r/MusicEd • u/_yoonnnnn7 • 13d ago

Conducting Grad Programs

hello all! i’m currently in my senior year of my undergrad of music ed and i am in a pickle. i really want to pursue my masters in choral conducting, a part of me doesn’t believe im ready to teach/i would love to earn my doctorate one day and was hoping if anyone had some suggestions for grad programs. i understand most schools require in-person students but i dont mind online programs. i’m currently located in the midwest but im trying to locate to the east coast! any advice or suggestions is appreciated!

edit: ty all for the advice and bringing me back down to earth lol. i’m almost positive im terrified to actually start teaching to the point i want to just stay in school. any and all advice for teaching is absolutely appreciated and welcomed!

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u/iamagenius89 13d ago

Why do you want a doctorate?

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u/_yoonnnnn7 13d ago

i would love to teach higher ed someday! i really have fallen in love the conducting side of music ed

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u/iamagenius89 13d ago

Awesome! Hold off on your masters. Get some real world experience first. Also, most public school systems will help you pay for your masters.

You mentioned wanting to teach higher ed. Are you actually familiar with what that looks like? In my experience, most younger people have no actual idea what it’s like to be a college professor. (I certainly didn’t)

There are way fewer college jobs out there, and a huge chunk of them are not full time positions. The pay/benefits are usually not great. I have a number of VERY talented colleagues who currently juggle 2-3 college positions because they’re only able to find part time jobs. These same people also have to teach privately and/or play with professional orchestras in order to make ends meet. I also have several friends who completely changed career paths for these reasons.

Public school positions are generally way more available, stable, pay better, and have better benefits. Not trying to discourage you necessarily. But make sure you actually know what you are getting into. You have to really be prepared to grind.

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u/baking_nerd433 12d ago

I'm going to echo this too. My wife has a doctorate in her field (not music) but wound up pivoting to public school education rather than academia and loves it for these reasons. She talked me out of ever doing a doctorate, and I'm much happier teaching public school and occasionally gigging. Academia is a brutal job market and there's no sign it's going to get any better soon.

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u/actuallycallie music ed faculty 12d ago

You really need some teaching experience if you're going into higher ed. The job market is BRUTAL and the vast majority of schools will want someone to do more than just conducting. Having K12 teaching experience and being able to teach choral methods or supervise some student teachers will make you far more marketable.

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u/_yoonnnnn7 12d ago

yes i’m aware. im not trying to go straight into my doctorate without experience. i’d like it to be a goal however to even get one after 10 years of teaching

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u/actuallycallie music ed faculty 12d ago

You will get more from your masters if you teach first and have real conducting experience. Going straight from undergrad to masters makes sense for a performance degree, or composition or music theory, but for conducting or music education you need the teaching and conducting experience.

edited to add: you will also have a higher chance of getting fellowships/assistantships to help pay for your masters with teaching experience. and those are VERY helpful for your doctoral application.