Music Teacher Resume: How-To Guide With Template and Example

Updated December 6, 2022

Published August 18, 2021

Jamie Birt is a career coach with 5+ years of experience helping job seekers navigate the job search through one-to-one coaching, webinars and events. She’s motivated by the mission to help people find fulfillment and belonging in their careers.

Many employers search for music teachers with a passion for educating students on music theory and history. You can showcase this background and expertise on a well-written and properly formatted resume. Understanding how to write an effective resume can help it attract the hiring manager's attention and increase your chances of receiving your ideal position.

In this article, we review what a music teacher does, explore how to write a music teacher resume and share a template and example for your reference.

What does a music teacher do?

A music teacher is an educator who instructs students on how to sing, play instruments, read musical notes or understand music theory. Most music teachers work in elementary, middle or high schools with classes of children. Others might teach in students' homes, music shops or community centers. Some may specialize in a certain area of music, like playing certain instruments or singing, while others can typically teach a wide variety of musical areas. Common job duties a music teacher a might hold can include:

Teaching students about the traditional practices and theories of music
Offering instruction to courses with large classes of students, like bands, choirs or orchestras
Conducting rehearsals to prepare students for concerts, recitals or musicals
Testing students on their knowledge of music notes, theory or history
Assigning music-related homework assignments to students
Meeting with parents to discuss the students' performances and sharing progress reports
Assigning grades to students according to their performances, assignment progress and exam results

Related: How To Become a Music Teacher

How to write a music teacher resume

Follow these steps to write a strong music teacher resume:

1. Start with your contact information

In the top left corner of your resume, include your contact information. You can list your first and last name, city and state, phone number and email address on separate lines. Consider making your name easier for the hiring manager to locate by featuring it in a larger font size. Placing your contact information in this area makes it simple for the employer to find if they want to ask you for an interview or request additional materials.

2. Write your summary statement

The top, middle section of your resume can feature a summary statement outlining your experience and accomplishments. Your summary statement is a brief, one- to two-sentence statement that explains your job history, skills and any other qualifications that relate to the role. Try to use this statement to pose yourself as the ideal candidate for the role by mentioning how your previous accomplishments or duties contributed to the company's success.

3. List your job duties

In a separate work experience section, include details about your background and the job duties you've completed. List the name of the role you held, title of the company that you worked for, the dates of employment and any responsibilities or accomplishments you completed in that role. Under this section, use three to five bullet points to list each achievement or responsibility you accomplished. Start each bullet point with an action verb to make these responsibilities more active and engaging for the employer. Try to utilize numbers when possible to make your details and results accurate and measurable.

4. Mention your relevant hard and soft skills

Include a skills section that features any hard or soft skills you hold that could make you a valuable candidate for the position. Hard skills are strengths you gain through training, education or work experience. Soft skills are characteristics and qualities you possess naturally that you can develop further throughout your career. To better understand which skills to feature, consider finding and using keywords in the job description. Keywords are phrases or words used throughout the description to detail what the employers are looking for in the ideal candidate. Common skills to include in an effective music teacher resume include:

Interpersonal and communication abilities
Music proficiencies
Organizational and time-management skills
Leadership abilities
Motivational skills
Flexibility and adaptability

5. Include your education

Near the end of your resume, add your education credentials. Many employers require music teacher candidates to hold at least a bachelor's degree in music education or a related field. These courses may offer you a strong combination of basic classes on both classroom management and music-related subjects. When listing your education, include the institution you attended, the degree you received and the dates you went to this school. Consider mentioning your GPA if it was a 3.5 or higher.

6. Proofread your resume for grammatical, spelling or formatting errors

After you've added all the information that's related to the role, carefully review it to make sure it's easy for the hiring manager to read. Ensure your font size is between 10 and 12 points with a professional style like Arial, Times New Roman or Helvetica. Consider adjusting your margins from 1 to 1.5 inches. Review all of the information you've listed to ensure it's accurate and relates directly to the role that's considering you. Read the document out loud to find any spelling or grammatical errors or ask a friend or colleague to review it and apply their feedback.

Music teacher resume template

You can use this template as a guide when crafting your own music teacher resume:

[First and last name]
[City, state]
[Phone number]
[Email address]

Summary
[Highlight your skill set and work experience using one to two sentences. Consider mentioning how these qualifications relate directly to the role.]

Experience
[Job title]
[Title of the company you worked for]
[City and state,] [month and year you served in this role]

[Job duties and accomplishments in this role]
[Job duties and accomplishments in this role]
[Job duties and accomplishments in this role]

Skills

[Hard or soft skills relevant to the role]
[Hard or soft skills relevant to the role]
[Hard or soft skills relevant to the role]

Education
[Name of the academic institution, school or college you attended,] [title of the degree you earned]
[Dates you attended this institution], [GPA if it was a 3.5 or higher]

Download Music Teacher Resume Template

Music teacher resume example

Review this music teacher resume example and use it as a reference as you build your own:

Debra Jones
Scranton, Pennsylvania
555-555-5555
Debra.Jones@email.com

Summary

Driven, motivated and multi-talented music instructor with over three years of experience educating students in a public school environment. Hoping to use my advanced leadership abilities and music knowledge to educate students at the elementary school level through engaging lesson plans, insightful activities and educational field trips.

Experience

Elementary music teacher
Scranton elementary school
Scranton, Pennsylvania, May 2018 to present

Develop educational and stimulating lesson plans on a wide variety of music-related topics
Oversee the performances and behaviors over 200 students from kindergarten to 5th grade levels
Conduct concerts twice a year that demonstrate the musical knowledge and abilities the students gained throughout the respective semesters