Careers In Music

Musical Artist: Singing for My Supper
If you have immense pleasure when you sing, then pursue a career in music. Biggest piece of advice I can pass on to another musical artist: Take all the dance, acting, language you can. Find the best teacher, accept criticism, then find your own voice.

Musical Artist: Opera Singer
Singing for a living is purely a personal choice. My bigggest advice to young singers who are considering a career on the operatic stage is this: If there is anything else in your life you can see yourself doing, then do that! A career on the stage is a difficult one full of competition. Only about 5% of those with degrees from college in music actually have careers in the field. BUT, if singing is your number one passion, then by all means...GO FOR IT!

Musical Artist: Opera Singer
Make sure you want it desperately and there is NOTHING else on this earth that you’d rather do, because it’s a hard but rewarding road.

Musical Artist: Jack of all trades, and Master's Degree too!
People will tell you all sorts of truths and lies about success in this career. It is possible to make a very good living, and it is possible to live in poverty. You have to decide how important it is to follow your career path. Instead of a narrow focus, the older I got the more diversified my interests and skill set became, and that is why I'm now working at the Juilliard School.

Musical Artist: Pianist, Teacher, Ph.D.
Learn to be as flexible as possible. Be able to play or sing in any style you can master. Don't think you don't need to learn to read music or do theory because some famous rapper or pop singer doesn't. In the real world of music, skills count. You need to be prepared to work twice as hard as any one else if you want to succeed in this career. Being a musical artist is not a job, it is a way of life.

DJ: "Play that funky music" (insert your race and sex here)
Don’t you love it when you hear something so good that you just want to get up and start dancing? One good song could change your entire mood. If you can relate to what I’m saying, then you truly understand how important the music is when you are at a club, party, or even a wedding. The one person that is responsible for making sure everyone is having a good time is the DJ. If you think you have a unique taste in music, one that will blow people’s minds, this could be the career for you.

Musical Artist: The thing you love. But how much?
Everyone dreams of the money and fame. Everyone deludes themselves into thinking that they're better, luckier, more creative, or even that they have the connections to make it happen. The reality is, when it comes to being a musician and getting a lucrative record deal-you have almost no control over your destiny. You can work hard; and you should. You can play hard; and you should. You can hone your songwriting craft; and you BETTER. But do it because you love to do it. Do it because there's n...

Musical Artist: Opera Singer
Be willing to accept giving up a lot of things. The travel tends to take the place of a social life, the struggle of finding work replaces a decent pay check, and the long hours of practicing and coaching when you aren't vocally "sound" on a particular day may come as disappointments. However, the reward of commanding a stage and bringing some of the most beautiful operas to life is a feeling that cannot be explained in words. It is pure exhilaration.