Erin Emery-Dumas

As a music educator, your resume is likely to be MUCH longer than what most job sites recommend. Whenever I hear people say that your resume should only be one page, I wonder HOW? After discussing this with several people who have much more experience than I do, I’ve come to the conclusion that it is totally fine to have a longer resume — as long as it is all important and relevant information! So, what do I include on my resume? Let’s talk about it.

Header

Since my resume is multiple pages, I like to include a header that’s at the top of each one. The header has my name, email, phone number, and now my website.

Objective

I like to put my objective statement at the very top (right beneath my header) to give employers a quick snapshot of who I am and what my goals are. You can also find this statement in a few different places on my website because I think it’s so important. Here’s what my objective says:

“Charismatic, well-rounded teaching professional seeking an early elementary music position to provide diverse and inclusive lessons that represent a wide variety of cultures through authentic and social-emotional learning experiences.”

Education

This section includes just my college education. (They don’t really care about high school once you have a degree.) Things I mention are the title of my degree — Bachelor of Music — where I went to school, when I graduated, my GPA, my major, and the studios that I was in.

Certifications

On my resume, I list two certifications: my Michigan Standard Teaching Certificate, and my Massachusetts Provisional Teaching license. For each of these, I make sure to have my license number, area specification, issue date, and expiration date. Once I renew my CPR/First Aid training, I will add that as well.

Music Education Experience

This is where I discuss my current job, internship, pre-internships, and long-term substitute position. I list the district, role, dates, and bullet points that describe my achievements in the job. For example, I make sure to include programs I’ve led, presentations I’ve given, and elective classes that I teach — basically anything that goes above and beyond the typical expectations for the position.

Other Professional Experience

Since I’m still a new teacher (on Year 2), I make sure to include any work experience I’ve had since I entered college — but only if it’s relevant to the job I’m applying for. Here’s what I include and why:

• Scheduling temp. – shows that I have time management and organizational skills.
• Concerts Office Employee – shows that I have experience working with office databases, great communication skills, and the knowledge to manage house, sound, lights, and live streams for performances.
• Camp counselor positions – shows that I work well with kids, communicate well with parents/guardians, and can act as a mentor.

Organizations

This is where you’ll want to include any student registered and professional organizations. Employers like to see how involved you are! Make sure to list when you were involved in the group and if you held any leadership positions, as well.

Ensemble Experience

This is a section that you won’t find on a regular resume — only musicians have it! This sections has all of the ensembles that I participated in during my time in college, the semesters I was involved, and the instrument I played or voice part I sang. I also like to list any special roles I might have held. For example, in 2018 I was a senior staff member in marching band as the drumline assistant. Some people might find this section to be useless, but all of the employers I’ve given my resume to find it interesting to see how much musical experience I have, considering I’m a music teacher.

This is NOT the section where you’d include the ensembles you’ve conducted. I put those in the bullet points of my music education experience section, that way it stays with the specific position in which I conducted.

Awards & Recognitions

I feel like this part is pretty self-explanatory. I just list the awards/recognitions that I received, and when I received them. If you wanted to, you could definitely add descriptions for these, but my resume is already so long that I found it to be too much.

References

This is one of the most important pages of your resume. Yes, I said page. I put my references on a completely separate sheet of paper, that way I can give JUST my references when requested. People to include:

• Principal/supervisor
• Mentor teacher(s)
• Professors
• Previous employers
• Team leader(s)
• Team member(s)

And that’s EVERYTHING that I include on my resume! Yes, it’s a lot, but it’s all relevant information that shows how I am qualified in multiple ways. Is it too long? Not according to my dad, a retired school administrator. (Thanks, Dad!) I hope you found this information helpful. Do you add anything else to your resume? Let me know in the comments below!