Example Career: Musicians and Singers

Career Description

Play one or more musical instruments or sing. May perform on stage, for broadcasting, or for sound or video recording.

What Job Titles Musicians and Singers Might Have

• Choir Member
• Musician
• Singer
• Violinist

What Musicians and Singers Do

• Perform before live audiences in concerts, recitals, educational presentations, and other social gatherings.
• Sing a cappella or with musical accompaniment.
• Interpret or modify music, applying knowledge of harmony, melody, rhythm, and voice production to individualize presentations and maintain audience interest.
• Specialize in playing a specific family of instruments or a particular type of music.
• Sing as a soloist or as a member of a vocal group.
• Observe choral leaders or prompters for cues or directions in vocal presentation.
• Memorize musical selections and routines, or sing following printed text, musical notation, or customer instructions.
• Play musical instruments as soloists, or as members or guest artists of musical groups such as orchestras, ensembles, or bands.
• Sight-read musical parts during rehearsals.
• Play from memory or by following scores.
• Practice singing exercises and study with vocal coaches to develop voice and skills and to rehearse for upcoming roles.
• Listen to recordings to master pieces or to maintain and improve skills.
• Teach music for specific instruments.
• Provide the musical background for live shows, such as ballets, operas, musical theatre, and cabarets.
• Audition for orchestras, bands, or other musical groups.
• Seek out and learn new music suitable for live performance or recording.
• Make or participate in recordings in music studios.
• Promote their own or their group's music by participating in media interviews and other activities.
• Make or participate in recordings.
• Research particular roles to find out more about a character, or the time and place in which a piece is set.
• Learn acting, dancing, and other skills required for dramatic singing roles.
• Transpose music to alternate keys, or to fit individual styles or purposes.
• Direct bands or orchestras.
• Compose songs or create vocal arrangements.
• Arrange and edit music to fit style and purpose.
• Improvise music during performances.
• Collaborate with a manager or agent who handles administrative details, finds work, and negotiates contracts.
• Perform in television, radio, or movie productions.
• Practice performances, individually or in rehearsal with other musicians, to master individual pieces of music or to maintain and improve skills.

What Musicians and Singers Should Be Good At

• Speech Clarity - The ability to speak clearly so others can understand you.
• Oral Comprehension - The ability to listen to and understand information and ideas presented through spoken words and sentences.
• Oral Expression - The ability to communicate information and ideas in speaking so others will understand.
• Hearing Sensitivity - The ability to detect or tell the differences between sounds that vary in pitch and loudness.
• Auditory Attention - The ability to focus on a single source of sound in the presence of other distracting sounds.
• Memorization - The ability to remember information such as words, numbers, pictures, and procedures.
• Speech Recognition - The ability to identify and understand the speech of another person.
• Written Comprehension - The ability to read and understand information and ideas presented in writing.
• Near Vision - The ability to see details at close range (within a few feet of the observer).
• Originality - The ability to come up with unusual or clever ideas about a given topic or situation, or to develop creative ways to solve a problem.

What Musicians and Singers Need to Learn

• English Language - Knowledge of the structure and content of the English language including the meaning and spelling of words, rules of composition, and grammar.
• Fine Arts - Knowledge of the theory and techniques required to compose, produce, and perform works of music, dance, visual arts, drama, and sculpture.
• Customer and Personal Service - Knowledge of principles and processes for providing customer and personal services. This includes customer needs assessment, meeting quality standards for services, and evaluation of customer satisfaction.
• Sales and Marketing - Knowledge of principles and methods for showing, promoting, and selling products or services. This includes marketing strategy and tactics, product demonstration, sales techniques, and sales control systems.