Featured Guest Writer is: Dan Johnson is a graduate teaching assistant and doctoral student at the University of Arizona. He has had over ten years of experience teaching music in public, private, and community-based schools. He has taught music education courses, applied lessons, and education seminars as an Adjunct professor at Keene State College and Franklin Pierce College. He has also taught Kindermusik® and other pre-school music programs. His stage experience includes productions with the Vermont Theater Company and directing numerous student musicals. A multi-instrumentalist, he teaches and performs on over two dozen instruments. As a composer, he has written several vocal and instrumental pieces, some of which can be heard on the CD recording A Season of Songs (2001) featuring the students of New Boston Central School where he was the music specialist for several years.

Teacher Certification: Is it for you?

Certification: Why and Why not?... the Pros and Cons... and the Rewards and Costs!

Earning your public school certification can be a worthwhile experience. Certification offers a degree of flexibility, respect among other educators and a definite advantage when applying for public school positions. Certification can also offer financial, personal, and professional rewards. The certification process, though, is not without its challenges. In the following article, consider this balance, as I recount my own certification process and its rewarding outcome.

As a performer and private teacher in the Boston, Massachusetts area, I decided to take a few courses in the education department while earning my diploma from the New England Conservatory. As I learned more about educational theory and teaching methods, I was not exactly sure that public school music was for me. Even though, the term is “certified,” I once thought you had to be “certifiable” to take some of the public school jobs I saw. The horrendous schedules, immense number of students, and unreasonable performance demands all seemed too much for me!

I chose to devote my energies to performing as much as possible while teaching privately. I was doing well as a performer and private teacher, but was looking for more stability and security. As it turned out, I took a position as the brass teacher and assistant administrator in a new Community Music School in Vermont. During my three years at Community Music of New England, I expanded my knowledge in order to teach several other instruments and take over the Kindermusik® studio. It was during this time that I also taught classroom music for a number of private schools. Although I was teaching in the same capacity as a certified teacher, I did not have many of the benefits that went along with certification.

After teaching with no benefits and a minimal salary for three years, I reconsidered public school certification. Since I had already earned a college degree, I considered entering the post-baccalaureate certification program at Keene State College. An on-line example of once, such program may be found at:

http://www.soe.uwm.edu/pages/welcome/Certification_and_Degrees

During my first meeting with the program’s coordinator, he heard me play tuba, (my main instrument), and looked over my résumé. He not only accepted me into the certification program, but also offered me a job as the college’s tuba instructor! What a windfall!

It took me one semester to complete the course-work I was lacking, and then only one more semester of student teaching before I became a Certified K-12 Music Teacher! I now hold several positions teaching music at all levels, pre-K through college. I enjoy the benefits of a full-time teacher while concentrating on the subject I love most, making music.

Some important benefits of public school certification are: benefits, salary, and security. These may not be much to brag about when compared to the world of business people, but they definitely are benefits over many private teaching studios. Instead of spending my time and money on personal insurance, renting teaching space, and constantly calling students about their lesson schedules, I now have more private students than I can teach.

On the other hand, the pitfalls of becoming certified are: specific requirements that vary by state, a somewhat inflexible schedule, and time-consuming public school tasks. If it has been some time since you studied at college, you may need to take several undergraduate courses to comply with the state-determined guidelines.

Completing such a program can be a tedious process. Also, hurdles like instrument proficiencies, history and theory competencies can challenge even the most veteran performers.

One of the dangers of becoming certified is a loss of personal performance. Just by the sheer time and tasks of a full-time school position, your practice time may be limited. It is this, more than any other factor, that has motivated me to practice! It is, in fact, both the trap for an accomplished player to lose his/her “chops,” and an incentive for him/her to keep practicing.