Posted by js on November 29, 2001 at 15:59:53:
In Reply to: Questions for HS band instructors posted by jared on November 28, 2001 at 18:29:09:
The "education" courses (even the "music ed" courses) at colleges and universities are no preparation whatsoever, as far as "real life" secondary school band directing is concerned.
I would almost recommend that you try to get a very low-paying one year job as an instructor's assistant (with a band director) to get a taste of what the job "really" entails. If you could do this at a middle school / high school all-in-one facility, all the better.
This is not b*ll s**t advice. (Well, at least I am TRYING to give you good advice.) MANY Music Ed. degreed personnel find out after only a year of band directing that they are not "cut out" to be a band director.
Perhaps you could do this "apprenticeship" when you graduate from high school and while you're taking private lessons from a great teacher, practicing HARD, and shopping colleges, universities, and scholarships. That last-semester-of-college student teaching is TOO LATE, because you've already invested 3-1/2 to 5 years in the degree program.
Tom Mason's answers were excellent.
The (starting) pay scale is higher in cities, but so are the housing prices and the taxes, so Tom is probably doing every bit as well - standard-of-living-wise, as someone who lives and works in "Any-big-town, U.S.A" for $40,000 - $45,000 (and far BETTER, for instance, than someone in Manhattan making $90,000. etc.)
Hey, if you become a band director, be a GOOD one (please!).