Career Pathways in Music (Student-Centered)
Subject Area: Music
Grade Level: High School
Duration: 40 – 50 minutes
Objective: Students lead the exploration of various music careers, focusing on paths less discussed like music licensing, music therapy, and sound design.
Materials:
- Internet access
- Guest speaker (optional) Could be local music retailer or other NAMM member from the community
- Digital collaboration tools like Padlet or Google Classroom for Q&A
Lesson Outline:
- Student Presentations
- Students choose a unique music career and prepare a brief presentation using information from the following websites. Careers in Music – A comprehensive guide to various music careers, detailing job descriptions, required skills, and educational paths. Careers in Music website Grammy in the Schools – Provides information on music careers and educational resources, including interviews with professionals across different fields. Grammy in the Schools website NAMM Foundation – Careers in Music – Offers resources and articles about a wide range of careers within the music industry. NAMM Careers in Music website
- Encourage them to include job duties, required education, and potential challenges.
- Guest Speaker or Panel Discussion
- Invite a professional from a non-traditional music career to speak about their experiences.
- Prepare a brief biography of the speaker to introduce them to the class.
- Interactive Q&A Session
- Students prepare questions beforehand to ask during the guest visit or to post on a digital discussion board.
- Reflection and Planning
- Facilitate a session where students discuss how non-traditional careers might fit into their personal goals.
- Exit Ticket:
- Students write about one new thing they learned and how it might affect their career choices.