties and responsibilities

Own and manage a small business as a CPR and first aid instructor and consultant for diverse clients.
Serve as theory instructor for medical-surgical nursing and pharmacology for junior students and leadership and management nursing for senior students.
Serve as theory instructor for medical-surgical nursing and pharmacology for junior students and leadership and management nursing for senior students.

Prepare your high school music instructor resume

When your background is strong enough, you can start writing your high school music instructor resume.

You can use Zippia's AI resume builder to make the resume writing process easier while also making sure that you include key information that hiring managers expect to see on a high school music instructor resume. You'll find resume tips and examples of skills, responsibilities, and summaries, all provided by Zippi, your career sidekick.

Choose from 10+ customizable high school music instructor resume templates

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