Does music instruction in the public schools have to be provided by a certified educator?
Yes, students must receive instruction from a certified teacher. Teachers certified in music hold a special subject certificate which is valid in pre-kindergarten, kindergarten and grades 1-12. A teacher of the common branch subjects may teach music as one of the common branch subjects in the early elementary and upper elementary grades so long as the teaching of music is not the primary subject being taught but rather one of the common branch subjects taught in the course of the daily instructional program. See the NYSED Office of Teaching Initiatives website for details on certification requirements.
