Keyboard Instruments

Types of Degrees Keyboard Instruments Majors Are Getting

The following table lists how many keyboard instruments graduations there were for each degree level during the last year for which data was available.

Education Level	Number of Grads
Master’s Degree	261
Graduate Certificate	73
Doctor’s Degree	52

What Keyboard Instruments Majors Need to Know

O*NET surveyed people in occupations related to keyboard instruments and asked them what knowledge areas, skills, and abilities were important for their jobs. The responses were rated on a scale of 1 to 5 with 5 being most important.

Knowledge Areas for Keyboard Instruments Majors

According to O*NET survey takers, a major in keyboard instruments should prepare you for careers in which you will need to be knowledgeable in the following areas:

• Fine Arts - Knowledge of the theory and techniques required to compose, produce, and perform works of music, dance, visual arts, drama, and sculpture.
• English Language - Knowledge of the structure and content of the English language including the meaning and spelling of words, rules of composition, and grammar.
• Education and Training - Knowledge of principles and methods for curriculum and training design, teaching and instruction for individuals and groups, and the measurement of training effects.
• Communications and Media - Knowledge of media production, communication, and dissemination techniques and methods. This includes alternative ways to inform and entertain via written, oral, and visual media.
• Psychology - Knowledge of human behavior and performance; individual differences in ability, personality, and interests; learning and motivation; psychological research methods; and the assessment and treatment of behavioral and affective disorders.

Skills for Keyboard Instruments Majors

When studying keyboard instruments, you’ll learn many skills that will help you be successful in a wide range of jobs - even those that do not require a degree in the field. The following is a list of some of the most common skills needed for careers associated with this major:

• Speaking - Talking to others to convey information effectively.
• Active Listening - Giving full attention to what other people are saying, taking time to understand the points being made, asking questions as appropriate, and not interrupting at inappropriate times.
• Reading Comprehension - Understanding written sentences and paragraphs in work related documents.
• Active Learning - Understanding the implications of new information for both current and future problem-solving and decision-making.
• Instructing - Teaching others how to do something.

Abilities for Keyboard Instruments Majors

A major in keyboard instruments will prepare for your careers in which the following abilities are important:

• Oral Expression - The ability to communicate information and ideas in speaking so others will understand.
• Oral Comprehension - The ability to listen to and understand information and ideas presented through spoken words and sentences.
• Speech Clarity - The ability to speak clearly so others can understand you.
• Originality - The ability to come up with unusual or clever ideas about a given topic or situation, or to develop creative ways to solve a problem.
• Near Vision - The ability to see details at close range (within a few feet of the observer).

What Can You Do With a Keyboard Instruments Major?

People with a keyboard instruments degree often go into the following careers:

Job Title	Job Growth Rate	Median Salary
Art, Drama, and Music Professors	12.0%	$69,960
Musicians, Instrumental	6.0%	NA

Who Is Getting a Master’s Degree in Keyboard Instruments?

The major attracts more women than men. About 62% of the recent graduates in this field are female.

Racial-Ethnic Diversity

At the countrywide level, the racial-ethnic distribution of keyboard instruments majors is as follows:

Race/Ethnicity	Number of Grads
Asian	29
Black or African American	0
Hispanic or Latino	5
White	29
International Students	184
Other Races/Ethnicities	14

Geographic Diversity

Students from other countries are interested in Keyboard Instruments, too. About 70.5% of those with this major are international students.

Amount of Education Required for Careers Related to Keyboard Instruments

Some careers associated with keyboard instruments require an advanced degree while some may not even require a bachelor’s. Whatever the case may be, pursuing more education usually means that more career options will be available to you.

How much schooling do you really need to compete in today’s job market? People currently working in careers related to keyboard instruments have obtained the following education levels.

Education Level	Percentage of Workers
Less than a High School Diploma	0.3%
High School Diploma - or the equivalent (for example, GED)	5.2%
Post-Secondary Certificate - awarded for training completed after high school (for example, in agriculture or natural resources, computer services, personal or culinary services, engineering technologies, healthcare, construction trades, mechanic and repair technologies, or precision production)	0.3%
Some College Courses	3.4%
Associate’s Degree (or other 2-year degree)	0.8%
Bachelor’s Degree	23.6%
Post-Baccalaureate Certificate - awarded for completion of an organized program of study; designed for people who have completed a Baccalaureate degree but do not meet the requirements of academic degrees carrying the title of Master.	0.7%
Master’s Degree	38.5%
Post-Master’s Certificate - awarded for completion of an organized program of study; designed for people who have completed a Master’s degree but do not meet the requirements of academic degrees at the doctoral level.	0.9%
Doctoral Degree	23.6%
Post-Doctoral Training	2.3%

Online Keyboard Instruments Programs

The following table lists the number of programs by degree level, along with how many schools offered online courses in the field.

Degree Level	Colleges Offering Programs	Colleges Offering Online Classes
Certificate (Less Than 1 Year)	0	0
Certificate (1-2 years)	2	0
Certificate (2-4 Years)	4	0
Associate’s Degree	3	0
Bachelor’s Degree	14	0
Post-Baccalaureate	0	0
Master’s Degree	43	0
Post-Master’s	6	0
Doctor’s Degree (Research)	14	0
Doctor’s Degree (Professional Practice)	1	0
Doctor’s Degree (Other)	1	0

Majors Related to Keyboard Instruments

You may also be interested in one of the following majors related to keyboard instruments.

Major	Number of Grads
General Music	10,957
Music Performance	7,240
Music Technology	1,763
Music Theory & Composition	1,236
Other Music	1,126
Voice Performance	747
Stringed Instruments	622
Jazz Studies	589
Music Pedagogy	450
Music History	186
Woodwind Instruments	175
Conducting	167
Musicology & Ethnomusicology	148
Brass Instruments	120
Percussion Instruments	42
Sound Arts	33

References

*The racial-ethnic minorities count is calculated by taking the total number of students and subtracting white students, international students, and students whose race/ethnicity was unknown. This number is then divided by the total number of students at the school to obtain the racial-ethnic minorities percentage.

• College Factual
• College Scorecard
• National Center for Education Statistics
• O*NET Online
• U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics
• Usual Weekly Earnings of Wage and Salary Workers First Quarter 2020

More about our data sources and methodologies.