Sub sections:
Careers in Music
There exists a great diversity of choice for someone seeking employment in music related fields at the present time. However, very few of these options offer an adequate sole income. For example, very few composers are lucky enough to have an adequate income from composition alone; most will have to supplement their income with private teaching, tertiary teaching, etc. The same can be said for performers. There are many people who do make a relatively good income from several sources, often all in music related fields. For instance it is quite common to find people working simultaneously as freelance performers, composers (often for film or television) as well as doing private instrumental teaching.
This diversity of options means that it is possible to construct a complimentary combination of income-earning skills based upon a person's individual talents and interests provided that some care is given to initial planning. It also takes a significant amount of time and dedication to become established in the chosen areas. There are many lucrative career opportunities that have a component of music as well as involving other skills. This is particularly true in areas involving technology and computers. Computer literacy is a distinct advantage in almost all areas of employment and is particularly important in some areas of music. The rapid development of digital technologies has made some employment options redundant while at the same time creating a wealth of new opportunities. These new technologies have implications in all areas of music from academic studies to performance, composition and beyond.
There are a few reference books available for people investigating music-based employment. One book in particular stands out as being the definitive resource in the area of popular music and technology in Australia: The Power and the Passion: A Guide to the Australian Music Industry by Lesley Sly, published in 1993 by Warner/Chappell Music, Sydney, Australia. Unfortunately, no counterpart exists in the area of classical music at this time.
The following list of career options is intended as a guide for people wishing to work in music. It should not be regarded as having a direct relationship to the degrees offered by UNE. However graduates of Music have at some time or other, worked in most of these areas.
Academic
- composition
- ethnomusicology
- musicianship
- musicology
- performance
- technology
- music librarian/archivist
- research assistant
- technician
Composition
- freelance
- theatre/dance
- film/video/tv
- community music
- composer in residence
Industry
- arts administrator
- community music officer
- concert management
- critic/reviewer
- film/video/tv
- radio
- instrument building/maintenance
- multimedia production
- music management/promotion
- retail industry
- music notation/typesetting
- music librarian/archivist
- producer
- recording engineer
- live sound engineer
- MIDI/computer programming
Performance
- accompanist
- conductor
- freelance
- orchestral
- chamber music
- popular/rock/jazz
- performer in residence
Teaching
- Government School classroom
- Private School classroom
- Government School instrumental
- Private School instrumental
- private instrumental
- private theory