Hello! I am a junior in high school. I love to sing, it is my passion. But, I have doubts that it will get me anywhere in life. Any input?

I am a singer/songwriter and performer. I have been playing & writing music since I was 12 years old. Ever since I was a child, music has been a great passion for me. Music has taken me to LA for 5 years where I worked in major recording studios, to Europe twice to perform and all throughout the United States. I have had so many amazing experiences that I would not trade for anything. That being said - there is a great trade off you make to pursue a career in music.

I currently perform and teach for a living. I run a music club at an after school program during the week and perform just about every Fri/Sat night. I have my own music that I write and produce as well. I studied audio production in college which is how I found my was to Los Angeles working in major studios with some amazing artists I had looked up to throughout my life. I left the studio to begin performing and that has brought me to so many places and people I never would have seen otherwise.

I wouldn't say my life is glamorous by any means. I have friends who have pursued more stable or traditional career paths and they may (or may not) be more secure in terms of finances and such. There are catches that come with performing such as no health insurance, no vacation or sick time and a decent amount of responsibility since you are the only one making sure you have enough money to pay rent. But like I said, I wouldn't trade it for anything. It's not an easy path and it has its ups & downs just like any other, but it is a special and unique path. Not to be cliche but if you love what you do, you never work a day in your life.

I'm a trombonist, and I love playing music. Up until 3rd year of college I played in a pretty intense orchestra and did band activities. I would say I was pretty intense about playing trombone. Getting good at something feels great. I'm still working on improving as a musician.

As I started work, I found that there is less time to dedicate to hobbies. As you have a family, kids, I think it only gets worse. At the same time, I found that there are organizations to cater to those people (casual musicians) and you can be active in finding people to perform with.

At my workplace, I am currently trying to organize a music group to play for holiday parties. A skill is forever a skill as long as you work on it, and it's also a practice. Singing probably makes you feel good, as playing trombone feels good for me. So doing is more important than anything. I also found that being too intense about anything can make me feel sick of the thing I'm doing (practicing too much made me not want to play anymore) -- does that happen for you? If so, it's a good sign that you probably don't want to make it your career.

Are you interested in other professions? I like my current profession because there is stability, I am confident in what I do (I'm not as confident as a musician because there are so many people who are better than me), and I generally enjoy doing the tasks.

Basically, I think:
Career- something you can continue for a long time and not get sick of it. lets you make a living.
Hobby-something you want to get better at but dont want to make your main thing

Hope that helps!

Hi,
Singing is one of those things that you can do for many different reasons. It does not necessarily need to be a career, it can remain a passion of yours without making it your primary way to make money. Or, you can do a lot of different things with singing...take lessons, tryout for a talent/reality show, go to a college for music...or you can sing part time at local venues to make extra money while you earn your primary income another way.

It is all up to you and what you want to do with your singing ability.
I would strongly suggest having a back up career and income plan for making money while you figure this all out and on your way to stardom! :)

Good luck!

Hi David,
As a Board Certified Music Therapist I get to use music to improve lives. Many music therapists have additional careers as performers, song writers, etc.

Go to musictherapy.org to the American Music Therapy Association website to learn about this personally rewarding field. It may not be the highest paying music profession, but using a passion for good while getting paid is a way to a long career.

One of the keys to satisfaction in a social service career is to examine your values around money.

If you know you want a "movie star" or luxurious life style, than using your music as a talented amateur or semi-pro part-time or volunteer while perusing another livelihood might be better.

Keep singing and best of luck.

Rae Sirott, LCSW, PMTBC

Hi David!

Singing is my passion too! My overall suggestion is to keep studying voice/performance, even if you don’t know precisely where it will lead you. Performing, studying performance, and being onstage will stay with you in every part of your life. It will inform (ultimately) who you are and how you interact with the world.

Keep singing for yourself more than for anyone else.

My path took me away from performing professionally, but into a career in management. I’ve been able to keep performing music I love in settings I love, while managing operations for a live music venue. The way I interact with people and my interpersonal skills grew directly out of performing.

Keep performing and learning. Keep going and be yourself. Allow yourself to explore work and friends and experiences that you enjoy, and know that you’ll ultimately find your path through to your future self.