Love Music? 10 Music Careers You Can Have Today!

You don't have to be Brittney Spears or Beyonce' to earn money as a musician, or even just as a music lover. If you have a passion for music and a little bit of perseverance, you can do what you love and make money, too!

Professional Musician
Becoming a professional musician may be the most grueling musical career path you can choose. True, there are a handful of bands and singers out there making millions of dollars, but the average musician usually scrapes along with a combination of music gigs, studio work, and teaching jobs. All the same, if you have a passion for music, there are enough online resources out there for you to perform, record, market, and sell your music with minimal financial investment from you. If you want some tips on landing a music gig, read the article "How to get a music gig".

Online Music Store Owner
If you are a musician or a music lover who has some business savvy, starting your own online music business may be the way to go. You might decide to sell local band merchandise, recordings, instruments, or even sheet music. Setting up a free online store is relatively easy, even if you aren't computer savvy.

Music Teacher
Teaching music can mean anything from giving local kids piano or drum lessons to teaching at the elementary school or local early childhood center. While many music teaching jobs require a college degree, there are also opportunities to teach at community centers, museums, or as visiting artists to local schools.

Recording Engineer
If you are good with a mixing board and have serious listening skills, you can get a great job as a recording engineer. Typically you will need schooling, experience, or both before you can land your first paying job. The best bet? Try to get an internship at a local studio to learn the ropes, then work up from there.

Music Director
There are many community ensembles and church groups who need a qualified person to direct their ensembles. While professional training is not necessary in all cases, the better paying jobs will require either experience or a degree before they will pay a decent salary.

High School Band Director
Being a high school band director is half musical experience and half high school psychologist. If you love teens and you love music, you might enjoy teaching high school band or choir.

Music Librarian
Even if you have never picked up an instrument in your life, if you love music and want to be inundated by music each and every day, you may want a job as a music librarian. Depending on the library, you may have to have some training in library studies, though most smaller communities will not require a degree, just a love of music.

Music Therapist
Music therapy is a relatively new field. Similar to art therapy, music therapy uses the arts to treat illness caused by injury, mental illness, and aging. In fact, geriatric centers often hire music therapists because the music benefits clients significantly. Music Therapists often have a music background and have a degree in physical therapy. Compared to the other careers listed, a music therapist can make a decent and dependable salary with a reasonable time commitment.

Music Professor
If you wish to teach the Mozarts of tomorrow, you might opt for a job as a music professor. To receive full time tenure, you will need a doctorate in music plus an extensive resume' full of performances, awards, and publications. If you have less than this, you can teach part time as an adjunct professor.

Audiovisual Technician
Large auditoriums, theaters, and churches often need audio professionals to take care of their sound, multimedia, and visual needs. If you love cables and electronic music, you might enjoy being an audiovisual technician. As an audiovisual technician, you will be in charge of sound, music, and possibly other aspects of production like lighting and media.