Art, Drama, and Music Teachers, Postsecondary: Career Profile
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.
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What Tasks Do Art, Drama, and Music Teachers, Postsecondary Take On?
The day-to-day responsibilities of art, drama, and music teachers, postsecondary include:
- Explain and demonstrate artistic techniques.
- Evaluate and grade students' class work, performances, projects, assignments, and papers.
- Prepare students for performances, exams, or assessments.
- Initiate, facilitate, and moderate classroom discussions.
- Prepare and deliver lectures to undergraduate or graduate students on topics such as acting techniques, fundamentals of music, and art history.
- Prepare course materials, such as syllabi, homework assignments, and handouts.
- Maintain student attendance records, grades, and other required records.
- Keep abreast of developments in the field by reading current literature, talking with colleagues, and participating in professional conferences.
Skills and Knowledge
Effective art, drama, and music teachers, postsecondary combine a mix of skills and domain knowledge.
Most Important Skills
These are the skills most central to this role, rated on an importance scale of 0 to 5:
Top Knowledge Areas
Other Art, Drama, and Music Teachers, Postsecondary Job Titles
This career also goes by job titles like:
- Adjunct Art Instructor
- Adjunct College Instructor
- Adjunct Graphic Design Instructor
- Adjunct Instructor
- Adjunct Lecturer
- Adjunct Music Instructor
- Adjunct Music Professor
- Adjunct Professor
Employment and Demand
There are roughly 984,143 art, drama, and music teachers, postsecondary working in the United States today. Employment is projected to grow by +9.1% over the projection horizon.
How Much Do Art, Drama, and Music Teachers, Postsecondary Make?
| Statistic | Value |
|---|---|
| Annual median | $46,983 |
| Hourly median | $22.59 |
| 10th percentile | $33,863 |
| 25th percentile | $40,423 |
| 75th percentile | $53,543 |
| 90th percentile | $60,103 |
Compensation varies based on experience, location, and industry.
Pay by State
| State | Annual median salary |
|---|---|
| Hawaii | $129,330 |
| New York | $110,000 |
| California | $105,980 |
| New Jersey | $99,110 |
| Rhode Island | $98,960 |
| Connecticut | $98,420 |
| Vermont | $86,570 |
| Massachusetts | $83,490 |
| New Hampshire | $83,100 |
| District of Columbia | $83,000 |
| Maine | $81,810 |
| Maryland | $81,530 |
| Pennsylvania | $81,250 |
| Alaska | $80,190 |
| Georgia | $79,240 |
| Puerto Rico | $79,060 |
| Missouri | $77,770 |
| Washington | $77,310 |
| Indiana | $76,790 |
| Michigan | $76,760 |
| Minnesota | $76,540 |
| Texas | $76,290 |
| Louisiana | $75,930 |
| Montana | $75,710 |
| Iowa | $75,600 |
| Oregon | $74,800 |
| Ohio | $73,050 |
| Arizona | $68,350 |
| Virginia | $67,950 |
| North Carolina | $67,220 |
| Nebraska | $67,180 |
| Illinois | $66,670 |
| North Dakota | $66,080 |
| Delaware | $65,120 |
| Tennessee | $65,000 |
| Florida | $64,840 |
| West Virginia | $64,810 |
| Alabama | $64,060 |
| New Mexico | $63,990 |
| Wisconsin | $63,650 |
| Arkansas | $63,620 |
| Kentucky | $63,540 |
| Utah | $63,500 |
| Colorado | $63,390 |
| Idaho | $63,290 |
| South Carolina | $63,290 |
| South Dakota | $61,970 |
| Mississippi | $61,670 |
| Oklahoma | $61,240 |
| Wyoming | $59,820 |
| Kansas | $58,910 |
| Nevada | $49,520 |
Where Art, Drama, and Music Teachers, Postsecondary Earn the Most
Compensation for art, drama, and music teachers, postsecondary vary by region. The following regions pay the most:
| Region | Median annual wage | Share of U.S. jobs | Location quotient |
|---|---|---|---|
| Middle Atlantic | $102,091 | 27.4% | 2.26 |
| Far Western US | $100,249 | 13.8% | 0.86 |
| New England | $86,105 | 8.3% | 2.07 |
| Other U.S. Territories | $79,060 | 0.1% | 0.16 |
| Southwest | $73,597 | 9.7% | 0.78 |
| Plains States | $72,860 | 5.2% | 0.76 |
| Great Lakes | $71,604 | 14.4% | 1.02 |
| Southeast | $67,435 | 17.7% | 0.76 |
Where the Jobs Cluster
| Metro area | State | Median annual wage | Employment |
|---|---|---|---|
| Riverside-San Bernardino-Ontario, CA | CA | $133,190 | 700 |
| Fresno, CA | CA | $131,450 | 150 |
| San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA | CA | $130,660 | 1,010 |
| Urban Honolulu, HI | HI | $129,330 | 560 |
| Ithaca, NY | NY | $127,430 | 1,120 |
| San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA | CA | $126,880 | 1,260 |
| Visalia, CA | CA | $126,680 | 40 |
| New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ | NY | $126,100 | 15,040 |
Top Industries Employing Art, Drama, and Music Teachers, Postsecondary
The largest employers of art, drama, and music teachers, postsecondary are concentrated in the following sectors:
| Industry | Employment | Median annual wage |
|---|---|---|
| Educational Services | 97,720 | n/a |
| Arts, Entertainment, and Recreation | 150 | n/a |
The table below shows some of the most common industries where those employed in this career field work.
Software Art, Drama, and Music Teachers, Postsecondary Use
- Document management software: Adobe Acrobat (hot technology)
- Video creation and editing software: Adobe After Effects (hot technology)
- Graphics or photo imaging software: Adobe Creative Cloud software (hot technology)
- Graphics or photo imaging software: Adobe Illustrator (hot technology)
- Desktop publishing software: Adobe InDesign (hot technology)
- Graphics or photo imaging software: Adobe Photoshop (hot technology)
- Web platform development software: Cascading style sheets CSS (hot technology)
- Word processing software: Google Docs (hot technology)
- Web platform development software: Hypertext markup language HTML (hot technology)
- Web platform development software: JavaScript (hot technology)
- Operating system software: Linux (hot technology)
- Spreadsheet software: Microsoft Excel (hot technology)
Work Environment
Daily working conditions for art, drama, and music teachers, postsecondary is shaped by the following characteristics:
- Contact With Others
- Indoors, Environmentally Controlled
- Freedom to Make Decisions
- Face-to-Face Discussions with Individuals and Within Teams
How to Become Art, Drama, and Music Teachers, Postsecondary
Typical art, drama, and music teachers, postsecondary positions require a doctoral or professional degree as the typical entry-level education. This occupation sits in Extensive Preparation Needed (Job Zone 5), reflecting the level of preparation typically expected.
Other Careers to Consider
Similar Occupations
- Architecture Teachers, Postsecondary (Primary-Short)
- Anthropology and Archeology Teachers, Postsecondary (Supplemental)
- Area, Ethnic, and Cultural Studies Teachers, Postsecondary (Primary-Short)
- Education Teachers, Postsecondary (Primary-Long)
- Library Science Teachers, Postsecondary (Supplemental)
- Communications Teachers, Postsecondary (Primary-Long)
- English Language and Literature Teachers, Postsecondary (Primary-Short)
- History Teachers, Postsecondary (Supplemental)
Where to Study
Students preparing for art, drama, and music teachers, postsecondary typically earn programs in:
Visual and Performing Arts
64 programs across 11 majors
- Fine & Studio Arts
- Design & Applied Arts
- Film, Video & Photographic Arts
- Drama & Theater Arts
- Music
- General Visual & Performing Arts
- Arts & Media Management
- Dance
- Other Visual Art
- Crafts, Folk Art & Artisanry
- Community/Environmental/Socially-Engaged Art
Education
3 programs across 1 majors
References
Data on this page comes from the following authoritative sources:
- U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics — Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS) for employment and wage data by state and industry.
- BLS Employment Projections for total employment and growth forecasts.
- O*NET (Occupational Information Network) for skills, knowledge, tasks, work activities, work context, technology, and education-zone data.
SOC code: 25-1121.00 (Art, Drama, and Music Teachers, Postsecondary).
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