Example Career: Art, Drama and Music Teachers, Postsecondary

Career Description

Teach courses in drama, music, and the arts including fine and applied art, such as painting and sculpture, or design and crafts. Includes both teachers primarily engaged in teaching and those who do a combination of teaching and research.

What Job Titles Art, Drama and Music Teachers, Postsecondary Might Have

• Art Professor
• Music Professor
• Professor
• Theatre Professor

What Art, Drama and Music Teachers, Postsecondary Do

• Explain and demonstrate artistic techniques.
• Evaluate and grade students' class work, performances, projects, assignments, and papers.
• Initiate, facilitate, and moderate classroom discussions.
• Prepare course materials, such as syllabi, homework assignments, and handouts.
• Maintain student attendance records, grades, and other required records.
• Prepare students for performances, exams, or assessments.
• Prepare and deliver lectures to undergraduate or graduate students on topics such as acting techniques, fundamentals of music, and art history.
• Plan, evaluate, and revise curricula, course content, course materials, and methods of instruction.
• Compile, administer, and grade examinations, or assign this work to others.
• Keep abreast of developments in the field by reading current literature, talking with colleagues, and participating in professional conferences.
• Select and obtain materials and supplies, such as textbooks and performance pieces.
• Display students' work in schools, galleries, and exhibitions.
• Participate in student recruitment, registration, and placement activities.
• Advise students on academic and vocational curricula and on career issues.
• Maintain regularly scheduled office hours to advise and assist students.
• Keep students informed of community events, such as plays and concerts.
• Collaborate with colleagues to address teaching and research issues.
• Serve on academic or administrative committees that deal with institutional policies, departmental matters, and academic issues.
• Participate in campus and community events.
• Compile bibliographies of specialized materials for outside reading assignments.
• Organize performance groups and direct their rehearsals.
• Perform administrative duties, such as serving as department head.
• Supervise undergraduate or graduate teaching, internship, and research work.
• Conduct research in a particular field of knowledge and publish findings in professional journals, books, or electronic media.
• Write grant proposals to procure external research funding.
• Act as advisers to student organizations.

What Art, Drama and Music Teachers, Postsecondary Should Be Good At

• Oral Expression - The ability to communicate information and ideas in speaking so others will understand.
• Oral Comprehension - The ability to listen to and understand information and ideas presented through spoken words and sentences.
• Written Comprehension - The ability to read and understand information and ideas presented in writing.
• Written Expression - The ability to communicate information and ideas in writing so others will understand.
• Speech Clarity - The ability to speak clearly so others can understand you.
• Speech Recognition - The ability to identify and understand the speech of another person.
• Problem Sensitivity - The ability to tell when something is wrong or is likely to go wrong. It does not involve solving the problem, only recognizing there is a problem.
• Inductive Reasoning - The ability to combine pieces of information to form general rules or conclusions (includes finding a relationship among seemingly unrelated events).
• Near Vision - The ability to see details at close range (within a few feet of the observer).
• Originality - The ability to come up with unusual or clever ideas about a given topic or situation, or to develop creative ways to solve a problem.
• Deductive Reasoning - The ability to apply general rules to specific problems to produce answers that make sense.

What Art, Drama and Music Teachers, Postsecondary Should Be Interested In

• Social - Social occupations frequently involve working with, communicating with, and teaching people. These occupations often involve helping or providing service to others.
• Artistic - Artistic occupations frequently involve working with forms, designs and patterns. They often require self-expression and the work can be done without following a clear set of rules.

What Art, Drama and Music Teachers, Postsecondary Need to Learn

• Fine Arts - Knowledge of the theory and techniques required to compose, produce, and perform works of music, dance, visual arts, drama, and sculpture.
• Education and Training - Knowledge of principles and methods for curriculum and training design, teaching and instruction for individuals and groups, and the measurement of training effects.
• English Language - Knowledge of the structure and content of the English language including the meaning and spelling of words, rules of composition, and grammar.
• History and Archeology - Knowledge of historical events and their causes, indicators, and effects on civilizations and cultures.
• Philosophy and Theology - Knowledge of different philosophical systems and religions. This includes their basic principles, values, ethics, ways of thinking, customs, practices, and their impact on human culture.
• Communications and Media - Knowledge of media production, communication, and dissemination techniques and methods. This includes alternative ways to inform and entertain via written, oral, and visual media.
• Computers and Electronics - Knowledge of circuit boards, processors, chips, electronic equipment, and computer hardware and software, including applications and programming.
• Psychology - Knowledge of human behavior and performance; individual differences in ability, personality, and interests; learning and motivation; psychological research methods; and the assessment and treatment of behavioral and affective disorders.