LibGuides: Music Careers: Home

Looking for specific resources for your particular instrument/major?

Find your major in our list of all music guides, then click on the Career tab in your chosen guide to find even more resources.

Find a Career

100 Careers in the Music Business by Tanja L. Crouch
Call Number: ML3794 C74 2008 [Allen shelves]
Match your qualifications with job openings, seek and find interviews, and get into the music business. Each job lists pros and cons, skills needed, and typical workday description.
Great Jobs for Music Majors by Jan Goldberg; Stephen Lambert; Julie DeGalan
Call Number: ML3795 G65 G74 [Allen shelves]
Publication Date: 1998
Helps you assess your talents and skills, explore career options, target the perfect career, perfect your job search, and more.

Here are a few books with information for succeeding in almost any music career.

Beyond Talent : Creating a Successful Career in Music by Angela Myles Beeching
Publication Date: 2019
Available online.
A practical, step-by-step guide to a career in music, from booking concerts and creating promotional materials, to overcoming mindset challenges.
Music Business Handbook and Career Guide by David Baskerville and Timothy Baskerville
Call Number: ML3795 B31 2019 [Allen shelves]
Noted as the most comprehensive, up-to-date guide to the music industry in all of its diversity.
Music Industry Forms by Jonathan Feist
Call Number: ML3790 F45 M87 [Allen shelves]
Charts, plots, diagrams, checklists, and agreements to help you clarify your work, track critical details, and maintain quality control. Includes forms for performance, touring, technology, composition, business, teaching, and more.
The Path to Funding by Zane Forshee, Christina Manceor, and Robin McGinness
Publication Date: 2022
E-Book.
The artist’s guide to building an audience, generating income, and realizing career sustainability.

Search subjects in the catalog:

Becoming an Orchestral Musician by Richard Davis
Call Number: ML3795 D28 [Allen shelves]
Publication Date: 2004
How to succeed in joining and surviving in an orchestra or ensemble. Includes sections on auditioning, conductors, performing philosophies, the highs and lows of performing, and more.
Careers in Music Libraries IV by Misti Shaw, Susannah Cleveland (Editors)
Call Number: ML111 C36 V4 2022 [Allen shelves]
Inspiration and practical guidance for current and future music library workers on an array of potential career paths.
On Staff by Donald L. Hamann
Call Number: ML3795 H35 O5 [Allen shelves]
Publication Date: 2013
Guide to a music career in higher ed. Tips for the application, interview, and negotiation processes, plus how to get tenure and promotion, work with colleagues and administration, and more.
Private Music Lessons by Colleen M. Conway
Call Number: MT1 C65 2019 [Allen shelves]
Covers setting and achieving musical goals, how to teach different types of learners, and the logistics of studio teaching.

See also our guides for specific instruments and majors, then click on the Career tab in your chosen guide to find even more resources.

American Federation of Musicians of the United States and Canada
The largest musician's union in the world. Members have access to local bargaining, audition notices, insurance, and more.
Chamber Music America Opportunities
Listings for opportunities: jobs, funding, competitions, commissions, and more.

Musical America This link opens in a new window
Read news, find festivals, and more. See especially their Career Center for job postings, resume review, and helpful articles.

Musical Chairs
Listings for professional performance and teaching jobs, plus competitions, instrument sales, and more.
NAfME Career Center
NAfME's listing of jobs in music education.