The Complete Guide to Becoming An Art, Drama, and Music Teacher, Postsecondary

I'm a high school junior trying to decide between going for a BFA or just keeping art as a hobby. This book gave me straight answers, but it wasn't what I wanted to hear — the adjunct pay numbers were pretty sobering. Still, I'd rather know now than after four years of tuition. The self-assessment checklist in chapter 2 was genuinely useful. I'm not ruling out teaching entirely, but I'm definitely going to look into art therapy as a backup.

Decent overview, but I felt like chapter 1 spent a lot of time describing things I kind of already guessed — yes, teachers grade work, yes, they have meetings. The salary data in chapter 4 was the most valuable part for me. I'm a working musician in my mid-30s, so I skipped some of the early chapters aimed at students. The author clearly knows the field, but I wish there had been more on the actual experience of teaching non-majors, since that's often what you're hired to do.

I've been teaching adjunct theater for three years at two different schools while trying to land a full-time position. This is the first resource I've seen that actually captures what this job is like — the good and the bad. The breakdown of how search committees evaluate candidates in chapter 5 was spot on, and I've already revamped my portfolio based on that advice. The chapter on a day in the life was almost uncomfortably accurate. Highly recommend for anyone on the fence.

Wish I'd had this book five years ago before I started my MFA in painting. The author doesn't sugar-coat it: you're likely to spend years as an adjunct making $3,000 per course, sometimes teaching at three different schools just to make ends meet. But it also gives you a realistic path forward and doesn't just tell you it's hopeless. Chapter 7 on career growth was excellent — I'd never considered moving into academic administration, but now I'm looking into it. Solid, honest, practical.

I'm getting ready to graduate with a music education degree and was seriously considering going for a master's to teach at a college level. This guide made me pause and think. The numbers are real — I checked the BLS data myself and it checks out. I appreciated that the author didn't try to talk me into or out of anything; just laid out the facts. The information on community college teaching was especially helpful since I'd mostly been thinking about four-year schools. Good reality check.

Picked this up thinking it would be a quick read with some generic career advice. I was wrong — chapter 1 alone is worth the price, explaining the actual mechanics of the job, from studio critique formats to how adjunct schedules really work across multiple campuses. Chapter 5's networking section had concrete advice that I've already used to connect with someone in the field. Solid book. It won't tell you if you should teach, but it gives you everything you need to figure it out yourself.

The writing is clear and the author clearly knows the field, but I found myself wanting more depth in some areas. Chapter 3 on education paths felt a bit rushed — I still wasn't 100% sure whether the MFA vs. PhD distinction was worth the extra years' time and money. Also, the book focuses a lot on the traditional academic route, and as someone interested in teaching at a community college, I would have liked more on that specific track. Useful, but not perfect.

This was a good introduction, but I'm not sure it's the 'complete' guide it claims to be. I found some sections genuinely helpful — the comparison of adjunct vs. full-time pay in chapter 4 was eye-opening, and the hour-by-hour day in chapter 6 felt real. But I wanted more specifics about different types of institution cultures. I'm a performer first, thinking about teaching on the side, and the book is clearly written for people making teaching their primary career. Still, worth a read before you decide.