Career Opportunities in Music

While many music students seek careers in the fields of teaching or performance, many other possibilities may be considered. These are too numerous and diverse to mention more than briefly. The most common include (but are not limited to) those listed below. In order to provide supplementary information, we are adding links to WWW sites that provide more information about these career possibilities.

General Resources

Music Education	Performance	Church Music	Music Librarianship	Music Therapy
Music Business	Arts Management	Service Careers	Recording & Broadcasting; Motion Picture Industry

Steven Ledbetter, Introduction
to Careers in Music: an essay

General Resources

The Cleveland Institute of Music Library and Resources Career Resources
MENC, The National Association for Music Education, Careers in Music; Dictionary of Music Careers
Bridge: Worldwide Music Connection [subscription service; Career Services Center, New England Conservatory]
Berklee College of Music:

University of Ottawa, Student Academic Success Service, Career Services
University of Wisconsin, River Falls, Music Department, Music Career Opportunities
University of North Carolina at Wilmington, Career Services, Music
Rice University, Navigating Music Careers
Memorial University of Newfoundland, School of Music, Careers in Music
United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), Culture, Music Education and Career Prospects World Directory
Vocational Information Center, Performing Arts Career Guide
KenFoster.com, Music Careers
British Columbia, Ministry of Education, Tuning Up! Getting Into: The Music Industry
City College of San Francisco, Music Department, Careers in Music
collegeboard.com, Musicians and Singers [and see links to other music careers].
American Federation of Musicians
U101 College Search: Links to Learning [links to main homepages (i.e., not music departments) of universities in the U.S.A., Canada, the Caribbean, etc., plus reprints of articles on preparation for university entrance]

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Music Education

public schools

U.S. Department of Labor, Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Outlook Handbooks: Teachers—Preschool, Kindergarten, Elementary, Middle, and Secondary [U.S.A.]

private schools
colleges & universities

U.S. Department of Labor, Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Outlook Handbooks: Teachers—Postsecondary [U.S.A.]
Canadian University Music Society (CUMS)
The College Music Society

studio teaching
consulting

Performance

MENC, The National Association for Music Education, Careers in Music:

Career Center, Music Directors

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collegeboard.com, Music Performance, Jazz Studies, Voice and Opera, Stringed Instruments, Piano and Organ, Conducting

solo performance

Steve Rapson's Solo Performer, Music Careers [focus on solo guitar and song writing]

Robert Rosenblatt, Introduction to Music Careers

conducting
accompanist
chamber music
orchestras
concert bands, dance bands
cruise line performer
choirs
opera, opera chorus
musical theatre
theatre music
theatre directing
dance & choreography

collegeboard.com, Choreographers, Dance

popular bands
rock bands
jazz bands
“back-up” musician (“sideman”)
community music

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Church Music

organist

The Royal Canadian College of Organists

Links [extensive]

singer
choir director

accompanist

Music Librarianship

International Association of Music Libraries, Archives and Documentation Centres (IAML)

International Association of Music Libraries, Archives and Documentation Centers: U.S. Branch
Fontes Artis Musicae (IAML quarterly journal)

Music Library Association

Music Library Association (MLA) Clearinghouse

Directory of Music User Guides for Libraries Compiled by the Bibliographic Instruction Subcommittee Music Library Association

Canadian Association of Music Libraries, Archives, and Documentation Centres (CAML) / Association canadienne des bibliothèques, archives et centres de documentation musicaux (ACBM)
Music Educators National Conference (MENC) [U.S.A.] (National Association for Music Education): Careers in Music: Music Librarianship
collegeboard.com, Library Science, Librarians, Archivists, Music History, Literature, and Theory, Musicology and Ethnomusicology
music libraries

School of Music, Indiana University, William and Gayle Cook Music Library, Worldwide Internet Music Resources, Music Libraries and Library Associations

Libraries, Archives, and Museums

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Music Therapy

Canadian Association for Music Therapy
American Music Therapy Association

British Society for Music Therapy
Association of Professional Music Therapists

Music Educators National Conference (MENC) [U.S.A.] (National Association for Music Education) Careers in Music:

Berklee College of Music, Careers in Music, Careers in Music Therapy
Capilano College, Music Therapy Program
Wilfrid Laurier University, Music Therapy Program
collegeboard.com, Music Therapy

hospitals
professional clinics
corrective institutions
special education
nursing homes
consultant
music medicine (treating profession-specific ailments)

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Music Business

instrument building
instrument repair & maintenance

Guild of American Luthiers (builders and repairers of all string instruments [not just lutes])
The International Violinmakers School of Cremona
collegeboard.com, Precision Instrument and Equipment Repairers

piano tuning

Piano Technicians Guild

publishing & editing (music, history books, textbooks, technical books)

music journalism
music criticism
typesetting & engraving scores

Score WWW site
npc Imaging Directory of Music Engravers

composer

Hobsons CollegeView, Career Center, Music Directors: Composer (Profess. & Kin.) [U.S.A.]
Steve Rapson's Solo Performer, Music Careers [focus on solo guitar and song writing]
collegeboard.com, Music Theory and Composition, Composers

arranger

Hobsons CollegeView [U.S.A.]:

Music Directors: Arranger (Profess. & Kin.) [U.S.A.]
Music Directors: Orchestrator (Profess. & Kin.) [U.S.A.]

Music Technology

Indiana University Music Library Music Resources page list of Music Technology Links
Association for Technology in Music Instruction
McGill University M.Mus. program in Sound Recording
CCRMA (The Stanford University Center for Computer Research in Music and Acoustics)
Institute for Music Research (The University of Texas at San Antonio)
Synth Zone

computers: music hardware & software

Computer Music Journal
Opcode Systems (MIDI sequencing and digital audio recording software)

acoustic engineering

Acoustical Society of America

music architect
costume design
lighting
production services (arranging extra parts, printing scores and parts, managing repairs and maintenance, etc.)
retail & distribution- music books, recordings, musical instruments
translation of lyrics
dance companies: arranging, accompanist
advertising
publicity
recorded music supplier (background music for special purposes, restaurants, offices, clinics, etc.)
copyright and performing rights management
lawyer: contracts, copyright and performing rights
ticket agent
booking agent
artist development manager

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Recording & Broadcasting; Motion Picture Industry

Berklee College of Music, Careers in Music:

recording engineer

McGill University M.Mus. program in Sound Recording
Mix Online (magazine of commercial and project studio recording, concert sound, audio for film and video, etc.)

arranger

Hobsons CollegeView [U.S.A.]:

Music Directors: Arranger (Profess. & Kin.) [U.S.A.]
Music Directors: Orchestrator (Profess. & Kin.) [U.S.A.]

British Columbia, Ministry of Education, [Music Careers in the Motion Picture Industry]

Arts Management

collegeboard.com, Arts Administrators, Arts Management

curator

University of Toronto, Museum Studies Program

concert hall manager
studio manager
broadcasting executive
recording company executive
ensemble manager (orchestra & other ensembles, opera, theatre, etc., road manager)
development director
studio management
career management
booking agent
promotion
advertising
musician's union
audience research
fund raising

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Service Careers

Military & police bands, the RCMP [including jazz and stage band]

The Air Command Band [Canada]

Ensembles: Concert Band; Parade Band; The Hornets; Chamber Ensembles; Stage Band; Dance Band; Jazz Small Groups

Central Band of Canada's Air Force
Royal Canadian Mounted Police Pipes & Drums
la Musique du Royal 22^e Régiment
Second Battalion the Royal Canadian Regiment Pipes & Drums
Naden Band of Maritime Forces Pacific [Navy]
Band of the 15th Field Artillery Regiment, Royal Canadian Artillery
Black Watch Pipes and Drums, Royal Highland Regiment of Canada
Royal Marines Bands and Royal Naval Volunteer Bands [U.K.]
The Band of The Corps of Royal Engineers [U.K.]
Adamson Military Band [U.K.]
The Heritage of Military Bands
Hobsons CollegeView, Career Center, Military Careers: Musicians [U.S.A.]
Today's Military, Officer Careers, Music Directors [U.S.A.]
Hobsons CollegeView, Career Center, [Military] Music Directors [U.S.A.]
U.S. Army Bands [U.S.A.]
The United States Army Field Band [U.S.A.]
The United States Navy Band [U.S.A.]
The United States Military Academy Band [U.S.A.]
The U.S. Naval Academy Band [U.S.A.]
Marine Forces Pacific Band [U.S.A.]
United States Navy, Navy Band Mid-South [U.S.A.]
The United States Coast Guard Band [U.S.A.]
The United States Continental Army Band [U.S.A.]

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Last updated: 27 July 2007.
Copyright © 1998, 1999, 2000, 2002, 2004, 2005, & 2007 by Gordon J. Callon. All rights reserved.			e-mail: gordon.callon @ acadiau.ca

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