Teachers are creative individuals who know how to entertain a crowd, so it’s no surprise that a number of prominent musicians have spent time in the classroom. Shaping and influencing young minds is also part and parcel of being a music star. Here, we reveal our top eight rockstars and soul singers who were also former teachers.
1) Country Singer Who Started Out As A Teacher In Elementary School – Sheryl Crow
Sheryl began her music career as a backing singer for Michael Jackson and Rod Stewart before releasing one of the 1990s’ most popular albums, Tuesday Night Music Club. During the summer of 1994, the lead single from this album, “All I Wanna Do”, was a ubiquitous presence on radio station playlists. The album also featured the beautiful “Strong Enough” and the soul-infused “Born to Run”.
What many people don’t realise is that she is a graduate of education and worked as a primary music teacher in St Louis before moving to LA to pursue her music career. For three years, she taught third-grade music at Kellison Elementary School. She remains a passionate advocate for education and is currently an ambassador for Adopt A Classroom.
Key Track – Stong Enough
2. 1980’s rock legend who was once a college lecturer – Mark Knopfler
The “Sultan of Swing” is best known as the lead singer and guitarist of the hugely successful British rock band Dire Straits. Their commercial zenith, the 30-million-selling Brothers in Arms, soundtracked the 1980s and produced a string of hits from “Money for Nothing” to “Walk of Life”.
Brothers in Arms was, in fact, the first-ever album to achieve one million physical CD sales. However, before he was selling out the world’s biggest stadiums, he was a college lecturer. Mark taught English at Loughton College in Essex for three years after graduating from Leeds University.
Key Track – Brothers In Arms
3. The Musician Who Turned To Teaching – Art Garfunkel
One half of one of the most famous duos in rock history, alongside Paul Simon, Garfunkel helped release some of the most memorable hits of the late 1960s. The pair reached their high-water mark with 1970’s fabled Bridge Over Troubled Water, an album that has sold over 25 million copies.
Following their split, Garfunkel took a two-year hiatus from the music business. During this period, he put his earlier university studies to good use by teaching mathematics at Litchfield Academy, a now-closed school in Connecticut.
It was short-lived, but imagine the surreal experience of turning up to a geometry lesson taught by a global megastar. Garfunkel later said he would have been happy as a teacher, as he “loved the curriculum and the act of teaching”, though he ultimately left the profession behind.
Key Track – The Only Living Boy In New York
4.English Teacher Who Became An R&B Icon – Roberta Flack
Grammy Award winner Roberta Flack is the songwriter behind “Killing Me Softly with His Song”, famously covered by The Fugees in the 1990s. Introduced to music in church, she went on to win a full scholarship to Howard University, which, along with other historically Black institutions, played a significant role in the Civil Rights Movement. She fused elements of R&B, jazz, and pop, and was a significant figure in the “Quiet Storm” radio format.
After graduating, her father sadly passed away, and Roberta took up teaching music and English at a segregated high school in Farmville, North Carolina. She also taught in several high schools in Washington, DC, as her music career began to blossom.
Key Track – Killing Me Softly With His Words
5. Art Teacher Who Formed Roxy Music – Bryan Ferry
The frontman of Roxy Music, Bryan Ferry, was a key figure in the art school-inspired wave of rock and pop that rose to prominence in the mid to late 1970s. The band’s hits include “Love Is the Drug” and “More Than This”, and Ferry later enjoyed a successful solo career.
He is also well known for his stylish reinterpretations of other artists’ work, recording some truly memorable cover versions. Ferry studied fine art at Newcastle University, graduating in 1968, and went on to teach art—specialising in ceramics—for several years at Holland Park School, now part of the United Learning Group.
Key Track – Let’s Stick Together
6. Rock God Who Was Once A Supply Teacher – Gene Simmons
Gene Simmons (born Chaim Witz) is the bass player and co-lead singer of the rock behemoth KISS. Known for their black-and-white face paint and outrageous stage costumes, KISS became one of America’s most iconic rock bands during the 1970s.
Before reaching rock superstardom, Gene earned a BA in Education from Richmond College, Staten Island, and worked for six months as a supply teacher, specialising in general studies. He taught at a school on the Upper West Side in the Spanish Harlem area of New York City.
He later remarked that he needed a bigger audience than a class of 40 pupils—so he went out and got one. 😝
Key Track – God Gave Rock and Roll to You
7. Physics Teacher Turned Guitar Hero – Bryan May
Before becoming a guitar legend, Brian May was, in fact, a physics teacher. Best known for his work with Queen—whose operatic rock anthems earned them global acclaim—his wild hair and iconic guitar riffs are the stuff of music folklore.
Long before writing hits with Freddie Mercury, Brian earned a PhD in Physics and Mathematics from Imperial College London. Wishing to share his love of science, he took a teaching role at Stockwell Manor School in London.
Key Track – Hammer to Fall
8. Primary School Teacher To Musical Mega Star – Sting
Famous for his work with The Police and his extensive solo career, Sting began his professional life as a primary school teacher. With hits like “Every Breath You Take”, “Fields of Gold”, and “Englishman in New York”, Sting (born Gordon Matthew Thomas Sumner) has sold over 100 million records worldwide.
Before his rise to fame, he trained as a primary school teacher and worked at St Paul’s First School in Cramlington. He has often spoken warmly of his time in the classroom and remains a staunch supporter of the teaching profession.
Key Track – Walking On The Moon
