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Music instructor education requirements
Updated January 8, 2025
4 min read
There are several educational requirements to become a music instructor. Music instructors usually study music, general education, specific areas, or education. 65% of music instructors hold a bachelor's degree, and 16% hold an master's degree. We analyzed 4,074 real music instructor resumes to see exactly what music instructor education sections show.
The most common colleges for music instructors are the Berklee College of Music and the Berklee College of Music.
There are also many online music instructor courses to help get the education required to be a music instructor.
What education do you need to become a music instructor?
What degree do you need to be a music instructor?
- Bachelor's, 65%
- Master's, 16%
- Associate, 9%
- High School Diploma, 6%
- Other Degrees, 4%
What should I major in to become a music instructor?
Most common colleges for music instructors
| Music instructor common college | Percentages |
|---|---|
| Berklee College of Music | 22.06% |
| Florida State University | 5.59% |
| New York University | 5.29% |
| Arizona State University | 5.29% |
| University of South Florida | 5.00% |
Best majors for music instructors
| Rank | Major | Percentages |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Music | 43.8% |
| 2 | General Education, Specific Areas | 16.5% |
| 3 | Education | 5.5% |
| 4 | Music Performance | 4.8% |
| 5 | Business | 4.3% |
Best colleges for music instructors
The best colleges for music instructors are Northwestern University, Columbia University in the City of New York, and Carnegie Mellon University.
A music instructor with advanced education typically earns a higher salary and has access to better jobs. That's why Zippia looked into the best colleges for music instructors. 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 music instructors.
1. Northwestern University
Evanston, IL • Private
In-state tuition
$54,568
Enrollment
8,451
2. University of Texas at Austin
Austin, TX • Private
In-state tuition
$10,610
Enrollment
40,329
3. Harvard University
Cambridge, MA • Private
In-state tuition
$50,420
Enrollment
7,582
4. Duke University
Durham, NC • Private
In-state tuition
$55,695
Enrollment
6,596
5. Cornell University
Ithaca, NY • Private
In-state tuition
$55,188
Enrollment
15,105
6. Stanford University
Stanford, CA • Private
In-state tuition
$51,354
Enrollment
7,083
7. University of Pennsylvania
Philadelphia, PA • Private
In-state tuition
$55,584
Enrollment
10,764
8. University of Michigan - Ann Arbor
Ann Arbor, MI • Private
In-state tuition
$15,262
Enrollment
30,079
9. Columbia University in the City of New York
New York, NY • Private
In-state tuition
$59,430
Enrollment
8,216
10. University of Southern California
Los Angeles, CA • Private
In-state tuition
$56,225
Enrollment
19,548
20 best online courses for music instructors
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1. Adventures in Classical Music-Music Appreciation for All!
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4. Music Theory for Electronic Music Producers - Complete Guide
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5. Music Producer Masterclass: Make Electronic Music
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6. Music Theory Comprehensive Complete: Part 4, 5, & 6
Learn music theory through this music theory course app, music theory exercises, and music theory tutorials...
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An in-depth and straight forward approach to understanding music...
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9. Orchestral Music Composition & Music Theory for Video Games
Learn orchestral video game music composition & game composer music theory secrets to compose music for any video game!...
10. Music Theory Comprehensive Complete: Part 7, 8, & 9
Learn music theory through this music theory course app, music theory exercises, and music theory tutorials...
11. Music Theory - Fundamentals for Composition in Any Genre
Expand your music composition skills through learning universal music theory principles, mindset, and ear training...
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. 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...
14. The Complete Piano & Music Theory Beginners Course
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15. Music Production + Mixing Music in Presonus Studio One
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16. Music Theory ABRSM Grade 5
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17. Producing Music with Reason
Everything you need to know to get started producing great music with Propellerhead Reason...
18. Complete Electronic Music Production for EDM Music Producers
EDM: Learn professional electronic music production techniques from an expert electronic music producer - produce EDM!...
19. Music Theory for Electronic Producers - The Complete Course!
Join Successful students in Music Theory for Electronic Producers for Creating, Arranging, and Analysing Music Theory...
20. 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...
Top 10 most affordable universities for music instructors
The most affordable schools for music instructors are University of Florida, california state university - long beach, and hunter college of the city university of new york.
If the best universities for music instructors 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 music instructors.
1. University of Florida
Gainesville, FL • Private
In-state tuition
$6,381
Cost of attendance
21,034
2. California State University - Long Beach
Long Beach, CA • Private
In-state tuition
$6,798
Cost of attendance
18,306
3. Hunter College of the City University of New York
New York, NY • Private
In-state tuition
$7,182
Cost of attendance
13,998
4. Brooklyn College of the City University of New York
Brooklyn, NY • Private
In-state tuition
$7,240
Cost of attendance
13,991
5. Florida State University
Tallahassee, FL • Private
In-state tuition
$5,656
Cost of attendance
21,623
6. Lehman College of the City University of New York
Bronx, NY • Private
In-state tuition
$7,210
Cost of attendance
14,359
7. Brigham Young University
Provo, UT • Private
In-state tuition
$5,620
Cost of attendance
18,136
8. City College of New York of the City University of New York, The
New York, NY • Private
In-state tuition
$7,140
Cost of attendance
14,430
9. University of South Florida
Tampa, FL • Private
In-state tuition
$6,410
Cost of attendance
20,456
10. Queens College of the City University of New York
Queens, NY • Private
In-state tuition
$7,338
Cost of attendance
14,281
Top 10 hardest universities to get into for music instructors
The hardest universities for music instructors to get into are Northwestern University, Columbia University in the City of New York, and Carnegie Mellon University.
Some great schools for music instructors 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 music instructors 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. Columbia University in the City of New York
New York, NY • Private
Admissions rate
6%
SAT average
1,512
3. Carnegie Mellon University
Pittsburgh, PA • Private
Admissions rate
17%
SAT average
1,507
4. Harvard University
Cambridge, MA • Private
Admissions rate
5%
SAT average
1,520
5. Cornell University
Ithaca, NY • Private
Admissions rate
11%
SAT average
1,471
6. University of Southern California
Los Angeles, CA • Private
Admissions rate
13%
SAT average
1,445
7. Duke University
Durham, NC • Private
Admissions rate
9%
SAT average
1,516
8. University of Pennsylvania
Philadelphia, PA • Private
Admissions rate
8%
SAT average
1,492
9. Washington University in St Louis
Saint Louis, MO • Private
Admissions rate
15%
SAT average
1,506
10. New York University
New York, NY • Private
Admissions rate
20%
SAT average
1,419
Top 10 easy-to-apply-to universities for music instructors
The easiest schools for music instructors to get into are Wayland Baptist University, mount saint mary's university, and barry university.
Some schools are much easier to get into. If you want to start your career as a music instructor 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 music instructors.
1. Wayland Baptist University
Plainview, TX • Private
Admissions rate
98%
SAT average
1,003
2. Mount Saint Mary's University
Los Angeles, CA • Private
Admissions rate
84%
SAT average
1,031
3. Barry University
Miami, FL • Private
Admissions rate
91%
SAT average
1,006
4. Cardinal Stritch University
Milwaukee, WI • Private
Admissions rate
71%
SAT average
1,035
5. University of the Incarnate Word
San Antonio, TX • Private
Admissions rate
88%
SAT average
1,044
6. Notre Dame de Namur University
Belmont, CA • Private
Admissions rate
82%
SAT average
983
7. Notre Dame College
Cleveland, OH • Private
Admissions rate
90%
SAT average
994
8. Kean University
Union, NJ • Private
Admissions rate
86%
SAT average
991
9. Centenary University
Hackettstown, NJ • Private
Admissions rate
67%
SAT average
987
10. Bluefield College
Bluefield, VA • Private
Admissions rate
95%
SAT average
980
Average music instructor salary by education level
| Music instructor education level | Music instructor salary |
|---|---|
| Master's Degree | $54,546 |
| Doctorate Degree | $68,250 |
Music instructor education FAQs
Have more questions? See all answers to common education, training, and library questions.
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Updated January 8, 2025
Updated January 8, 2025