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Music Pedagogy

Types of Degrees Music Pedagogy Majors Are Earning

Students pursuing Music Pedagogy have the option of earning degrees at several award levels.

Award Level	Graduates
Certificate	2
Bachelor’s Degree	104
Master’s Degree	188
Doctor’s Degree	91

What Music Pedagogy Majors Need to Know

Studies in Music Pedagogy emphasize a specific mix of knowledge, skills, and abilities — derived from O*NET surveys of workers in occupations that Music Pedagogy graduates commonly enter.

Knowledge Areas

According to O*NET, a major in Music Pedagogy emphasizes the following knowledge areas:

• Fine Arts — Importance 4.9 / 5; level 6.5 / 7.
• Education and Training — Importance 4.6 / 5; level 6.0 / 7.
• English Language — Importance 4.2 / 5; level 5.3 / 7.
• Communications and Media — Importance 3.5 / 5; level 4.2 / 7.
• Psychology — Importance 3.3 / 5; level 3.6 / 7.

^{Importance is rated 1–5; level is 1–7. Source: ONET Online — weighted across related occupations.*}

Skills

Skills developed in a Music Pedagogy program reflects the day-to-day work of related occupations:

• Speaking — Importance 4.6 / 5; level 4.7 / 7.
• Instructing — Importance 4.3 / 5; level 4.7 / 7.
• Learning Strategies — Importance 4.1 / 5; level 4.2 / 7.
• Active Listening — Importance 4.0 / 5; level 4.1 / 7.
• Reading Comprehension — Importance 4.0 / 5; level 4.5 / 7.

Abilities

The cognitive and physical abilities most relevant to Music Pedagogy careers — again drawn from O*NET surveys of related occupations:

• Oral Expression — Importance 4.2 / 5; level 4.9 / 7.
• Written Comprehension — Importance 4.1 / 5; level 4.9 / 7.
• Written Expression — Importance 4.1 / 5; level 4.7 / 7.
• Oral Comprehension — Importance 4.0 / 5; level 5.0 / 7.
• Speech Clarity — Importance 4.0 / 5; level 4.6 / 7.

Common Job Activities

Day-to-day, Music Pedagogy graduates report doing:

Activity	Frequency / Importance
Thinking Creatively	4.8 / 7
Communicating with Supervisors, Peers, or Subordinates	4.7 / 7
Training and Teaching Others	4.6 / 7
Establishing and Maintaining Interpersonal Relationships	4.4 / 7
Coaching and Developing Others	4.4 / 7
Making Decisions and Solving Problems	4.3 / 7
Organizing, Planning, and Prioritizing Work	4.2 / 7
Getting Information	4.0 / 7
Guiding, Directing, and Motivating Subordinates	4.0 / 7
Updating and Using Relevant Knowledge	3.9 / 7

Technology Skills Used on the Job

Most frequently-cited tools used by Music Pedagogy professionals:

Tool / Software	Category	In-Demand
Microsoft Office software	Office suite software	—
Email software	Electronic mail software	—
Microsoft Word	Word processing software	—
Web browser software	Internet browser software	—
Microsoft Excel	Spreadsheet software	—
DOC Cop	Information retrieval or search software	—
Learning management system LMS	Computer based training software	✓
MySQL	Data base management system software	—
PHP	Web platform development software	—
Komplete Kontrol	Music or sound editing software	—
Hypertext markup language HTML	Web platform development software	—
Pure Data PD	Music or sound editing software	—

^{Source: ONET Online technology skills, weighted across related occupations.*}

Sample Job Titles

Real job postings for Music Pedagogy graduates include:

• Assistant Professor
• Drama Teacher
• Woodshop Instructor
• Piano Professor
• Associate Professor
• Adjunct Art Instructor
• Visual Arts Instructor
• Art Instructor
• Adjunct College Instructor
• Music Theory Teacher
• Professor
• Music Professor
• Piano Teacher
• Dancing Teacher
• Ballet Teacher

Education Typically Required

Across the occupations open to Music Pedagogy graduates, the typical level of education actually held by current workers is distributed as:

Education Level	Share of Workers
Master’s degree	49.3%
Doctoral degree	30.8%
Bachelor’s degree	14.5%
Post-master’s certificate	1.5%
Associate’s degree (or other 2-year)	1.4%
Less than a high school diploma	0.8%
Post-baccalaureate certificate	0.7%
High school diploma or equivalent	0.5%
Some college courses	0.3%
Post-doctoral training	0.1%

^{Source: ONET Online education / training / experience requirements.*}

Who Is Earning a Degree in Music Pedagogy?

Gender Distribution

This field has a relatively balanced gender distribution: 59.5% women and 40.5% men among Music Pedagogy graduates.

Gender	Graduates	Share
Women	229	59.5%
Men	156	40.5%

Racial-Ethnic Diversity

At the national level, the racial-ethnic distribution of Music Pedagogy graduates is as follows:

Race / Ethnicity	Graduates	Share
White	266	69.1%
Asian	12	3.1%
Hispanic or Latino	14	3.6%
Black or African American	17	4.4%
American Indian / Alaska Native	1	0.3%
Two or More Races	12	3.1%
Race Unknown	24	6.2%
International Students	39	10.1%

^{See minority definition below.}

How Much Do Music Pedagogy Graduates Earn?

Federal data tracks median earnings of Music Pedagogy graduates 1, 4, and 5 years after completion. Wages typically rise steadily as graduates gain experience and move into mid-career roles.

Years Out	Median Earnings
1 year	$29,248
4 years	$35,586
5 years	$40,828

By year 5 out, median earnings rise to $40,828 — roughly 40% above the 1-year mark.

^{Source: U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard, field-of-study earnings tracker.}

Online Music Pedagogy Programs

Online study is tracked by IPEDS for Music Pedagogy. The table below shows how many graduates earned at least some of their coursework online (Distance-Ed Available) versus completing the entire program online (Distance-Ed Only).

Award Level	Distance-Ed Available	Distance-Ed Only
Master’s	5	2
Doctoral (Research)	1	0

^{Distance-Ed Only = degrees completed entirely online; Distance-Ed Available = degrees including at least some online coursework. Source: IPEDS Completions by Distance Education status.}

Is a Degree in Music Pedagogy Worth It?

Looking purely at the federal earnings tracker, Music Pedagogy graduates earn a median of $35,586 four years after completion — about 6% below the national median for workers with only a high school diploma (~$38,000). On earnings alone, this program does not show an income premium over the baseline; non-financial outcomes (career interests, certification requirements, advancement potential) are typically the stronger argument for fields in this range.

^{ROI estimate compares the program’s 4-yr median earnings against the 2023 BLS CPS median earnings for high-school-only workers. Source: U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard + BLS Current Population Survey.}

Related Programs

You may also be interested in these closely related fields of study:

Program	CIP Code
Music	50.09
Brass Instruments	50.0914
Conducting	50.0906
Jazz/Jazz Studies	50.0910
Keyboard Instruments	50.0907
Music History, Literature, and Theory	50.0902
Music Performance, General	50.0903
Music Technology	50.0913
Music Theory and Composition	50.0904
Music, General	50.0901
Music, Other	50.0999
Musicology and Ethnomusicology	50.0905

References

The racial-ethnic minorities count is calculated by taking the total number of students and subtracting white students and international students. This number is then divided by the total number of students to obtain the racial-ethnic minorities percentage.

• College Factual
• National Center for Education Statistics (IPEDS)
• O*NET Online
• U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics
• U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard

More about our data sources and methodologies.