21st century musicians typically combine multiple jobs with multiple income streams to support themselves and their families, and to experience fulfilling careers. Performance and non-performance work do not have to be mutually exclusive; many of the fields below allow musicians to do both.
Note that some of these careers require graduate education (such as college-level teaching and conducting) or additional training beyond what you’ll find in an undergraduate program. Internships are especially important for working in any of the music industry/music business/technology/recording fields. Entrepreneurial skills, the ability to use the latest relevant technology, and some basic business skills like marketing, are also useful in every area of music.
Some job options:
- Educator (K-12, college, university, conservatory, religious organizations, private studio)
- Electronic production and design (including audio engineering, mastering, mixing, music directing, producing, program directing, programming, recording engineer, studio manager, MIDI technician)
- Entrepreneur
- Entertainment lawyer; music business lawyer
- Event production, management, planning, technology
- Film scoring (Composing, editing, supervising, arranging/adapting, mixing, conducting, orchestrating, synthesis specialist, theme specialist)
- Fundraiser, grant writer