Invisible Career-Path Available Only to Musicians
For a skilled musician, there is an additional career path that is invisible to the non-musician. This is an additional benefit beyond the pleasure of playing music, the attention it brings, and the better academic performance than students who do not learn to play a musical instrument. It is a broad range of extra career opportunities that non-musicians never even consider.
But if you’re a musician, you can apply. Let’s take a look at these careers that are available only to musicians
Education: Are you a musician who has also studied education? If so, there are numerous music education opportunities that may interest you:
§ Music educator at a college, conservatory, university
§ Music teacher at secondary or elementary school
§ Private music instructor
§ Music supervisor
§ Choir director
Therapy: Are you a musician who has also studied psychiatry? You can practice the trade of music therapy in a wide array of settings. Some of the sources of employment for music therapists are the following:
§ Schools
§ Universities
§ Nursing Homes
§ Mental health clinics
§ Correctional Facilities
§ Private practice
Business: Ever wonder what it takes to work in business management? Besides business smarts, an ability to talk the language of music will take you places the non-musican cannot go:
§ Artist Manager or Agent
§ Talent Agent
§ Concert Promoter
§ Independent Radio Promoter
§ Music Business Entrepreneur
§ Music Business Consultant
§ Record Company Executive
§ Music Publisher
§ Tour Coordinator
Performance: Actors are more highly valued if they have a musical education. Today, with so few actors multi-skilled as they were in the era of the large studios, this can be a real advantage. Below are some of the jobs for which an actor who is also a musician may “incidentally” be qualified.
§ Performing artist
§ Soloist, instrumental or vocal
§ Studio musician
§ Background vocalist
§ Theatre musician
§ Accompanist
§ Church musician
§ Product demonstrator for instrument manufacturer
Movies / Video Games: If you study movies or video game production, a background as a musician will help you prepare for music-related jobs such as the following:
§ Conductor
§ Music Composer
§ Music Editor
§ Music Supervisor (to scout for music)
§ Arranger (to determine the mix of song elements per the conductor or producer’s specifications)
§ Sound designer (of effects to accompany music score)
§ Jingle writer / composer
From education to video games, there are careers available for those who happen to have a background in music which the rest of us never see. Each of these fields requires time and study for proficiency, but they represent a career path that is nonexistent for non-musicians.
Tags: independent radio promoter, mental health clinics, music business consultant, performance actors, record company executive