Music professor vs instrumental music teacher

The differences between music professors and instrumental music teachers can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. It typically takes 1-2 years to become both a music professor and an instrumental music teacher. Additionally, an instrumental music teacher has an average salary of $52,423, which is higher than the $52,399 average annual salary of a music professor.

The top three skills for a music professor include music theory, curriculum development and music history. The most important skills for an instrumental music teacher are public schools, music theory, and music education.

Music professor vs instrumental music teacher overview

	Music Professor	Instrumental Music Teacher
Yearly salary	$52,399	$52,423
Hourly rate	$25.19	$25.20
Growth rate	12%	12%
Number of jobs	14,604	53,121
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 54%	Bachelor's Degree, 76%
Average age	46	46
Years of experience	2	2

Music professor vs instrumental music teacher salary

Music professors and instrumental music teachers have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Music Professor	Instrumental Music Teacher
Average salary	$52,399	$52,423
Salary range	Between $32,000 And $83,000	Between $35,000 And $77,000
Highest paying City	Los Angeles, CA	Boston, MA
Highest paying state	Massachusetts	Massachusetts
Best paying company	Kuyper College	Boston Public Schools
Best paying industry	Education	Education

Differences between music professor and instrumental music teacher education

There are a few differences between a music professor and an instrumental music teacher in terms of educational background:

	Music Professor	Instrumental Music Teacher
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 54%	Bachelor's Degree, 76%
Most common major	Music	General Education, Specific Areas
Most common college	Northwestern University	Northwestern University

Music professor vs instrumental music teacher demographics

Here are the differences between music professors' and instrumental music teachers' demographics:

	Music Professor	Instrumental Music Teacher
Average age	46	46
Gender ratio	Male, 62.4% Female, 37.6%	Male, 59.0% Female, 41.0%
Race ratio	Black or African American, 7.0% Unknown, 4.9% Hispanic or Latino, 10.0% Asian, 11.3% White, 66.5% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.3%	Black or African American, 7.3% Unknown, 5.0% Hispanic or Latino, 10.3% Asian, 11.2% White, 65.9% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.3%
LGBT Percentage	16%	16%

Differences between music professor and instrumental music teacher duties and responsibilities

Music professor example responsibilities.

Used blackboard online to manage students tests, grade papers and assign materials.
Experiment with different surface chemistry to improve quality of yields -participate in poster session and presentation to faculty and graduate students.
Experiment with different surface chemistry to improve quality of yields -participate in poster session and presentation to faculty and graduate students.

Instrumental music teacher example responsibilities.

Accomplish building curriculum that do not exist in previous years focuse on Pre-K through 6th grade.
Develop and implement a school-wide music curriculum aim at building and reinforcing critical literacy and mathematics skills for at-risk learners.
Develop introductory music instruction for multiple instruments and group classes in beginning guitar and keyboard.

Music professor vs instrumental music teacher skills

Common music professor skills

Music Theory, 42%
Curriculum Development, 14%
Music History, 12%
Jazz Ensemble, 9%
Chorus, 6%
Music Education Courses, 5%

Common instrumental music teacher skills

Public Schools, 15%
Music Theory, 10%
Music Education, 8%
K-12, 7%
All-State, 7%
K-8, 7%

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Music Professor vs Instrumental Music Teacher

Updated January 8, 2025

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