In the previous two posts (Part 2, Part 3), we talked about how to decide whether a career in performance or teaching might or might not be right for you, with the understanding that before taking a degree in music you should have some idea of the musical fields in which you could see yourself working with success and satisfaction. In this final installment, we’ll walk through a few other possibilities for careers in music.
Conducting
Yes, most orchestral and choral conductors begin with undergraduate performance degrees, but know what you’re getting into before you set your sights on a conducting career. Jobs with professional ensembles are extremely few and far between. I have known conductors who studied with legends like Herbert von Karajan and Leonard Bernstein [below: Leonard Bernstein performs Beethoven’s Ode to Joy – Finale] whose work consists of conducting amateur orchestras. To conduct professional orchestras full-time, you must be fantastically talented and trained to the hilt. Then you typically have to serve as an assistant conductor in multiple places, wherever jobs are open, often well into your adult life. For instance, one very talented friend of mine in his late 30s was recently dividing his time between assistantships in Pittsburgh, Houston, and Paris, while his wife lived and worked in Philadelphia.  Know what you’re getting into.
[Read more…] about Should I Get a Degree in Music? (Part 4): Other Careers in Music