Music Program Alumni’s Perceptions of Professional Skills, Abilities, and Job Satisfaction: A Secondary Analysis of the 2011, 2012, and 2013 Strategic National Arts Alumni Project (SNAAP) Survey

Abstract

The purpose of this study is to compare music studio teachers’ ( n = 622) and K–12 music teachers’ ( n = 976) perceptions of the extent to which their postsecondary education helped them develop selected professional skills and abilities, perceptions of how important those same selected skills and abilities are for teaching, and job satisfaction. Data are from the 2011, 2012, and 2013 administrations of the Strategic National Arts Alumni Project survey. Respondents indicated the following skills were very important to their work: relationship building (Studio: 81.3%; K–12: 75.7%), leadership skills (Studio: 71.6%; K–12: 89.3%), project management (Studio: 65.1%; K–12: 74.8%), persuasive speaking (Studio: 63.4%; K–12: 74.2%), clear writing (Studio: 51.5%; K–12: 63.4%), creative thinking (Studio: 88.7%; K–12: 91.4%), taking feedback (Studio: 78.8%; K–12: 81.2%), broad knowledge and education (Studio: 80.1%; K–12: 91.0%), and critical thinking (Studio: 64.3%; K–12: 76.4%). Fewer than 50% of respondents felt their institutions had helped them develop project management, persuasive speaking, clear writing, and critical thinking skills. The most substantial differences were financial, business, and entrepreneurial skills, indicating that studio teachers perceive these skills as important to their work. Studio teachers were less satisfied with job security but more satisfied with work-life balance than K–12 teachers.

The Arts Alumni Have Spoken: The Impact of Training in Higher Education on Entrepreneurial Careers

“…Being able to speak and write about ideas in a clear, logical, structured, and persuasive way is a significant component of critical thinking (Cottrell, 2017). Specifically, persuasive speaking is a more taskspecific measure of an entrepreneurial ability to attract investments and sell solutions in innovative ways (Blackwell 2018). Having broad and deep knowledge (Mason, 2007) and diverse viewpoints of understanding complexity (Lai, 2011) is also an essential attribute of critical thinking.…”

MusicWorks

“…Additionally, the pathways chosen by musicians and the ways in which they navigate their lives as professionals have changed hugely with technology access (Butz, Stifel, Schultz & O'Neill, 2017;Hracs, 2013;Moreau, 2013). Table 1 outlines the diverse range of professional skills that are pertinent to contemporary music career pathways (Blackwell, 2018, Comunian, Faggian, & Jewel, 2014Hracs, 2013;Mullins, 2018;Nagel, 1988;Rickels et al, 2013). It is noted that not all contemporary music careers will require all of these skills, but, particularly in the early stages of a career.…”