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Double Bass anybody a public school teacher?

basspirate777

basspirate777

Mar 21, 2009
116
19
Latrobe, Pa
www.soundcloud.com
#1
Hey folks. About to go back to school to finish my degree. Finally. Really considering a mus ed program. I love teaching, but was wondering....do those of you who teach find the job complimentary to being a dedicated instrumentalist?

I am a dedicated eb player of 20 years/db for 5 but am focusing on db during school and hope to play jazz gigs/get into a regional orchestra/compose after graduation (besides being an excellent educator!).
 
#2
Yep, I am. And I'm similar to you - I love teach but I love to play. I did my bachelor's in music ed and masters in performance. If you want to maintain your playing career, teach elementary or middle school as those will give MUCH MORE free time than teaching high school. Being a high school teacher involves a lot of after school time for musicals, field trips, clubs, etc. My job is mainly middle school with 2 days of elementary. It's awesome and I have time to practice and play.

Let me know any questions!!
 
#3
I have been teaching public school music for fifteen years, as well as staying busy with private teaching, gigging, and keeping up a practice routine. I can tell you it is a challenge to keep practice and gigs together while working to be an effective teacher, and sometimes I have to either pass on gigs or put off practicing/studying for a while. If you can achieve a good balance it can be a great life.
 
#4
I have my teaching certificate and I use it by being a substitute teacher to supplement my music career. I have been doing this for the past 15 years and done a few full or half-time, long-term occasional assignments, as well.

I am often called by music teachers who need a day off and the non-music days are a nice change from the music-music-music-music lifestyle.

The pro's are: 1) The money is pretty good for the amount of work I do. And there are no lesson plans or marking to do. 2) It contributes towards a pension for me and my wife. 3) There is lots of variety - everything from kindergarten phys ed to grade 12 remedial math. It is usually music to the elementary kids though. 4) I often take my bass to practice during lunch and prep periods. If I have an audition coming up or the music teacher has just left a video, I do my bass dog-and-pony show which often contains excerpts from the audition list. Mwa, ha, ha, ha. 5) I can work as much as the phone rings. 6) Kids often say hi to me on the street because they had so much fun during my music class. 7) Most importantly, I can take the time off to gig whenever I want.

The con's: 1) The pay is a real roller coaster of feast and famine if I don't plan properly. 2) There is no income during the summer. 3) Practicing is more difficult when doing the full-time assignments and I have had to turn down gigs due to conflicts. 4) There is no real sense of owning and creating a teaching program. 5) I often have no idea what I am doing or what city I am in the next day so life planning is dificult. 6) At times, the kids (especially grade 8's) can be verbally abusive (just like that video of the bus monitor that was posted on youtube.) and it can often take a few days to recover. (To which a principal will say, "They are never like this when the regular teacher is here so it must be your bad classroom management.") And you never know if it's going to be a fun day or a tragic day.
 
#5
I have been teaching high school music since 2005 and I find it a challenging yet equally rewarding career. It is more a vocation than just a job. You have to be willing to dedicate a lot of time and make many personal sacrifices in order to maintain a successful program. In the end, it is really worth it. Good luck to you.
 

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