What Do Art, Drama, or Music Professor Do?
Job Description & Duties Teach courses in drama, music, and the arts including fine and applied art, such as painting and sculpture, or design and crafts. Includes both teachers primarily engaged in teaching and those who do a combination of teaching and research.
Life As an Art, Drama, or Music Professor
- Explain and demonstrate artistic techniques.
- Provide professional consulting services to government or industry.
- Select and obtain materials and supplies, such as textbooks and performance pieces.
- Participate in student recruitment, registration, and placement activities.
- Keep abreast of developments in the field by reading current literature, talking with colleagues, and participating in professional conferences.
- Plan, evaluate, and revise curricula, course content, course materials, and methods of instruction.
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Art, Drama, or Music Professor Needed Skills
Below is a list of the skills most Art, Drama, and Music Professors say are important on the job.
Speaking: Talking to others to convey information effectively.
Instructing: Teaching others how to do something.
Learning Strategies: Selecting and using training/instructional methods and procedures appropriate for the situation when learning or teaching new things.
Active Listening: Giving full attention to what other people are saying, taking time to understand the points being made, asking questions as appropriate, and not interrupting at inappropriate times.
Reading Comprehension: Understanding written sentences and paragraphs in work related documents.
Active Learning: Understanding the implications of new information for both current and future problem-solving and decision-making.
Related Job Titles
- Sound Art Instructor
- College or University Faculty Member
- Professor of Theatre
- Scene and Lighting Design Lecturer
- Professor
Job Outlook for Art, Drama, and Music Professors
In 2016, there was an estimated number of 122,500 jobs in the United States for Art, Drama, or Music Professor. New jobs are being produced at a rate of 12% which is above the national average. The Bureau of Labor Statistics predicts 14,700 new jobs for Art, Drama, or Music Professor by 2026. The BLS estimates 11,200 yearly job openings in this field.

The states with the most job growth for Art, Drama, or Music Professor are Utah, Nevada, and Colorado. Watch out if you plan on working in Vermont, Maine, or Alaska. These states have the worst job growth for this type of profession.
Art, Drama, or Music Professor Salary
The average yearly salary of an Art, Drama, or Music Professor ranges between $36,360 and $146,290.

Art, Drama, and Music Professors who work in California, Connecticut, or New Hampshire, make the highest salaries.
Below is a list of the median annual salaries for Art, Drama, and Music Professors in different U.S. states.
State | Annual Mean Salary |
---|---|
Alabama | $65,560 |
Arizona | $83,730 |
Arkansas | $57,450 |
California | $115,460 |
Colorado | $60,820 |
Connecticut | $93,250 |
Delaware | $69,050 |
District of Columbia | $100,590 |
Florida | $72,670 |
Georgia | $66,740 |
Hawaii | $64,940 |
Idaho | $64,450 |
Illinois | $68,360 |
Indiana | $68,070 |
Iowa | $80,700 |
Kansas | $66,450 |
Kentucky | $76,750 |
Louisiana | $61,980 |
Maine | $70,930 |
Maryland | $74,160 |
Massachusetts | $99,540 |
Michigan | $76,250 |
Minnesota | $78,950 |
Mississippi | $62,540 |
Missouri | $80,570 |
Montana | $55,730 |
Nebraska | $70,680 |
Nevada | $55,580 |
New Hampshire | $85,620 |
New Jersey | $90,750 |
New Mexico | $55,430 |
New York | $99,870 |
North Carolina | $66,640 |
North Dakota | $64,430 |
Ohio | $84,160 |
Oklahoma | $54,850 |
Oregon | $75,800 |
Pennsylvania | $80,740 |
Rhode Island | $83,080 |
South Carolina | $61,680 |
South Dakota | $64,020 |
Tennessee | $56,040 |
Texas | $71,520 |
Utah | $80,850 |
Washington | $67,430 |
West Virginia | $52,560 |
Wisconsin | $75,220 |
Wyoming | $61,490 |
Tools & Technologies Used by Art, Drama, and Music Professors
Although they’re not necessarily needed for all jobs, the following technologies are used by many Art, Drama, and Music Professors:
- Microsoft Excel
- Microsoft Word
- Microsoft Office
- Hypertext markup language HTML
- JavaScript
- Microsoft PowerPoint
- Microsoft Outlook
- Web browser software
- MySQL
- Data entry software
- Email software
- Word processing software
- Adobe Systems Adobe Acrobat
- Adobe Systems Adobe Photoshop
- Linux
- Google Docs
- Adobe Systems Adobe Illustrator
- Adobe Systems Adobe InDesign
- PHP: Hypertext Preprocessor
- Adobe Systems Adobe Dreamweaver
Becoming an Art, Drama, or Music Professor
Education needed to be an Art, Drama, or Music Professor:

How Long Does it Take to Become an Art, Drama, or Music Professor?

Art, Drama, and Music Professors Sector

The table below shows some of the most common industries where those employed in this career field work.

Other Jobs You May be Interested In
Those interested in being an Art, Drama, or Music Professor may also be interested in:
References:
Image Credit: Jorge Royan via Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 3.0 Unported
More about our data sources and methodologies.
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