 The Clarinet BBoard
|
Author: Kristen D.
Date: 2002-01-04 16:50
One of my future career goals includes becoming a professor at a university where I
would maintain the clarinet studio and teach a class or two. I am working on a
masters now and hopefully will get to a doctoral degree as well in the near future.
My question is what is the average income of a job like this... as compared to your
typical band directing job (starting $24, 000 to $30, 000 per year)? I have not
asked my current teacher, because I thought it would be uncomortable for her to tell
me her income. Thanks!
|
|
Reply To Message
|
|
Author: Jack Kissinger
Date: 2002-01-04 19:41
IMHO, this is a very important question for you to ask, Kristen.
I think William's numbers are fairly representative. Note that these are probably 9-month appointments and there may be an opportunity to earn additional money for summer teaching. That will vary from school to school, however. A couple of years ago, I saw position openings at two universities on the bulletin board at (what was then called) the St. Louis Symphony School of Music. One of the schools was the University of Kansas, the other was a Big 10 school (I think Minnesota but I'm not sure). Kansas had 2 positions, one requiring a Ph.D. and the other not. The position requiring the Ph.D. had a starting salary of $32,000. The other position involved running their electronic music lab among other responsibilities. Its posted starting salary was $28,000. The Big 10 position was in the $32 - $34,000 range.
The bitter reality is that there are many applicants for each position that comes available in virtually all the arts and sciences and non-academic positions for most of the applicants are scarce so the universities face a buyer's market. By way of comparison, some large Business Schools (comparable to those at Kansas and the Big 10) will be offering packages to brand new faculty just out of graduate school that total over $100,000. In fields such as business and law, the ratio of new faculty to new positions is much lower, often less than 1, and schools must also compete with private enterprise for services. Before you decide to sign up for business, however, realize that performance (in particular, publication) expectations in most Business Schools are MUCH higher than for Music Schools so, with the extra money, comes tremendous pressure.
On the bright side, however, in addition to the salaries, you can add 5% - 20% for fringe benefits. Most universities provide health care, disability and life insurance. Also most universities have some sort of retirement plan. At some schools, particularly state schools which participate in their state's retirement plan, this may not amount to much. (A representative formula might be:
Annual Pension = (1% or 2%)(Number of years service)(Average salary during your last or highest 5 years at the university)
The best plans (IMHO) are the ones where the university contributes a percentage of your salary each year to a designated retirement fund. Most schools in this category nowadays contribute at least 4%. Some contribute as much as 15%! (Indiana and Oklahoma both used to be in this category. I don't know whether they still are or not.)
Don't feel bad about asking your teacher for information about college compensation. She can probably give alot of information without disclosing her own salary. Tell her of your interest in a collegiate teaching position and ask her what the current market is for new faculty. She probably will have a good idea. (And most college faculty in just about any field are eager to recruit new members to their profession.) Also, if your school is in the market for a new faculty member, she can probably give you a ballpark figure for what they expect to spend. Chances are, if you are at a state school, her salary is public information, anyway. If you are at a state school, you can probably go to the library and ask the librarian where the faculty salary information is located. Most state school libraries don't advertise that they have this information (for obvious reasons -- there could be serious morale problems if a student or faculty member posted all the salaries for a department in a public place, like on a professor's door) but many do have a book somewhere in an obscure place with the faculty budget.
Now, some other questions you should ask your adviser:
What are normal teaching loads (number of classes and class size) for music faculty? You many find that you will be expected to teach more than "one or two classes" per year at many colleges and universities.
What are typical requirements for promotion and tenure in your field? Are you expected to give a certain number of performances each year? Are you expected to publish in scholarly journals? Or is simply developing a reputation as a good teacher enough? (Probably not.)
Finally, would you rather live in a world without musicians or a world without accountants?
(That last one's a rhetorical question! ;^) )
Happy new year,
jnk
|
|
Reply To Message
|
|
Author: lynn
Date: 2002-01-04 20:26
A class or two? LOL.....try class or two or three or........
Do NOT look at starting salaries. A university professor does not necessarily make any more to start than a public school teacher. State university systems generally pay worse than public schools or private universities. You need to look at the whole salary scale, plus what has happened to the teachers' benefits over the years. Some of the public schools in the more wealthy areas around here top out over $80K. The state university system? Hahahahaha.......
Lynn
|
|
Reply To Message
|
|
Author: GBK
Date: 2002-01-04 20:34
Some public schools in the suburbs of NYC (Long Island) now top out at close to $100,000 (MA +75 with 20years+)
Administrative salaries are at least 20 percent higher, than the top teacher salaries.
If you like working with students younger than college age, it is a very good career path to follow...GBK
|
|
Reply To Message
|
|
Author: GBK
Date: 2002-01-04 22:44
Many of us have done JUST FINE teaching public school music in the suburbs of New York (or any other major city)
Besides the school teaching, there is a large percentage of students who wish to study privately. There are also perfomance opportunities in community theater, weekend popular music gigs, weddings etc...
The benefit package and teacher retirement system is very strong. Tenure is routinely given to most teachers (some poor ones unfortunately slip through). No ridiculous pressure to publish worthless articles on rehashed topics. No worry that your salary is tied to rising college costs, etc...
Most of all (as trite as it sounds) there is great satisfaction in beginning a youngster on their way to enjoying the art of music.
Oh, I almost forgot...The joys (?) of home ownership...GBK
|
|
Reply To Message
|
|
Author: William
Date: 2002-01-04 23:43
FYI: In 1999, the year that I retired from my middle school teaching position of 34 yrs, with a MS + twenty four credits, I earned about ten thousand more dollars per year than the same tenured university professor in Williams report. And if I were still teaching in my old school, my salary would now be about five thousand more than that--with no ceiling. A teacher with a doctorate in my old public school system earned about two thousand more per year than I did. Lots of university prospective teachers have aspirations of teaching at the college level, but very few a really qualified and the jobs are scarce with many applicants "lined up at the door." Pursue your dream, but have an alternative plan "just in case." Good Clarineting!!!!!!!
|
|
Reply To Message
|
|
Author: Jim E.
Date: 2002-01-05 04:59
I would not recomend teaching as a path to riches, but as mentioned, in many areas, teacher salries have become very livable, and even decent. It is a definite path to working in music, and having a decent standard of living.
|
|
Reply To Message
|
|
Author: allencole
Date: 2002-01-05 07:12
Another thing to consider in the college arena is that not all positions for instrumental instructors are actual professorships--or even full-time positions at all. A clarinet instructor might receive an hourly rate for however many private students he/she teaches plus fairly stingy compensation for teaching 1-credit classes like instrumental ensembles or woodwind classes for Ed. majors. You would do well to make sure that you're equipped to teach classes like theory, history, or some other 3-credit subject that all the freshmen need.
A friend of mine recently quit an adjunct sax instructors position at a pricey private college because he was making better money per hour teaching at a local music store--and for very reasonable rates, I might add. He also taught a class from time to time, but found the compensation not worth his 25-mile commute.
My own college clarinet instructor had a strictly part time situation, with probably 10-15 private students, two ensembles to direct and at most one or two classes to teach. He turned initially to Amway for better financial security and ended up dropping his clarinet instructorship in favor of an administrative post. The college had this situation with 4-5 instructors in a row, although the current clarinet instructor has a 'real' professorship--albeit with much greater class responsibilities than just the clarinet studio.
This is not to say doom and gloom--but you should be aware that not all college teaching positions are full-time. But many part-time positions work out well in combination with a symphony seat.
|
|
Reply To Message
|
|
Author: GBK
Date: 2002-12-31 22:18
test
C<b>H</b>ARETTE
H<b>A</b>T
AL<b>P</b>HIE
STE<b>P</b>HANE
<b>Y</b>OURS TRULY (GBK)
JOH<b>N</b> MOSES
D<b>E</b>E
KEN SHA<b>W</b>
McAULA<b>Y</b>
DON B<b>E</b>RGER
WILLI<b>A</b>M
GO<b>R</b>DON (NZ)
...and from all of the others, THANKS, MARK!!
|
|
Reply To Message
|
|
Author: DavidBlumberg
Date: 2011-07-17 02:46
I saw this old thread - it's more like $35k up to $100K now, and even more.
If you're highly part time, then it could be pennies like the posters show, I'm talking about full time positions.
Could be as much as $125k I'd wager. A Temple University Composition Professor back in the late 90's was making $100k.
So it depends on your area. it's not all doom, and gloom.
http://www.SkypeClarinetLessons.com
|
|
Reply To Message
|
|
Author: Ed Palanker
Date: 2011-07-17 15:45
It so much depends on the university, the state, private or conservatory, where it is etc. Band directors in Md have varied starting salaries depending on which county, none as low as what you stated. My wife retired from teaching instrumental music in Baltimore City 6 years ago and topped out in the mid 60s but in some counties she would have been making much more, in others a bit less.
I taught in a Towson University in MD, retired in 01, as an assistant professor, I couldn't move up because I only had a bachelor degree, they hired me because of my BSO position but would not promote me beyond that. The department wanted to but there was resistance from some other academics, lot's of politics in state university's, private ones too of course. I earned in the mid 50s when I retired in 01, had I been a full professor at the time I probably would have made 20-30K more. It didn't really bother me since I had a full time position in the BSO and was already teaching part time at Peabody as well. Of course this is now ten years later so adjustments need to be considered.
Yes, it is true that there are now so many players with DMA degrees that it has become incredibly competitive to get a university job these days, especially as a studio teacher, there are millions, well maybe only hundreds applying for each position. ESP eddiesclarinet.com
|
|
Reply To Message
|
|
Author: DavidBlumberg
Date: 2011-07-17 17:39
A former student of mine who plays in the PA. Ballet replaced a long time University Professor who retired. At that time, there was a guy (Doctorate) who was also filling in, who had fully expected to get the gig, but they replaced him with my guy who had his Masters (so less $$ cost for the University).
They told him that if they needed at some point to have a Doctoral person doing the job, he would have the first chance to work on his Doctorate so he could keep the job.
Well, another faculty member they hired, also wanted his wife (who had her Doctorate from a Prestigious University) to work there as part of the deal, so my guy got screwed with the "well, we need to hire someone with a Doctorate...".
B*stards..... That school completely lost my respect - for both guys that they screwed, and both were just as great.
http://www.SkypeClarinetLessons.com
Post Edited (2011-07-17 17:47)
|
|
Reply To Message
|
|
Author: DavidBlumberg
Date: 2011-07-17 17:53
Btw - the Professor who retired was great. He built a wonderful program, which was then bounced around like a volleyball.
(the irony, is that his wife is a poster in this thread).
I taught the Sax Professor's Daughter - he retired a few years earlier. It's unfortunate that I have such bad feelings about that school, as their faculty is very good, but I value loyalty, and honor.
http://www.SkypeClarinetLessons.com
|
|
Reply To Message
|
|
Author: gsurosey
Date: 2011-07-18 02:52
How much is out there for teaching music in schools nowadays in terms of availability of positions? I know here in Rochester, teaching positions are being cut left and right. I don't think there are many music teachers left in the city school district here.
----------
Rachel
Clarinet Stash:
Bb/A: Buffet R13
Eb: Bundy
Bass: Royal Global Max
|
|
Reply To Message
|
|
Author: DavidBlumberg
Date: 2011-07-18 03:37
There really is the movement to cut down music dept. sizes, less pay, etc.
Some are getting cut entirely. There still are jobs, but due to the economy, not nearly as many, and the stability is also much less.
Last in, first out.....
http://www.SkypeClarinetLessons.com
|
|
Reply To Message
|
|
The Clarinet Pages
|
 |
.jpg){kind=small}
.jpg){kind=small}
.jpg){kind=small}
.jpg){kind=small}
.jpg){kind=small}
.jpg){kind=small}
