Begin a Creative Career Teaching the Arts

Find your place with a rewarding career teaching the arts

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Art Teacher Education

Art education programs prepare educators to help students of various ages develop their creative skills. A typical day for an art teacher might include helping kindergarteners construct masterpieces with construction paper and cotton-balls or teaching high school students how to mold and assemble mosaic sculptures.

Art education can be rewarding when watching students' imaginations materialize. If you love sharing your knowledge of art history and love the idea of helping kids turn creative energy into works of art, consider studying art education.

With competitive salaries, comprehensive benefits packages and extensive vacation available for full-time teaching positions, it's hard to find a more reliable, meaningful art career.

For more information on art teaching careers, see our art teacher career snapshot. And find art education degree programs here.

Music Teacher Education

Music teachers help students recognize and develop musical skills. A typical day might include familiarizing a class full of elementary school students with musical notation or watching a middle school student master a difficult saxophone solo. Music education majors learn various techniques to teach music and music appreciation to students of all ages.

Research has shown that music can be a healthy balance to a student's general course curriculum and can actually help stimulate learning and development.* If you are thinking about becoming a music teacher, it's important to have a musical ear, good communication skills and the patience to deal with students who have difficulty staying in tune, keeping a rhythm or reading music.

The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported an over $50,000 per year average salary for music teachers in elementary and secondary schools in 2006. And, with most school continuing to see the importance of artistic instruction, the job outlook is promising. With the right education, you can find a rewarding career in music education that will change your life and the lives of your students.

Learn more about music teaching careers in our music teacher career snapshot and check out our music teacher interview for a real-life example. Also, find music education degree programs here.

Theater Teacher Education

Theater teachers help encourage and motivate students to explore the artistic and expressive side of education through theater arts and performance. A typical day might include helping elementary students memorize their lines for the holiday play or providing stage direction and set expertise for the high school musical.

Some students are natural performers who need a teacher to help them recognize their talent, while others are shy and benefit from seeing themselves perform even the smallest bits of dialog or movement on stage. If you love all the facets of theater production and enjoy teaching others, consider majoring in theater or drama education.

If the adrenaline of the lights, costumes and audience thrills you, you can find a lucrative and rewarding position as a drama teacher for students of any age. Since budget cuts around the turn of the Century left drama programs intact at less than 20 percent of public elementary schools,** you may have more luck in secondary or post-secondary schools where drama teachers with successful programs demand high salaries and community respect.

For more information on theater teacher careers, see our drama teacher career snapshot. And find theater education degree programs here.

* Beare, Kenneth. "Music in the Classroom." Primedia, 2001
** U.S. Department of Education, "Arts Education in Public Elementary and Secondary Schools: 1999 - 2000"