Do you want to take your professionalism to the next level?
Did you know that the MTNA Professional Certification Program exists to help you accomplish that goal?

Certification is a process that validates an individual's qualifications for a specific field of professional practice. It demonstrates to employers, clients, and peers that which the individual knows and is able to do. It signifies commitment to continued excellence in professional practice. In addition, it increases visibility, builds credibility, provides a goal for personal professional achievement, and validates expertise for the individual and to those outside the field. The MTNA Certification Program exists for teachers who teach music to students of any age level in private or group settings. The program is based upon a set of five standards defining what a competent music teacher should know and be able to do.

You may be asking yourself why pursue MTNA Professional Certification? Below are just a few of the reasons certification is important to the music teaching profession.

For MTNA

• Fosters excellence in music education through the development of criteria, standards, and guidelines for assessing educational competencies in performance, music theory, music history/literature, and pedagogy/teacher education.
• Assures the educational community, the general public, and other agencies or organizations that the MTNA Professional Certification Program for applied music teachers has been clearly defined with appropriate objectives.
• Provides a national forum for the discussion and consideration of concerns relevant to the preservation and advancement of standards in the field of applied musical education.
• Develops a national unity and strength for the purpose of maintaining the position of applied music study in the family of fine arts and humanities and providing qualified teachers to guide that study.
• Sets a uniform national minimum standard of achievement without restricting the development of new ideas, experimentation, or the expansion of personal standards.

For the Applied Music Teacher

• Encourages improvement in teaching through continuous self-study and planning.
• Raises the likelihood for a higher level of teacher competency and effectiveness.
• Increases the potential for earning power for applied music teachers.
• Improves the level of professionalism within the field of applied music teaching.
• Identifies for the public competent applied music teachers.

For more information about the Certification Program, visit the website at http://www.mtnacertification.org/Home/tabid/106/Default.aspx or contact the national headquarters at (888) 512-5278 or mtnacertification@mtna.org.