Voice Major Career Opportunities

[SG1071]

Hi.

As D25 (a voice performance major) auditions at various colleges, we parents are desperately trying to figure out career options for vocal majors. According to Google, “the U.S. entertainment industry is worth $649 billion, making it the largest in the world. This industry is expected to grow to $808 billion by 2028, with an annual growth rate of 4.3%.” Given these figures, it seems that anyone pursuing a music-related degree should have a good chance of finding a job in the industry. Is that true?

I would like to hear insights from parents and students who are currently in vocal majors or have graduated. Specifically, I’m interested in learning about music-related career options, how colleges approach career opportunities for music students, the struggles students face, earning potential, and more. Also, specifically, what are the opportunities in choral music? Are there big choir companies (not small/local/church groups)that hire singers with stable jobs?

Please note that I am not debating whether my daughter should pursue a music degree based on her passion for music, irrespective of the future. Instead, I am focused on how best to guide her path so she can pursue what she loves while also ensuring that after graduation, she can earn a decent living and feel confident that her degree was worthwhile. I have come across many YouTube videos where music graduates express regret over their degrees, which adds to my concern.

So far, I’ve made the following observations (though I may be mistaken):

1. Students majoring in instruments, music industry, music education, and electronic music/music production appear to have more direct pathways to music-related jobs after college, such as positions with orchestras and entertainment companies. This seems possible without pursuing a master’s degree or a double major.

2. Classical vocal performance majors seem to have the least career opportunities directly related to their field. I rarely hear about classical singers in mainstream media, except for the most famous opera singers. This makes me think that unless a student is exceptionally talented, a career in classical vocals might be difficult to attain. What do classical vocal majors do with their degrees? Colleges refer to this as a “professional degree,” which implies a similar career path to those in engineering or medicine. Is this accurate?

3. Vocal performance majors can consider minoring in more marketable areas such as Music Industry, Arts Management, or Music Production. This leads me to wonder if the training from a vocal performance degree itself might not directly translate into earning potential.

4. While a vocal performance major could open a music studio, I am specifically asking about stable “day” or evening jobs.

5. If we treat a music degree like any humanities degree, sure, there are opportunities to pursue graduate degrees in different fields, such as law or an MBA. However, I feel that an English major, for instance, learns valuable analytical and writing skills that would be beneficial in law or business, compared to the courses taken by a music performance major.

Thanks for reading my long post. Looking forward to hearing from you all.

[Clara30]

This varies so much. I was a vocal performance major in college, and I ended up deciding that I didn’t want to be a “starving” artist and added Music Business my sophomore year. I’m now an executive assistant at a technology company, and I sing in two choirs and do weddings, funerals, and special events in my spare time, LOL. Career paths are many and varied, but I’ll tell you what I can based on my own experience and that of the singers I’ve been surrounded with.

1. Instrumentalists definitely have a more direct path, though it’s not necessarily easier. For example, there are some good paid orchestra jobs if you play an instrument, but there will be a million people auditioning for every spot, so you have to be absolutely the best of the best to get on with one of the big orchestras. Choirs don’t really operate the same way, and while there are a few ensembles around that pay their singers (opera and symphony choruses, a few chamber groups), they would be considered more like supplemental income and not really a day job. Likewise, there are still some churches that hire singers either to be section leaders or just to sing in their choir, but again, those are usually 2 days a week for a few hours, so not exactly the best way to pay the rent.

I would assume that most classical instrumentalists have master’s degrees, but those who are in pop/jazz/other genres probably don’t need them. Same with classical singers - you definitely need a master’s for opera, but not so much for more contemporary styles of music. There is some studio work available for musicians of all types in bigger cities, including probably some vocal work, if you can get your name out there with the studios. I actually interned with a studio in Dallas that had a list of singers they called for commercial work, etc, if they needed it.

2. There are definitely limited opportunities for classical vocal performance majors, but they do exist. Most opera work in the US is contract work. You basically find out who is doing an opera that has a role for your voice part, and then you audition wherever that role is. If you’re lucky, it pays enough to cover your expenses while you are in that city performing, or they give you some sort of stipend for living expenses in addition to whatever they are paying you to sing.

If you are willing to learn a new language and move to Europe, there are some places that keep singers literally on staff. I have two friends (a couple) who just moved back from Germany after singing with the Berlin Opera for about 10 years. They loved it there, but the problem is that they will use you to death, and they care less about your vocal health than they should. She did okay there and is now singing and teaching the US, but he started having vocal problems in Germany after being overworked (men’s voices mature later than women’s so singing frequent big roles too early can be a problem), and now he is in a non-music career. I don’t know if he plans to try to rehabilitate his voice and start singing again or not.

3. This is the eternal paradox about majoring in performance. Do you double major to have a “back up plan”? And if you do, does that make you more likely to quit performing because you have something to fall back on? It’s something that literally every music major since the dawn of time has struggled with, and it’s a decision that only that particular musician can make for him/herself. A vocal performance degree from a liberal arts university will give you a liberal arts education, so you’ll have that going for you. Conservatories are much more focused and don’t give as robust an education in other areas, but most do offer some courses in entrepreneurship and some of the basics of running a business, which makes sense, since many musicians will spend their lives as independent contractors.

4. I have several friends who were vocal performance majors, and they now direct opera programs or teach voice at various universities across the country. Most of them did the opera circuit in the US and Europe for several years before settling down into their university jobs. It gives you “street cred” to have a bunch of roles under your belt before you start teaching.

5. A musician who really wants to go on to pursue a law degree, or a medical degree, or whatever higher ed degree can absolutely do so. Some musicians go on to practice entertainment/contract law, and some ENTs started their lives as singers. They have to pass the same tests as anyone else going into that degree, which could take some additional study and/or leveling work. But my first job out of college was supporting an executive who was a music major in college and then went on to get his MBA. He actually initially interviewed me BECAUSE I had music on my resume, and he figured that meant I had a good work ethic. Having that in common made us a great team. So, sometimes it works out in our favor

[bridgenail]

When you ask about a “stable” job (maybe with a choir company), are you asking if there is an employment contract that guarantees you a salary…for say a year or two…while you sing with a choir? There are a couple of professional choirs that I would guess have contracts with their singers for a year. I’ve known a few people who have done that and in most cases they still have another job…studio teaching or working at a church. But i would guess that there is a performance contract. BUT it’s not exactly like being “hired for a job at ABC company for 40 hours a week”

When my D got her first contact with the opera “company” locally (ensemble), my dad asked: will she go to the opera every day and work there? I think that he imagined her in professional office clothes with her briefcase heading to her desk every day. It took him awhile to realize…no she would go there in the evenings for rehearsals and then perform during the run. This was right after college…so during the day, she worked her “survival” job to make enough money. She was a receptionist at a hair salon (with a master’s degree!). So yep…that’s what will most likely happen right after school….if she lucky…meaning gets a performance contact! Waitress, receptionist, retail…as you audition and get short contracts. Then you can build your network and reputation. It takes a while.

Because my D has a master degree, she did finally begin teaching and did well. She is now on faculty at the main music school running their Sat program for talented high school voice students and a voice studio at a high school performance arts school (just one day a week). Both jobs allow her to take time off…as most faculty members at both places are performers in the area.

She gets performance contracts for 3 to 9 months now…usually about a year out. Some years are better than others. BUT she did “diversify” her voice style away from only classical/opera…to MT…and she can dance and act. The work is more steady and doesn’t require travel. I have stressed in other places about being multi-talented.

So maybe that helps you understand? In most cases, performers teach or do a survival job for their bread and butter. Then they get performance contracts throughout the year to enhance their basic income.

And…if your kid gets into a music school, they will be surrounded by working professionals that will assist with expectations when you leave college. You don’t have to figure it out for her. But be aware again…if you look for the “stable job” she’ll have after college…you aren’t going to find it! It’s survival job, teaching, gigging, getting lucky and getting a contract.

If your kid doesn’t like it, that’s fine. She’ll have a college education…be independent (not wanting your help at all!!) and will figure it out. You don’t need a special degree to work in arts administration at many small theater etc. Most have degrees in the arts…but that could be a second area of study…if she wants that.

Most of these kids are highly motivated and smart. They’ll figure out their life…even if it starts in a beauty salon. That was fun to tell my frenmies! You have to have a thick skin and blind faith as a parent of an artist.

[old_music_prnt]

I am not directly familiar with singers and career paths, and I leave the specifics of that to the people knowledgeable about it. About all I do know is that it is extremely difficult to become part of the company (or whatever they call it) at the big name opera companies like the NY Met, and that the big name singers (akin to soloists in the instrumental world) are hired for specific performances. That is rarified air, the odds of getting into a major opera company or becoming a featured opera singer are astronomical.

The same is true in the classical instrumental world. Getting into a major orchestra , like the NY Phil, Philadelphia, etc, full time orchestras that pay decently and have benefits, its extremely tough (always has been, but the number of such orchestras is pretty small and the competition is high). Being a soloist is a unicorn, in the violin world there are probably a couple of dozen people who make a career out of this. Most instrumental players these days have masters degrees or other advanced degrees, both to give themselves the time to develop their skills and also to give themselves space to figure out what they are doing.

The thing is all kinds of performing arts are difficult, whether it is classical or pop music or whatever. You read it is a 608 billion dollar industry, which sounds impressive, but then if you look at the reality that in terms of an individual musician or singer or group , the numbers who have ‘made it’ at any given time is small (I am talking at a level where the are making a good living at it). For every Taylor Swift, there are a ton of groups and singers playing bars and clubs for a couple of hundred buck a night.

It is hard, and it is often not a linear path, it isn’t like go to college, get a degree in computer science, get a job in software development, it doesn’t work the same way. It was never easy, but in some ways it is harder than ever because the market is smaller (in classical music). Even in pop music things like spotify and streaming have changed the landscape a lot, while it gives artists a chance to be exposed rather than waiting to sign with a record label, but it also has diluted the revenue stream because they pay so little.

And it can take a long time, it is rare someone comes out of music school and suddenly is in the big time or even a regular job with a performing group. Most young musicians and performers go through a period where they often need support from their familes for a while, or they cobble together jobs, they teach, they perform in a variety of small groups, or they go the entrepeneurial route. Gig work is common, filling in for example in something like musical theater or local orchestra or ballet orchestras, or singing at things like weddings and events.

Some music students hedge their bets, they do things like do a dual degree, to have something to fall back on. Some get a performance degree and then minor or dual major in things like recording technology or music industry. Lot of music students get out, realize it isn’t working, and move over into artists management or work with music organizations.

and yes, music performance majors can move on to other things, get an MBA, Get a JD, MD, or even switch into something like IT (knew a lot of people who studied music who ended up in IT, via a variety of paths). Some companies hiring look for music students, because of the skill set it takes to seriously study music, including dealing with ambiguity, dealing with a very subjective path.

These days the emphasis in music programs centers around entrepeneurship, making your own career.In Instrumental music, conservatories and music schools were all about the traditional path, you train on your instrument and then you go out and audition for orchestras or performing groups, or if you are a soloist, go into competitions…but that has changed a lot (well, not all programs, some of them to me are still living in la la land).

On a positive note, with music with my somewhat long view of it, kids who go into music tend to find their way, whether they stay with it or not. Kids who find it isn’t for them find other paths, my son and I met a guy on a plane who studied voice (I think Peabody), had a masters degree, found he wasn’t getting anywhere, and was when we met him a partner at Goldman Sachs.

The reality is there are no guarantees and with music and peforming arts the ‘payout’ can be a while in the making, and people in it have to find creative ways to keep themselves going while reaching for the brass ring. I think it is always important for music students and young musicians to focus on their goals, but also to be constantly looking around and seeing if there may not be another path, in music or out, and be honest with themselves. The thing I will tell music parents is that the fact it is hard, while turning our hair gray and our blood pressure through the roof, in the end helps the kid grow and change into an adult, whatever their end game is. It isn’t easy, and take it from me there are a lot of doubts along the way, down times, doubting themselves, frustration, but in the end I think it teaches them valuable lessons and in the end they will find their way, whatever that is.