I’m wanting to know what classes should i take in order to become a High school band director?
January 11th, 2010 | by admin |I am a sophomore in high school and band has been very important to me. i love playing my music and learning different pieces and teaching my fellow French Horn players their parts. i am currently sitting in first chair as well. I really don’t know what kind of classes i need to take in high school or in college. it would be awesome if someone could help me out. thanks
Nothing in high school is really going to help you. When you get to college you will have to get your Bachelors of Science in Music Education, which is a teaching degree as you will have to be a licensed teacher to do this. To respond to the first answer you cannot have a Music major and an education minor. You can have a separate concentration that is a teaching certification, but it is around two years of work and is not a minor, a minor does not lead to a certification. You cannot become a teacher with a minor in education, unless you instead get a Music Bachelors and a Masters in Education. This is a good option as you will be paid more.
Take classes that you are bad at. To become a k-12 teacher you will have to pass the CBASE and the Praxis, or a variance of those tests. Not totally sure about the Praxis but there is a reading section, writing, science, and math, so keep your skills up in those areas. Learn other instruments now is my advise to you. You will have to take methods classes, strings, brass, woodwinds, percussion, and you’ll have a couple of semesters of keyboard, so I advise you to dabble in these now, it will help you out later. This is a Music degree and an education degree, so you’ll have theory, conducting, composition, etc and then a load of education classes. My ex-husband was working toward this, if there is anything else you would like to know I am happy to help!
2 Responses to “I’m wanting to know what classes should i take in order to become a High school band director?”
By Alexis H on Jan 11, 2010 | Reply
From what I saw in my high school band instructors, your first focus should definitely be music; I would start in college by going for a Major in Music and a Minor in Education. If nothing else, talk to your band instructor and find out what he/she did and if they have any advice, I guarantee they’ll be thrilled that you’ve chosen this path and they’ll want to help you in any way they can.
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By Amber Marie on Jan 11, 2010 | Reply
Nothing in high school is really going to help you. When you get to college you will have to get your Bachelors of Science in Music Education, which is a teaching degree as you will have to be a licensed teacher to do this. To respond to the first answer you cannot have a Music major and an education minor. You can have a separate concentration that is a teaching certification, but it is around two years of work and is not a minor, a minor does not lead to a certification. You cannot become a teacher with a minor in education, unless you instead get a Music Bachelors and a Masters in Education. This is a good option as you will be paid more.
Take classes that you are bad at. To become a k-12 teacher you will have to pass the CBASE and the Praxis, or a variance of those tests. Not totally sure about the Praxis but there is a reading section, writing, science, and math, so keep your skills up in those areas. Learn other instruments now is my advise to you. You will have to take methods classes, strings, brass, woodwinds, percussion, and you’ll have a couple of semesters of keyboard, so I advise you to dabble in these now, it will help you out later. This is a Music degree and an education degree, so you’ll have theory, conducting, composition, etc and then a load of education classes. My ex-husband was working toward this, if there is anything else you would like to know I am happy to help!
References :