Many of us love the sound of studying music at university, but it's understandable if you are unsure about what career paths might follow. However, you shouldn't worry too much: when you study a music degree, jobs of all kinds can become available, including some that you might not expect. If one thing is for sure, the varied skills you will pick up shall enable you to live life to your own beat.
What kind of degrees in music are there?
Music is an extremely broad topic, and you can find an equally broad range of music degrees around the world. Many of these allow you to specialise in a particular field of music. For instance, you could study:
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Music education
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Creative music technology
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Musical theatre
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Songwriting
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Production
Qualifications in music are also varied. The wide range of accreditations you can receive include:
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Bachelor of Music (BM)
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Bachelor of Fine Arts (BFA)
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Bachelor of Science (BS)
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Master of Music (MM)
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Master of Science (MS)
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Doctorate of Musical Arts (DMA)
What skills will a music degree give me?
A degree in music will allow you to gain many academic and personal skills which are easily transferable to all areas of life and work. For example, all music students learn how to work independently, as part of a team, and under pressure. This will be vital in your future profession, whatever it may be.
You will also develop your communication and planning abilities, and sharpen your creative thinking. These soft skills are what employers in all industries look for when recruiting people. They are almost as important as the degree you will receive at the end of your course.
What can I do with a music degree?
If you decide that music is your calling in life, there are many careers available to you. There are the obvious ones like performer, producer and teacher, but with a music degree, jobs don't stop there. Other options include:
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Composer – a person who writes music for various purposes, including movies, theatre or events.
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Songwriter – a person who writes songs for others.
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DJ – a person who plays recorded music for other people.
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Recording engineer – a person who creates, modifies and produces music.
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Music therapist – a health professional who provides treatment to people through the means of music.
As you can see, you are not limited to a single career path. Many music graduates end up having a portfolio career, in which they do more than one thing. They may teach at a university, a conservatory or a school, and also compose music or write songs for clients. This means you may be employed while also working in a freelance capacity, or you may be completely freelance (self-employed).
The music industry was heavily affected by Covid-19, and many future students may worry that a similar thing could happen again. If this makes you less sure about following your dream of studying music, remember that a music degree is far more than just theory and practice. It provides you with vital skills that you can use in all industries, and will give you the chance to work in more than one place and for more than one company or client.
As the saying goes – music makes the world go round!
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