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Pathways After High School Music

Twelfth graders explore the many pathways a music education opens — conservatories and college programs, careers in performing, teaching, recording, and composing, and related fields like audio engineering and music therapy — as they graduate.

Grade 12Careers55 minutes1 class periodArtistic ProcessExplicit teaching4 StandardsNCAS
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Lesson at a Glance

Everything you need before the bell rings

Learning Objectives

Students will be able to…

  • ✓Explore music pathways.
  • ✓Know school & career options.
  • ✓See where skills transfer.
  • ✓Plan your path.
Essential Question

Where can a music education take you after high school? The paths are wider than the stage. What are they?

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Lesson Phases
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Vocabulary Terms
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Standards Aligned
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Interactive Task
Explore · Interactive

Pathways After Music Check

Project each item and have students answer about pathways after high school music.

🎓 Understand pathways after high school musicTry it
Answer each question about music pathways.
The Lesson · Artistic Process (Listen · Explore · Create · Perform · Reflect)

55 minutes, five moves

Tap any phase to open the teacher moves and student actions.

1

Listen — Wider Than the Stage

6 min

A music education opens more paths than the stage — what are they?

👩‍🏫 Teacher Moves

  • Show a range of music careers.
  • Ask which appeal.
  • Warm up.

🎒 Student Actions

  • Look.
  • Consider.
  • Get ready.
2

Explore — Music Pathways

13 min

Students explore.

👩‍🏫 Teacher Moves

  • Send students to Pathways After Music Check.
  • Note conservatory and freelance.
  • Note transferable skills.

🎒 Student Actions

  • Answer.
  • Note it.
  • Name.
3

Create — Create

15 min

Students create.

👩‍🏫 Teacher Moves

  • Pick a pathway to explore.
  • List its steps.
  • Explain it.

🎒 Student Actions

  • Pick it.
  • List them.
  • Explain.
4

Perform — Perform

13 min

Students perform.

👩‍🏫 Teacher Moves

  • Share a pathway you like.
  • Say why.
  • Give critique.

🎒 Student Actions

  • Share it.
  • Say why.
  • Critique.
5

Reflect — Reflect

6 min

Students respond.

👩‍🏫 Teacher Moves

  • Name a music pathway.
  • Say where skills transfer.
  • Complete the exit ticket.

🎒 Student Actions

  • Name one.
  • Say it.
  • Complete the exit ticket.
Standards Alignment

Built to the standards you report on

Aligned to the National Core Arts Standards (Music, HS Advanced).

NCAS
MU:Cn11.0.HSIII

Understand music careers.

NCAS
MU:Cn10.0.HSIII

Connect music to life goals.

NCAS
MU:Re7.1.HSIII

Perceive music in the world.

NCAS
MU:Cn11.0.HSIII

Understand music’s roles.

Differentiation

One lesson, every learner

Multilingual Learners

ELL / EMERGING READERS
  • Pathway picture cards.
  • Sentence frame: “One music path is ___.”
  • Use career examples.

Support & Access

IEP / 504
  • Start with conservatory and teaching.
  • Use one example.
  • Name one pathway.

Stretch & Extend

GIFTED / EARLY FINISHERS
  • Research a music program.
  • Explain a transferable skill.
  • Map your own path.
Materials

What to gather

  • 📽️Projector / board
  • 🎓Pathway cards
  • 💻Pathways After Music Check
  • 📋A careers chart
  • ✏️Pens
  • 🎫Exit-ticket slips
Vocabulary

Key terms — hover for a quick definition

pathwaya route after schoolconservatorya music collegemusic programa college music majorperformingplaying for audiencescomposingwriting musicaudio engineeringrecording and mixingmusic therapyusing music to help otherstransferableuseful in many jobs
Evaluate

Exit Ticket

Preview the three formative checks. Tap “Sample answer” to see what mastery looks like — hide them before you print for students.

QUESTION 1
Name one path for a serious music student.
A music school, conservatory, or college music program.
QUESTION 2
How do many musicians build a career?
Performing, teaching, recording, and composing.
QUESTION 3
Name a career music skills transfer to.
Audio engineering, music therapy, or the music business.

Reflect: your music path.

Have students name one music pathway they find interesting and one first step toward it. A printable pathways sheet is in the Arts library.

Study · Flashcards

Study the key terms

Tap a card to flip it, then rate whether you knew it. Built from this lesson’s vocabulary.

🃏 Pathways After High School MusicFlip
Card 1
Term
Tap to flip →
Meaning
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Nice work!

Practice · Quiz

Check your understanding

A quick self-check with instant feedback, drawn from this lesson’s key terms.

📝 Pathways After High School MusicQuiz
Score: 0
1 / 6
Question 1
0%

Nice work!

Practice · Worksheet

Printable worksheet

A print-and-go review sheet with a built-in answer key. Tap “Show answer key” to reveal answers, or print the clean version for students.

🖨️ Pathways After High School MusicPrint
Name: ________________________
Date: ____________

Part A · Write the word that matches each meaning

Word bank: audio engineering, composing, conservatory, music program, music therapy, pathway, performing, transferable
  1. writing music
  2. recording and mixing
  3. a college music major
  4. useful in many jobs
  5. a route after school
  6. playing for audiences
  7. a music college
  8. using music to help others

Part B · Show what you learned

  1. Name one path for a serious music student.
  2. How do many musicians build a career?
  3. Name a career music skills transfer to.
Answer key — Part A: 1) composing · 2) audio engineering · 3) music program · 4) transferable · 5) pathway · 6) performing · 7) conservatory · 8) music therapy
Part B: 1) A music school, conservatory, or college music program. 2) Performing, teaching, recording, and composing. 3) Audio engineering, music therapy, or the music business.