Career advice

Become a Musician

Musicians are performers who share their musical talent with an audience. They can perform as solo artists, backing musicians or as part of a choir, band or orchestra. They compose music, rehearse songs, record sessions and perform live.

  • Average salary in UK

    £29,786 (PayScale)

  • Average salary in US

    $46,185 (Salary)

  • Average salary in Canada

    CA$58,500 (neuvoo)

  • UK percentage self-employed

    72%
Source: PayScale

What skills do you need to become a musician?

  • Dedication and stamina

    To fully master your instrument or musical talent, it takes a lot of determination and stamina. Musicians need to continually practise and push themselves to improve their skills, so they must be willing to show commitment.

  • Confidence

    A large part of being a musician is performing, often in front of large crowds. This is often what attracts musicians to the job, but it also requires you to have confidence in yourself and your abilities so that you don’t crumble under pressure.

  • Teamwork

    As a musician, you’ll often be working as part of a team where everyone relies on each other, such as in a band or orchestra. It is therefore important that you can communicate well with team members and listen to directions.

  • Musical ability

    You need to have a good level of musical ability in order to succeed as a musician. This may require music lessons or you can be self-taught. It may be an advantage to be able to read music but it is not essential.

Develop these skills. Start a short music course.

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1 ExpertTracks

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Goldsmiths, University of London

Learn to Play Jazz Piano

Gain a thorough and fun introduction to modern jazz piano, from the basics to advanced blues sequences.

4 courses

25 weeks

Intermediate

Find out more

Courses
8 Courses

Learn new skills, pursue your interests or advance your career with our short online courses.

University of Oslo

Music Moves: Why Does Music Make You Move?

4.7 (28 reviews)

Learn about the psychology of music and movement, and how researchers study music-related movements, with this free online course.

6 weeks

3 hrs per week

Included in Unlimited

Find out more
Griffith University

Music Psychology: Why Does "Bohemian Rhapsody" Feel so Good?

4.3 (8 reviews)

Explore music psychology and find out why music can make us feel, by analysing Queen's famous song, "Bohemian Rhapsody".

2 weeks

3 hrs per week

Included in Unlimited

Find out more
Goldsmiths, University of London

Learn Jazz Piano: Advanced and Solo Playing

4.6 (7 reviews)

Prepare to become an experienced solo jazz piano player and go deeper into advanced jazz techniques and theories.

6 weeks

4 hrs per week

Find out more
Goldsmiths, University of London

Learn Jazz Piano: Begin with the Blues

4.6 (44 reviews)

Discover jazz improvisation on the piano, and learn to play and improvise on the blues and a jazz standard.

6 weeks

2 hrs per week

Find out more
Goldsmiths, University of London

Learn Jazz Piano: Final Topics and Two Concerts

Explore advanced blues sequences, ballads, special devices and composing to incorporate Latin and funk into your jazz piano style.

7 weeks

5 hrs per week

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Goldsmiths, University of London

Learn jazz piano: Improvising on Jazz Standards

4.7 (9 reviews)

Improve your jazz improvisation with this course on jazz piano, where you’ll learn to play along to bass and drum soundtracks.

6 weeks

3 hrs per week

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The University of Sheffield

How to Write Your First Song

4.7 (172 reviews)

Get an introduction to the mechanics of songwriting and learn how to write a song of your own with our established songwriters.

6 weeks

3 hrs per week

Included in Unlimited

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The Open University

From Notation to Performance: Understanding Musical Scores

4.5 (61 reviews)

Find out how musicians turn the notation of a musical score into a memorable performance. Change how you listen to music.

4 weeks

3 hrs per week

Included in Unlimited

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The benefits of taking music courses online with FutureLearn

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