I went back to school in my 50's to change from teaching music at the University level to teaching music in public schools K-12. I wanted to leave the "sabatical replacement/1-2 year appointment track," and find something more stable and better paying. I did.
I must say that in my life, I have either taught (or taken) darned near every music course offered by a typical large university music department. A lot of the stuff I took toward certification was worthwhile, some not so much.
After getting the requisite courses done on top of my 3 music degrees, (BA, MA, and DMA), I was hired and taught for 3 years before relocating at the beginning of the current recession. I am not now teaching—just gigging as jobs are scarce—and consider myself basically retired at age 60.
Teaching music in public school is worthwhile, and pays better than Academia (really). It far is more work than anything else I have ever done. This includes writing UNIX software on Wall Street for floor traders on the NYSE, teaching programming at Bell Labs, and teaching theory and other music topics at Columbia, Stanford, and San Francisco State—not to mention being a cabbie, truck driver, textile mill worker, circuit board assembler, and sanitation worker.
I taught music to kids K-4, violin for 3rd and 4th graders, and Rock Lab—an after school rock band class for middle school and high school kids.
I loved the kids, though it could be challenging. The parents were supportive and helpful. I found that my biggest frustration was my colleagues. They were generally all burned out, unable to understand what I was doing, and viewed music classes as their break time. In effect, they felt that if my work did not raise standardized test scores, it probably didn't matter much.
Sometimes people ask me about the differences between teaching little kids and college kids. There are a lot of obvious differences, but the cognitive work of hearing, understanding, moving to, and articulating music in a group or individually is unchanging for all ages.
I have a few questions/comments:
Do you sing well—meaning you can match pitch expertly, and can you read or at least echo back a vocal melody 100% accurately.
Do you read well? Really well? Your classmates will kick your behinder if you don't—meaning they will sail past you in an eye-blink.
Do you play piano well-enough to handle basic music at sight? Do you play guitar? I found both indispensable, not just as a teacher, but as a student, too.
What would be your major instrument? Please don't say bass guitar. I love bass, I live bass, but IMHO you need experience playing in an orchestra, chorus, or wind ensemble—though Jazz Band might do it, if you are really reading every note in your part except solos, and have a very skilled director.
Where are you going to go to school and what branch(es) of Music Ed. interest you?
Are you prepared for the demands of getting a degree and getting certified? IMHO, your age is not a factor, except the girls will think you are cool.
