March 12, 2015 What Can You Do With A Degree In Music? Six Fun And Rewarding Careers To Consider
Attaining a degree in music opens up a world of possibilities. Not only is it enjoyable and mentally stimulating, but it can be very rewarding financially, as well. Among many others, you can pursue careers such as video game audio, orchestral musician, musical therapist, TV music supervising, music attorney and orchestra conductor.
Video Game Audio
Assistant engineers who create the rough drafts of video game music in the studio usually make about $18,000 a year. However, there are many opportunities to advance. Audio directors who oversee the projects earn around $140,000 and the actual code developers can make up to $150,000 a year.
Orchestral Musician
Although open orchestral music positions can be hard to find, they are very rewarding. Depending on the venue, you can make anywhere from $28,000 to $143,000, and it is a very respectable career. If you love to play instruments and want to make money doing it, this is a great option.
TV Music Supervisor
As with many careers in the music industry, you might not make a set amount. Some careers involve royalty payments, while television music supervisors are generally given money on a project-to-project basis. Not only would you be able to select the music for motion pictures, but you could make up to half a million for each job. Even so, beginner jobs with minor films usually make around $2,000 per project.
Musical Therapist
With opportunities of helping people in prisons or nursing homes through music, musical therapists usually start with a salary of around $20,000. However, private practitioners can make up to $135,000 a year. This is a career that is very rewarding, and there are many opportunities to make more money. Having a master’s degree in music education is helpful for a job such as this.
Music Attorney
Musicians making large amounts of sales practically necessitate having someone to cover legal issues such as copyright infringements, trademark use and contract negotiations, which is where being a music attorney comes in. As a legal representative for a major artist, you could make anywhere from $70,000 to $150,000 a year. Usually, this career requires a master’s degree.
Orchestra Conductor
Conducting choirs, operas or orchestras can be an amazing and prestigious opportunity, especially in large cities hosting huge venues and crowds. Salaries can range from $15,000 to $275,000, and some smaller institutions even offer part time work.
With a wide range of potential salaries and careers available in the music industry, you could be anything from a video game audio designer, an orchestral musician, a musical therapist, a TV music supervisor, a music attorney and or an orchestra conductor.
Reader Comments (3)
#7 Sell pencils while living under a bridge
Actually, to become a credentialed music therapist, one needs to have first been a music therapy major or taken an Equivalency Program at an American Music Therapy Association-approved school. To learn more, visit AMTA's website and read articles about careers in music therapy on MajoringInMusic.com.
If you are interested in exploring the realm of music careers as told by successful people my book is an easy read.
:)Michael