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Careers in Music

Ninth graders explore music careers — from performers like singers and orchestra musicians to behind-the-scenes roles like composers, sound engineers, and producers — seeing how music skills open many paths.

Grade 9Careers50 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…

  • ✓Name music careers.
  • ✓Tell performing from behind-the-scenes.
  • ✓Sort the careers.
  • ✓See music’s paths.
Essential Question

Music is a whole industry! Some make their living ON stage, others behind the scenes. What are the paths in music?

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Lesson Phases
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Vocabulary Terms
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Standards Aligned
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Interactive Task
Sort It · Interactive

Performing or Behind-the-Scenes?

Project this and sort each music career into performing or behind-the-scenes.

🎵 Sort each career — performing or behind-the-scenes?Try it
🎤 Performing
🎚️ Behind-the-Scenes
Tap a career, then tap a bucket.
The Lesson · Artistic Process (Listen · Explore · Create · Perform · Reflect)

50 minutes, five moves

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

1

Listen — A Whole Industry

5 min

Music is a whole industry — on stage and behind the scenes. What are the paths?

👩‍🏫 Teacher Moves

  • Show two music careers.
  • Ask how they differ.
  • Warm up.

🎒 Student Actions

  • Look.
  • Wonder.
  • Get ready.
2

Explore — Music Careers

12 min

Students explore.

👩‍🏫 Teacher Moves

  • Send students to Performing or Behind-the-Scenes?
  • Sort each one.
  • Discuss them.

🎒 Student Actions

  • Sort.
  • Discuss.
  • Name.
3

Create — Create

14 min

Students create.

👩‍🏫 Teacher Moves

  • Pick a career to explore.
  • List its skills.
  • Explain it.

🎒 Student Actions

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

Perform — Perform

12 min

Students perform.

👩‍🏫 Teacher Moves

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

🎒 Student Actions

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

Reflect — Reflect

5 min

Students respond.

👩‍🏫 Teacher Moves

  • Name a music career.
  • Say performing or behind.
  • 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 Proficient).

NCAS
MU:Cn11.0.HSI

Connect music to careers.

NCAS
MU:Cn10.0.HSI

Connect music to life.

NCAS
MU:Re7.1.HSI

Perceive music’s roles.

NCAS
MU:Cn11.0.HSI

Understand music’s industry.

Differentiation

One lesson, every learner

Multilingual Learners

ELL / EMERGING READERS
  • Career picture cards.
  • Sentence frame: “A ___ works ___.”
  • Use career examples.

Support & Access

IEP / 504
  • Start with singer vs. producer.
  • Sort one at a time.
  • Use pictures.

Stretch & Extend

GIFTED / EARLY FINISHERS
  • Research a career.
  • Explain needed skills.
  • Interview a musician.
Materials

What to gather

  • 📽️Projector / board
  • 🎚️Career cards
  • 💻Performing or Behind-the-Scenes?
  • 📋A careers chart
  • ✏️Pens
  • 🎫Exit-ticket slips
Vocabulary

Key terms — hover for a quick definition

careera job pathperformerwho plays or sings livecomposerwho writes musicsound engineerwho records and mixesproducerwho shapes a recordingconductorwho leads an ensemblesongwriterwho writes songsindustrythe whole music business
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
Is a singer a performing or behind-the-scenes career?
Performing.
QUESTION 2
Is a sound engineer performing or behind-the-scenes?
Behind-the-scenes.
QUESTION 3
Name a music career.
Singer, orchestra musician, composer, sound engineer, or producer.

Reflect: a music career.

Have students name one music career they find interesting and one skill it needs. A printable careers 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.

🃏 Careers in 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.

📝 Careers in MusicQuiz
Score: 0
1 / 6
Question 1
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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.

🖨️ Careers in MusicPrint
Name: ________________________
Date: ____________

Part A · Write the word that matches each meaning

Word bank: career, composer, conductor, industry, performer, producer, songwriter, sound engineer
  1. a job path
  2. who writes music
  3. who shapes a recording
  4. who records and mixes
  5. the whole music business
  6. who writes songs
  7. who plays or sings live
  8. who leads an ensemble

Part B · Show what you learned

  1. Is a singer a performing or behind-the-scenes career?
  2. Is a sound engineer performing or behind-the-scenes?
  3. Name a music career.
Answer key — Part A: 1) career · 2) composer · 3) producer · 4) sound engineer · 5) industry · 6) songwriter · 7) performer · 8) conductor
Part B: 1) Performing. 2) Behind-the-scenes. 3) Singer, orchestra musician, composer, sound engineer, or producer.