Teaching/music trends

[rs2sensen]

Next year I will have graduated high school and be attending college, where I intend to double major in saxophone performance and education (should be a ton of work, but worth it). I'm just curious if two trends we're seeing in the United States are also evident over-seas.

Teacher pay across the country is relatively low compared to many other jobs. Often, garbage men with no college degree make more than teachers. Now, certainly, teachers do get the summers off here, and there are many benefits they have achieved through Unions, but overall, salaries are still fairly low in comparison. This is also often seen at the University level, specifically with music professors. Colleges have to pay law professors large amounts, because they could make a large amount on their own. Music doesn't pay nearly as well, so the salaries are lower.

Also,
Many music programs are floundering. The number of music programs, as well as the level of enrollment in music, is on the decline. School administrations often don't see much value in music, and have increased educational requirements in the core class areas (english, science, math, history), often making it difficult for students to participate in music. This is coupled with the age old problem of many schools giving more credence towards athletic programs rather than music. Music programs are often the first to receive major budget cuts. Many schools around me have cut the number of music competitions they go to this year in half, due to budget cuts. Although in some cases music remains strong, there is no doubt that overall it is decline.

Just curious if you've been seeing these things abroad too, or if any other trends are evident.

 

[rs2sensen]

bumpity-bump

 

[pauloalto]

Hi

I'm the IT manager(not a teacher) at a secondary school (ages 11-16) in England

Teacher pay over here is fairly good. A newly qualified teacher starts on just under the national average salary and this increases yearly, so within a few years they are on 1.5 times the average. After this subject to performance they move above the threshold and it starts increasing again up to more than double the average. If they have any kind of responsibility they get extra allowances on top their salary.

Teachers who are about to retire over here are generally earning quite a lot of money and as far as I know are going to be well looked after by their pension scheme.

I don't know if it is a trend but I have noticed over here that most people I know who learn an instrument learn the guitar and a lot of music shops should probably be called guitar shops. I have had some funny looks asking the staff if they sell reeds! There are however some great music shops if you know where to find them.

Paul

 

[Pete Thomas]

It is the same here in the UK.

I had a half time post as lecturer at Southampton University here for a couple of years. I was earning a lot more the other half of the week from writing music, so basically I thought of the teaching as something to do because I enjoyed teaching, definitely NOT for the money.

 

[yts_23jazzy]

YEAH! I'm a freshman in high school and play the tenor saxophone. I have noticed that my teacher is starting to decline on music trips but we should have them back up and running because, this year, our band boosters are being unusually successful!
My goal is to become a College jazz band/ wind ensemble director. What can anyone tell me about the future I am seeking?
Thanks guys,
gotta go (it's 6am over here)

 

[rs2sensen]

YTS,
Here's what I would do for now, it's essentially what I'm also doing to prepare, but I wish I would have done it much much earlier.

Practice Major and Minor Scales, full range. Try to get them to eighth note=120.

Build up a repertoire of well known saxophone work. Much of the advanced stuff is quite hard, so you'll have to build up to it. Do begin work on at least one piece which is considered to be a true classical standard. By the time you get to college audition time, you won't have to worry in the slightest.

Even if you are going into Jazz, chances are very good they you will have to know classical playing. Listen to as much of it as possible, and play it. If you have a college near you there is a good chance they have a music library where you can check out/make copies of sheet music and listen to classical sax CDs.

Get lessons if you aren't taking them already. Check out the local colleges for recommendations, or take lessons with a professor if possible.

Don't expect that you will be a college director right away. First, you have to earn your wings. This will often mean working at the K-12 education level for at least a while, as well as establishing a very high level of performance.

You would be wise to double-major in education and performance.

Watch for music events (competitions, seminars, master-classes) etc. in your state. I was just at a tremendous seminar for future music majors a couple months ago.

 

[tengu01]

Unfortunately, I can concur that music is on the decline in schools. In my old secondary school, whereas once there was a whole cupboard of instruments and teachers who would come along to give lessons, the amount of time given to arts in general (including music) is definately on the decline. The teachers dried up, the amount of money for music and art related stuff shrank.

Additionally, loads of brass/woodwind shops are shutting down. The place I got my first sax (Bill Lewington's in Shaftsbury Avenue) is now a FOPP music store. There used to be a Woodwind shop in kentish town called Pro-Brass who helped me extract a marble I had dropped down the bell of my trumpet

....and straighten out the bell after I banged it on the floor repeatedly, trying to get it out.

But they're gone now as well. Just not enough trumpet, sax, tuba, trombone, flute and wood/brasswind instrument players to keep them in business.

Additionally, I am sure it is getting harder to compete with eBay or bigger outlets with strong internet presence e.g. Don Mackrills, saxophones.co.uk and Howarths.

Any other thoughts?

 

[Simon]

Yep fully agree. As an ex-music teacher in schools ('ex' as in low reward, need to make $$$), sport and the general lack of interest in pursuing music as a career is turning many students to view sax playing as a fun hobby.
Seriously, if you were looking at taking out a loan to fund your way through a college degree as a young 18/20 yr old in the UK, you'd need some pretty compelling reason why you would opt for a performance major in sax and not a finance or IT qualification.
Case in point - Andy Snitzer, stock broker on Wall Street.

Simon

tengu01 wrote:
Unfortunately, I can concur that music is on the decline in schools. In my old secondary school, whereas once there was a whole cupboard of instruments and teachers who would come along to give lessons, the amount of time given to arts in general (including music) is definately on the decline. The teachers dried up, the amount of money for music and art related stuff shrank.

Additionally, loads of brass/woodwind shops are shutting down. The place I got my first sax (Bill Lewington's in Shaftsbury Avenue) is now a FOPP music store. There used to be a Woodwind shop in kentish town called Pro-Brass who helped me extract a marble I had dropped down the bell of my trumpet

....and straighten out the bell after I banged it on the floor repeatedly, trying to get it out.

But they're gone now as well. Just not enough trumpet, sax, tuba, trombone, flute and wood/brasswind instrument players to keep them in business.

Additionally, I am sure it is getting harder to compete with eBay or bigger outlets with strong internet presence e.g. Don Mackrills, saxophones.co.uk and Howarths.

Any other thoughts?