Schools with Online Music Degrees
With a degree in music, you can teach or begin a career in the performing arts. Your degree gives you additional credibility to compose your music or work with other artists. The majority frequently requires a bachelor’s degree in business. A master’s degree puts you on an entirely different level in terms of your understanding of music and income potential.
Below is the list of some of the top educational institutions offering degrees in music.
Liberty University
If your spirit was ever lifted gospel music, you might want to contact Liberty University, which offers a Master of Arts in Worship/Ethnomusicology. Their focus on Jesus Christ is at the heart of their teaching curriculum. Graduates move on to work as musicians who often work with a Church.
Full Sail University
Are you looking to enter the challenging world of the music business? Full Sail University may be just what you needed. They offer BS in Music Business and BS in Music Production. Learning business fundamentals, including marketing, artist, and intellectual property management, is part of their curriculum, including publishing and distribution.
Kent State University
Do you love to share what you know? That makes you a teacher. Kent State University could be your ticket with a Master of Music in Music Education. They provide a comprehensive online program to help you learn how to teach others. Your future students could be interested in choral, instrumental, and general music. These are K-12′ ers.
Boston University
If you love the prestige of a university that is known worldwide, Boston University could be your next stop. Since 1872, the Boston University School of Music has helped incredible talent to flower into disciplined and musically productive professionals.
Minnesota State University
You may love to be part of the music industry but not necessarily have the time or inclination for an extended four-year study. A Certificate in Music from Minnesota State University could be just what the Doctor ordered.
The Minnesota State University Certificate gives you a comprehensive education in the music industry’s business side. You learn to develop your entrepreneurial skills and the laws related to contracts and music publishing.
Online Education Degrees
As more prestigious higher education institutions join the world of the Internet and provide degrees online, the credibility of an online education degree gradually increases.
An online music degree is becoming an attractive alternative for those who love music and want to develop a career around it and teach it. This is a way to convert your self-learner style to a formal degree that could open more doors. There are several types of online music education degrees.
Songwriting
If you ever had a song in your heart tugging at you to be released on paper, you are a songwriter. You may need a way to learn to bring that song on paper. A songwriting degree could help you with lyrics and composition. Creativity is never effortless, and applying a disciplined structure is even more challenging. Don’t expect easy-going fluidity. These classes are challenging.
You begin with the basics, including music theory. So if you don’t have any background in music, an education degree in songwriting still might work for you.
Music Education Degree
With a music education degree, you typically teach music in some capacity. Depending on the level of degree, this is dictates what grade level of music you’ll be able to teach. Music educators for elementary through high school only require a bachelor of arts in music education to qualify for teaching jobs. In addition to a music education degree, you must have been certified to teach in your respective state.
Music History Degree
This allows you to teach music or pursue a higher degree. Music history is often studied along with music theory, though the two are not mutually exclusive. Music history teaches the history of music, typically focusing on major movements and how politics and culture influenced the music of the times. One may also pursue a career in writing with a music history degree, either commentating or observing musical genres, artists or reviewing albums.
Music Therapy Degree
A music therapy degree allows you to work on music and how it helps heal people and cope with their problems. Though this is a difficult field to get started in, it is an industry that’s set to grow in the coming decades. Nearly all forms of art therapy are on the rise. There are opportunities to pursue a bachelor’s, master or doctorate in music therapy. Many with a music therapy degree become licensed in their state to practice this therapy with patients. Music aiding mental illness dates back to the 17th century and is now works in conjunction with traditional mental health therapy.
Music Production Degree
This degree revolves around bringing music to the production. This is a behind-the-scenes job that producers or sound mixers may take to pursue a job that involves working in a music studio. This is now this is a technology-driven degree and field and will stay that way. There are many music computer programs to learn when producing music of any sort and a music production degree shows you the ropes of those programs and how to bring ideas and sounds to fruition.
Career Options for Online Music Degree
Music teacher
Many students with an online music degree go on to be music teachers. Music teachers are on a decline as budget cuts often force public schools to do away with music programs. In California, music teachers have declined by 28% in the past few years. Unlike other teaching jobs, music teachers are often hired by a school and stay on board for decades, which means there aren’t the same job opportunities as general educators.
Private music tutor
This can be a great job if you reside in an affluent area or are willing to travel for students. Music educators with a piano, guitar, violin, or cello background can often make living tutoring students privately. While prices vary by city, many parents in the suburbs are willing to spend top dollar for their child to receive private music instruction.
Record producer
You may not end up creating Jay-Z’s latest hit, but record producers are still able to find work. Most record producers work on a contract basis for a project. Even local or up-and-coming artists have to hire a producer to help cultivate their signature sound. Networking and creating your opportunities are key to breaking into this job.
Music teacher with a company
Instead of running your private music lessons out of your home or office space, some music teachers are employed by a company that provides such services. This means you get a steady paycheck and do not deal with the marketing or networking to gain new students. You show up at work as anyone else does and teach music in a one-on-one lesson or small group class.
Part-time band member
If you play an instrument, you may be able to work at a church or with a small band that entertains at events. This is almost always a part-time gig and may require a day job to pay the bills. Some artists do not work with a whole band, so if you network or already work in the music industry, you may be able to gain a long-term, full-time gig playing an instrument. This may involve working in a studio or touring with an artist.