What type of job can you get with a degree in music ?

Question

I play violin and I would like to get a job that involes traveling and playing

Answer 1

There are several types of music degrees you can get...here is the lowdown:

MUSIC EDUCATION:  You will come out certified to teach music, band, orchestra, chorus from grades K-12.  You will be doing a great amount of playing, but any performance opportunities that come out of that will be strictly up to you.

MUSIC PERFORMANCE:  You will work intensely on your own instrument, and still take the ear training and theory courses.  What you get out of it depends on two thigns, the prestige of the program and the effort you put into learning.  Some contacts made be easier to make because of the degree, but most entworking will still be up to you.

MUSIC BUSINESS:  You will take the same courses as a performacne major, as well as economics and business courses.  People who come out can go into small business management, or industry.

MUSIC THERAPY:  Many of your courses will be education and health-care based.  You would need to find a practice that employs musical therapists or start one of your own.  Demand is sketchy depending on the area and client base.

Any kind of specializing, like composition or conducting, is usually done at the graduate level.  Conductors will usually get to travel more, but don't get to play since they are in front of the group.  

Keep in mind that it does matter where you choose to get your degree in this business.  If you get a generalized music degree from Nowhere University, it will basically qualify you to bag groceries.

Answer 2

Excerpt from:

U.S. Department of Labor

Occupational Outlook Handbook, 2008-09 Edition  

Musicians, singers, and related workers held about 264,000 jobs in 2006. Around 35 percent worked part time; 48 percent were self-employed. Many found jobs in cities in which entertainment and recording activities are concentrated, such as New York, Los Angeles, Las Vegas, Chicago, and Nashville.

Musicians, singers, and related workers are employed in a variety of settings. Of those who earn a wage or salary, 35 percent were employed by religious organizations and 11 percent by performing arts companies such as professional orchestras, small chamber music groups, opera companies, musical theater companies, and ballet troupes. Musicians and singers also perform in nightclubs and restaurants and for weddings and other events. Well-known musicians and groups may perform in concerts, appear on radio and television broadcasts, and make recordings and music videos. The U.S. Armed Forces also offer careers in their bands and smaller musical groups.

Employment is expected to grow about as fast as the average for all occupations. Keen competition for jobs, especially full-time jobs, is expected to continue. Talented individuals who are skilled in multiple instruments or musical styles will have the best job prospects.

Employment change. Overall employment of musicians, singers, and related workers is expected to grow 11 percent during the 2006-16 decade, about as fast as the average for all occupations. Most new wage-and-salary jobs for musicians will arise in religious organizations. Five percent growth is expected for self-employed musicians, who generally perform in nightclubs, concert tours, and other venues. The Internet and other new forms of media may provide independent musicians and singers alternative methods to distribute music.

Job prospects. Growth in demand for musicians will generate a number of job opportunities, and many openings also will arise from the need to replace those who leave the field each year because they are unable to make a living solely as musicians or singers, or for other reasons.

Competition for jobs as musicians, singers, and related workers is expected to be keen, especially for full-time jobs. The vast number of people with the desire to perform will continue to greatly exceed the number of openings. New musicians or singers will have their best chance of landing a job with smaller, community-based performing arts groups or as freelance artists. Talented individuals who are skilled in multiple instruments or musical styles will have the best job prospects. However, talent alone is no guarantee of success: many people start out to become musicians or singers but leave the profession because they find the work difficult, the discipline demanding, and the long periods of intermittent unemployment a hardship.