How to be a teacher of music in Colombia? Roads and requirements
There's more than one way to teach music in Colombia. We tell you what they are, what they demand and how to gain experience if you're starting.
To be a teacher of music in Colombia there are several routes: to study a Bachelor's degree in Music, to train you as a Master in Music (or another race) and to add pedagogical training, or to build your way with particular classes and work at academies and music schools. What's best for you depends on where to teach.
At official schools they weigh their title and educational training and at individual classes, academies and music schools weigh their level of music, how they teach and how they conduct them. Here's every path and demand and how to start to gain experience.
To sum up
- The Master's degree in Music is the most direct way to teach at schools: she forms pedagogical musicians from the first semester.
- According to current regulations, an unlicensed professional can teach at public schools if he or she takes or attests to an educational or post-graduate program.
- In particular classes, academies and music schools, each student or institution defines what they seek: level of music, pedagogy and experience weigh as much as the title.
- The best known skills in a class are diagnosis, planning, communication with families and punctuality.
- A class shows well prepared and a short portfolio with videos open more doors than a long life sheet.
The routes to teach music in Colombia
| Ruta | Training | Where you can teach | Please note |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bachelor of Music | Undergraduate that combines music and pedagogy | Official and private schools, music schools, cultural programs, private classes | That's the most direct way to school teaching. |
| Teacher in Music or another race, more pedagogical training | Academic or occupational undergraduate, plus a program of pedagogy or a graduate in education | Civil and private schools (as currently established), academies and individual classes | Your artistic level is usually a plus, and pedagogy adds them aside. |
| A musician with a track record | Technical, Conservatory, Music and empirical training with verifiable experience | Private classes, academies, music schools, grouping | They weigh your level, your results and your references. |
| Networks and academies that select teachers | Any of the above | Virtual classes, at home or at headquarters | They usually evaluate you with an audition, class shows and interview. |
The routes are non-exclusive. Many teachers combine a school with particular classes, or start teaching while they end their race.
Official schools: what regulations say
If your goal is a public school, the title matters. According to the regulations currently in place, Act 115 of 1994 and Decree-Law 1278 of 2002 allow non-graduates to conduct teaching in the official sector, as long as they have been or have been accredited with a program of teaching or a graduate in education within the time limits established by law. In practice, a Master in Music can come to teach at an official school but will have to add that training to them.
The standards change and have nuances, so confirms the requirements at official sources before making decisions. If you are still choosing a race, we explain the differences and details of the regulations at [Master in Music or Master's degree in Music]](/blog/maestro-en-musica-o-licenciatura-en-musica).
Private schools, academies and private classes
Outside the official sector, each institution defines his or her profile. A private school can apply for a degree and a music school can better value his or her performance as an interpreter and in particular classes his or her family and student decide.
What they usually evaluate
- Audition: That you play or sing with solvency the repertoire that you're about to teach.
- Class shows: A few minutes of teaching something concrete to an actual or simulated student.
- Interview: how you plan, what you do with a child who doesn't care to practice, how you communicate with families.
- References: Students, families or institutions that can discuss your work.
If you want to see the process from across the table, read how the academies design class shows to evaluate teachersIt's good for you to figure out what's to be expected of you.
Special classes
It's the path with less entry barriers and more responsibilities: you get your students, organize your program, define your conditions and answer for the results. We tell you how to do it well at [how to give particular music classes]](/blog/como-dar-clases-de-musica-particulares).
The skills that weigh more than the title
| Habilidad | How you feel in a class |
|---|---|
| Music domain | You play with certainty what you teach, read fluency and can show or accompany at once. |
| Diagnosis | In the first few minutes you identify what the student knows, what his missing and what motivates him. |
| Planning | Each class has a clear target and connects with the previous and next. |
| To explain in several ways | If an explanation doesn't work, you can test with the body, with an image or with an example. |
| Age adaptation | Do not give the same class to a 6-year-old child, an adolescent and an older adult. |
| Communication with families | They leave clear tasks and account for progress without technicism. |
| Profesionalismo | Timeness, compliance, clear boundaries and good treatment. |
None of these skills are learned only in a classroom: they are trained by giving classes, watching other teachers and honestly revising what worked. For day to day planning, look how to prepare a music class.
How to gain experience if you're starting
- He's with an experienced teacher. Attend his classes, prepare material or replace them from time to time and teach you more than any manual.
- He takes care of his university or his Conservatory. Monitoring, seedling and practice are opportunities to teach with accompaniment.
- He's a group teacher. Students, chores, gangs and workshops at cultural houses train you in group management.
- Give your first class with a plan, Even if they are known to them: they define targets, they record advances and they demand feedback.
- Be high with his teaching, with permission from the student or his family and check how much you speak and how much his play.
- Warm a short portfolio: Two or three videos playing, an example of class plan and two references.
To work with a teachers network
Another option is to join a network that connects teachers with students. The advantage is that you do not depend only on getting every student on your own, but instead, you go through a selection process and work with that network's standards.
In A medio tono We evaluate every teacher in music, pedagogy and human quality before his first class and we look for teachers for virtual and at-home classes in and around Bogotá. If you teach and care about them, you can [run for Work with us]](/trabaja-con-nosotros)And if you wish to continue reading, in Section [for teachers]](/blog/categoria/para-profes) we publish guides designed for those who teach.
Frequently asked questions
Do you have to have a degree to give particular music classes?
The student or family decision in particular classes and what weighs most is your level, how to teach and your references. A title adds confidence but does not replace a good class and the visible advances of your students.
Can a Master in Music be a teacher at a public school?
According to the regulations currently in place, they can, as long as they have been trained or accredited with a program of pedagogy or a postgraduate in education as set out by the norm. They confirm up-to-date requirements at official sources before they have decided their course.
Can I teach an instrument that isn't my main instrument?
At an initial level, yes, if you really do and know his basic technique. Avoid teaching what you would be sure to play with a student: bad habits at first have been a great opportunity to correct later.
Is it better to teach virtual or at home?
It depends on your instrument, your time and your town. The virtual class saves displacement and allows you to care for students from anywhere and the face-to-face makes it easier to correct posture and sound. Many teachers combine both.