Can you take the classes you would need to be a music educator? That's the one thing I did not do that I wish I had. I am a freelance musician also, but I have had a lot of odd jobs and then raised a family and now I wish I had obtained the music ed degree. I did not think I would want to teach kids in a classroom setting (band), but after being involved with kids for 20 years, hindsight is 20/20. At least with a music ed degree you can teach in a school, not in Michigan (there are no jobs here) but somewhere.