So, one of my friends is majoring in English with a minor in Creative Writing, and she always jokes about how it’s the perfect combination for unemployment. Well, I don’t know much about what it is like to major in English or what the prospects are, but I can tell you about that stuff in regards to music as a major. I think that music is something that, if you love it, pursue it to no end. Keep going, and don’t stop. That being said, I believe that you can major in music even if your career plans do not include music-at least on the forefront.
Next week, I will giving you guys some insight into the different majors or concentrations that you can pursue within a music program. This week, I am preparing you so that you can start thinking about the end goal, which will then help you determine the best course of study FOR YOU.
I’m breaking it down into a few sections: Music Performance/Composition (like if you want to pursue music and want nothing else to it), Music Education, Music Business/Industry, Careers Outside of Music. First up, straight up music.
Music Performance/Composition
There are not that many careers in the field of performance and composition (other than those in the title), but there are a few. Careers include:
Orchestra Member
Choir Member
Opera Singer
Musical Theatre Singer
Chamber Group Member
Soloist (although you have to be at the VERY top for this one)
Accompanist
Pit Orchestra Musicians
Cruise ship Musician
Composer
Arranger/Orchestration
Transcriber
Music Education
You might think that there’s really only one type of career you can have in the field of music education, but that is far from the truth! Careers include:
Early Childhood Music Teacher
Elementary/General Music Teacher
Choir Director (K-12)
Orchestra/Strings Director (K-12)
Band Director (K-12)
Private Music Instructor
Collegiate Choir/Orchestra/Band/Marching Director
College Music Professor
College Studio (Private Lessons) Instructor
Music Business/Industry
This list is comparably smaller, because I am not too familiar with the commercial side of music. I included those that I have heard of. Careers include:
Producer
Audio/Recording Engineer
Songwriter
Studio Executive
Music Manager
Careers Outside of Music
I would put a list here of the careers that you can pursue outside of the music world, but there are too many to list. Quite frankly, you can pursue just about any career with a music degree. In a music program, you learn a ton of great skills that most employers are looking for, such as team work, time management, and leadership. You also have the opportunity to learn project management and marketing when you do your junior and/or senior recital. The point of this category was not to give a list of non-music careers that you could pursue, because the options are endless. The point of this part was to give you a sense of something (I don’t know what exactly) that if you don’t end up pursuing music professionally, you will be okay. Your degree will not be wasted. In fact, music majors are more likely than any other major to accepted into medical school. Crazy, right?!
So, overall, I think that you have quite a few options for careers after graduation. Music is a good major, if you are willing to put in the work that is required. I’m not gonna lie, sometimes I get jealous of my non-music major friends. They have more free time, but I remind myself that it is totally worth it. If music is your passion, you should at least consider studying it in college. Even if you end up deciding that music as a career is not for you (because tbh, I’m still questioning if it is right for me), you will have earned a degree in an amazing subject. You get to study and play music, what could be wrong with that?
So, what is your major (or what will it be)? Let me know in the comments!
Thanks for reading!
So, what is your major (or what will it be)? Let me know in the comments!
Thanks for reading!