4 answers
Leah
Student
Rock Hill, South Carolina
2
Questions
Asked
386 views
Is majoring in music and going in a music career worth it?
For wanting to be in a orchestra or play classical music professionally, what would be needed to have those oppritunities?
What are the things that come along with playing professionally?
How would income work and how much would it look like?
I'd like to travel and play with people, and maybe even teach like private lessons.
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4 answers
Katherine Avery
Run a music studio and teach private music lessons; teach college-level religion classes
222
Answers
Spanish Fork, Utah
Updated
Katherine’s Answer
You can certainly teach if you have skills for music and teaching, no matter what else you do with music professionally or as an amateur. You could set up profiles on Thumbtack or Lessons.com and see what leads you attract through those platforms in your area, and taking a look at what the platforms offer can give you an idea of the amount of market you'd have for teaching business in a certain number of miles around you.
Lennox Morey
Program Manager
4
Answers
Hillsboro, Oregon
Updated
Lennox’s Answer
There are a variety of ways you can think about whether going into music is "worth it". Here are some specifics and what you might think about as you consider:
(1) 'What would be needed to have the opportunity to play in an orchestra or classical music professionally?'
Qualifications: Many musicians choose to study music at a college/university level, and some go on to pursue graduate degrees. Performance degrees are focused around preparing you to be a professional musician. If you have many interests, you could also choose to double major or to minor in another field that you also find interesting. Some people choose to study business in addition to music because being a professional performer is a lot like being an entrepreneur! You are selling your music as a product and trying to get orchestras and performance venues to agree to pay you for it.
Technical and musicianship skills: Learn all of your major and minor scales and be able to play them at any volume from pp to ff, legato and staccato. Prepare a few solo pieces that you can play at will for auditions and other performance opportunities. Become familiar with the literature of your voice/instrument: look up famous solos from those pieces and other 'literature reviews' for your instrument. Practice audition skills. I recommend googling Jeff Nelson's 'Fearless Performance' seminars. Practice performing!
Affording auditions: This is no joke. Auditions are very expensive: you will need to fly around the country and pay for lodging, food, etc. to take auditions... and the vast majority of auditions will go nowhere. Plan for this by putting money aside early.
Mental skills: There is a lot of rejection in music. It's challenging to do a subjective art professionally! You will need to build your emotional/mental resilience. If/when you go to college, I recommend taking advantage of free mental health services to begin learning how to stay positive and resilient. It's definitely possible, but you'll be better off if you have these skills early in the game.
Physical skills: Be *extremely* careful about ergonomics. Being a musician is like being a small muscle (fingers, throat, mouth, hands) athlete. Take care of your body by learning about common repetitive motion injuries on your instrument and working to avoid them.
(2) Things that come along with playing professionally?
Travel!!! There is a LOT of travel. Needing to take care of your body. For example, if you are a professional piano player, you might need to skip skiing the day before a performance because you rely on your hand health for your income. Income challenges. See the next answer.
(3) How would income work/how much?
The vast majority of professional musicians have multiple income streams. If you google salary of an orchestra player, you'll see that the national average is around $50k. It might be a long time before you get into an orchestra that pays 'full' time! I would expect something more like $7k-25k for early career orchestras. Professionals often supplement their income by teaching lessons, playing gigs like orchestra pits and weddings, touring and playing as guest performers, and recording. Doing all of those things requires a lot of driving and travel, which will cost money too.
As you consider your music career, I hope you think expansively about what a career in music might look like. There are a lot of ways to be a musician and working in the music industry - producing music, performing, teaching lessons, writing songs are just a few examples.
The last thing I want to add: think *very* carefully about where and when you go to college. Paying off student loans is extremely expensive. You will be bound to a specific payoff schedule and it will limit your options because you will *need* a job. If there is ANY way you can study music without taking on loans - do it!
(1) 'What would be needed to have the opportunity to play in an orchestra or classical music professionally?'
Qualifications: Many musicians choose to study music at a college/university level, and some go on to pursue graduate degrees. Performance degrees are focused around preparing you to be a professional musician. If you have many interests, you could also choose to double major or to minor in another field that you also find interesting. Some people choose to study business in addition to music because being a professional performer is a lot like being an entrepreneur! You are selling your music as a product and trying to get orchestras and performance venues to agree to pay you for it.
Technical and musicianship skills: Learn all of your major and minor scales and be able to play them at any volume from pp to ff, legato and staccato. Prepare a few solo pieces that you can play at will for auditions and other performance opportunities. Become familiar with the literature of your voice/instrument: look up famous solos from those pieces and other 'literature reviews' for your instrument. Practice audition skills. I recommend googling Jeff Nelson's 'Fearless Performance' seminars. Practice performing!
Affording auditions: This is no joke. Auditions are very expensive: you will need to fly around the country and pay for lodging, food, etc. to take auditions... and the vast majority of auditions will go nowhere. Plan for this by putting money aside early.
Mental skills: There is a lot of rejection in music. It's challenging to do a subjective art professionally! You will need to build your emotional/mental resilience. If/when you go to college, I recommend taking advantage of free mental health services to begin learning how to stay positive and resilient. It's definitely possible, but you'll be better off if you have these skills early in the game.
Physical skills: Be *extremely* careful about ergonomics. Being a musician is like being a small muscle (fingers, throat, mouth, hands) athlete. Take care of your body by learning about common repetitive motion injuries on your instrument and working to avoid them.
(2) Things that come along with playing professionally?
Travel!!! There is a LOT of travel. Needing to take care of your body. For example, if you are a professional piano player, you might need to skip skiing the day before a performance because you rely on your hand health for your income. Income challenges. See the next answer.
(3) How would income work/how much?
The vast majority of professional musicians have multiple income streams. If you google salary of an orchestra player, you'll see that the national average is around $50k. It might be a long time before you get into an orchestra that pays 'full' time! I would expect something more like $7k-25k for early career orchestras. Professionals often supplement their income by teaching lessons, playing gigs like orchestra pits and weddings, touring and playing as guest performers, and recording. Doing all of those things requires a lot of driving and travel, which will cost money too.
As you consider your music career, I hope you think expansively about what a career in music might look like. There are a lot of ways to be a musician and working in the music industry - producing music, performing, teaching lessons, writing songs are just a few examples.
The last thing I want to add: think *very* carefully about where and when you go to college. Paying off student loans is extremely expensive. You will be bound to a specific payoff schedule and it will limit your options because you will *need* a job. If there is ANY way you can study music without taking on loans - do it!
Andrew Chandler
Digital Design
1
Answer
New York, New York
Updated
Andrew’s Answer
Hi Leah...it sounds like you are focused on orchestral playing, and that's always a great option. I played in orchestras and loved it. I would also encourage you think other possibilities, too. Music is indeed an entrepreneurial endeavor, and players who can create their own opportunities have more options in their career and potentially greater chance of fulfillment as a musician. This can take the form of a freelance career, where you fill your schedule and get income from individual gigs, or a of a career where you form a group of some sort and look for performance opportunities, or many other possibilities. There are as many career paths as there are musicians! It helps if you find an anchor gig, something steady (like a church job that is a few hours every week, very dependable, or teaching), and then it's easier to manage the ups and downs of freelance life (or plenty of musicians have a part-time job to do that) until you build up to doing something that supports you fully.
There is no doubt that being a musician professionally comes with its challenges (financial and otherwise), but it can be incredibly rewarding if you don't get discouraged and instead get creative when the going gets tough. One last thing: being a musician can lead to other wonderful things, if you decide after a while it's not working for you. You can try it and see where it goes!
There is no doubt that being a musician professionally comes with its challenges (financial and otherwise), but it can be incredibly rewarding if you don't get discouraged and instead get creative when the going gets tough. One last thing: being a musician can lead to other wonderful things, if you decide after a while it's not working for you. You can try it and see where it goes!
Ellie Davis
Target
25
Answers
Loveland, Colorado
Updated
Ellie’s Answer
It is truly worth it if you love music and want to do it! Just because you leave high school doesn't mean you need to stop pursuing the arts! Look into things such as music education, performance, and musical therapy! If you're really worried about majoring, you can even do a minor I'm music, or join your colleges ensembles while not being a music major.