The Role of a Music Educator in Secondary Education
The education of music within schools is of high importance to the education of children, developing both music skills as well as motor skills, memory and expression of creativity and emotions. Music education is an integral part of a child’s learning; however, it is slowly disappearing from the syllabus taught in schools. GCSE music entries have dropped by 36% since 2010, and only 5,000 students took A-Level Music in 2023, representing a 45% decline in the past decade (topoftherockuition.com: 2022). Academic research suggests that the education of music within schools improves students’ social skills, enjoyment of music, teamwork, sense of achievement, confidence and self-discipline. Other transferable skills included concentration, physical coordination, creativity and listening skills. (Hallam and Prince, 2000). This shows the importance of passionate music teachers who care about the education of music and keeping the growth of musicianship open to all.
Qualifications and Experience required
Qualifications required to become a music teacher are different depending on the role being entered. Instrumental teachers who privately tutor students need very few formal qualifications; however, focusing on the education of music within a school setting, Teachers need to have a degree (preferably in music) and then have a Post Graduate Certificate of Education (PGCE), which is required for all teachers. Following this, teachers also need a Qualified Teacher Status (QTS), a requirement in the UK to teach. Teachers then have to keep up on training and be DBS checked. Experience that is preferred is time spent in an education environment, as well as classroom experience. This is often included within a PGCE, which allows all new teachers to have experience in the classroom.
Knowledge, Skills and Personal Attributes
Knowledge required is a strong sense of musicality, which includes being fluent and strong in music theory, knowing and understanding the history of music and the importance of how music has changed to create music today. Experience and skills in performance, allowing confident self-performance as well as being able to give feedback and guide students in their performance across a range of instruments. Composing skills, including being able to compose in a range of styles for different instruments and ensembles and being able to tutor and teach composition to students. Knowledge in technology (with the movement of music towards more technology), being on top of the changes and fluent in Digital Audio Workspaces (DAW), as well as live performance set-ups and audio mastering. Teachers also need a strong pedagogical knowledge, which is being ability to understand how to teach and the content that they are teaching. This means spending time understanding the syllabus and curriculum for KS3, GCSE and A-level. Academic research argues (Concina: 2023), in music teaching, the pedagogical approach may influence the way in which the lesson is structured, as well as the meaning that is attributed to the teacher–student relationship. Music teachers may adopt different kinds of teaching strategies with respect to the main focus of the teaching approach (the student, the subject, the evaluation, or the management of the lessons. Teachers need to have good classroom management and communication skills to stay in control of students whilst providing a strong learning environment. This complements skills of organisation and adaptability, making a teacher well prepared and able to adapt to certain students and environments. Personal attributes that are integral for a teaching role are skills such as patience, resilience, enthusiasm and professionalism.
Duties and Responsibilities
The daily responsibilities of a music teacher are vast and varied and often depend on the school environment they are working. Music teachers need to plan and deliver classroom lessons; these lessons need to develop the musicianship of all students, from younger students who have never learnt music before to Grade 8 musicians who want to push themselves to learn more. This is the difficulty of music within an educational/ school environment, as the skill level can differ vastly within a single class environment. Music teachers also need to assess and provide feedback on student work, which includes written examination work, feedback on performance and feedback on composition. Music teachers are often involved in the creation and leading of practical music activities, which can vary from orchestras and musicals to small group performances. These activities may differ in involvement from the composition and conducting of pieces, finding, printing and preparing music, accompanying other activities and overseeing multiple activities. Music teachers then often organise concerts which include the choice of ensembles and music performed, to the preparation of a venue and equipment. Music teachers also need to organise both mock and real examinations for written work and performance. They also have a range of administrative tasks and pastoral responsibilities, which range from the purchase of equipment (such as instruments and music) to safeguarding within a whole school context.
Financial and Legal Considerations
Music teachers are treated as all teachers throughout the UK, who are paid a salary based on national teacher pay scales according to the School Teachers’ Pay and Conditions Document (STPCD). The base pay for a new teacher in 2025/2026 is £32,916, with an increase up to £51,048 with progression and experience (National Education Union: 2026). This is a baseline and varies depending upon specific schools, regions and progression decisions. Additional payments may include teaching and learning responsibilities (TLR) payments and extra-curricular or pastoral responsibilities. Teachers are eligible for the Teachers’ Pension Scheme (TPS), where employers’ contributions are often significantly higher than private sector averages. Teachers also have access to sick pay, maternity/paternity leave, and holiday entitlement. Teachers have holidays that are synced up to school holidays and follow the plan of half terms and Summer and Christmas holidays, which total around 13 weeks (65 days) of holiday. Music teachers often can receive other income, which comes from peripatetic/ instrumental teaching, which could mean working for local authorities. They can also receive payments for running school ensembles, choirs and sometimes holiday workshops. This is all dependent on school, region and progression decision. Teachers can also mark exams for exam boards (e.g. AQA, Edexcel), which is paid employment. Music teachers may manage departmental budgets, instrument purchase and maintenance and software licenses (e.g. Sibelius, Logic Pro X, etc). This gives them the responsibility for ensuring value for money and safeguarding equipment. Teachers are employees, not freelancers, so they have contracts which define directed time, teaching hours and professional responsibilities. Teachers must comply with school policies and national legislation. Teachers have a legal responsibility and obligation to safeguard children, which is under Keeping Children Safe in Education (Dfe) (GOV.UK:2015), and the Children Act 1989 & 2004 (Statute Law Database: 1989, 2004). These require mandatory DBS checks and a legal duty to report safeguarding concerns. Teachers also have responsibility for classroom safety, which is in compliance with the Health and Safety at Work Act 1974 (Statute Law Database: 1974). Teachers must also work within the Equality Act 2010 (Statute Law Database: 2010), which means no discrimination and providing adaptive teaching for SEND students with learning difficulties and students with physical impairments, such as sight or hearing impairments. Music teachers specifically must work strictly within the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988 (Statute Law Database: 1988), following copyright laws around the use of printed music, recording and digital resources, which must follow PRS, PPL and Copyright Licensing Agency (CLA) agreements. They must also work with students to write original music which will not fall under the copyright of another musician’s work.
Marketing and Professional Promotion
Music teachers apply for roles through formal recruitment processes, which can be either TES, Local authority or academy trust portals. They apply with a professional CV which covers academic experience over musical experience; however, for a specific role as a music teacher, music experience is still integral. Many employers look for a teaching portfolio which includes evidence of lesson plans, schemes of work, assessment examples, and student outcomes (performance and coursework). They also look for professional reputation within schools, showing curricular and extracurricular contribution, e.g. Leading choirs, bands, orchestras; organising trips and concerts; and enhancing the school’s musical profile. Bennet (2016) argues that creating a professional identity through experience and achievements enhances employability for higher education arts graduates. This shows that creating a professional identity supports your career and, as a result, will support your application and self-promotion.
Intellectual and Personal Challenges
Music teachers face demands for knowledge and understanding on curriculum specifics and subject breadth. Music teachers must teach performance, composition, listening and music technology whilst maintaining up-to-date knowledge of exam board specifications, contemporary and classical repertoire and music technology developments. Music teachers must also provide differentiation and inclusive practice as classes contain students of mixed musical ability, varied prior experience and SEND needs. Lessons must be differentiated to ensure access and progression to all students. This is continued into assessments and accountability, as teachers must design valid and reliable assessments for practical music, whilst aligning creative outcomes with exam criteria and managing and tracking data and progress. Personal and emotional challenges faced by music teachers cover issues like workload and time pressure. With the high time commitment towards lesson planning and administrative work, followed by extracurricular commitments, balancing work and life may be a challenge. They can also struggle with management and classroom dynamics, having to manage diverse classroom behaviours during practical activities, and maintaining authority while encouraging creativity. Finally, music teachers are musicians who want to continue their personal music development; balancing being a practising musician and being an educator may bring difficulties.
Career Progression and Development
The beginning of the music teacher career starts after finishing your PGCE. You can start employment with an Early Career Teacher (ECT) status. This is a two-year induction which provides structured training, a reduced timetable and is governed by the Early Career Framework. Within classroom teaching, movement through pay scales is based on performance and experience. Self-development into a certain subject area and curriculum leadership can lead to increased responsibility for GCSE and A-level courses, assessment and moderation and ensemble leadership. Following this, career progression can lead to middle leadership opportunities, which would be appointment as head of music or head of department. This would give responsibilities such as curriculum design, departmental budgeting and staff mentoring. Wider school leadership roles would progress from this, which could be pastoral roles such as head of years or more senior leadership pathways such as assistant headteacher and deputy headteacher. This would lead to more involvement with whole school strategy and policy development. Following this, choices could be made to enter specialist roles or external pathways. This could be careers such as advisory roles within local authorities or music education hubs, or into roles such as examiner, teacher training, further or higher education lecturing and educational consultancy. Career progression within secondary music education allows both horizontal and vertical advancement into leadership roles or specialist and portfolio-based opportunities
Conclusion
In conclusion, the career choice of a Music Teacher allows the importance of music in mainstream education to be continued and developed. Although having to follow the educational pathway of a degree and then PGCE, which is expensive and takes time, the role provides career and financial safety. The balance of musical expertise, pedagogical skill and legal and professional responsibility provides a well-rounded career that allows a musician to use a wide variety of skills to build up a new generation of musicians. This career allows structured career progression that does not rely on being in the right place at the right time, like other music careers, as all work is tracked and rewarded. The challenges faced by music teachers can sometimes be detrimental if not balanced; however, the skillset often attained by practising musicians allows these challenges to be overcome. Overall, the career of a music teacher is highly sustainable and viable, providing financial stability and accessible career progression.
Bibliography
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