How to Work Your Way to Being a Profesional Musician
Some have a dreams of being a rich and famous music star, but there is another way to make a living in music. Working your way to being a professional musician is feasible for many people as it is based on hard work, consistent effort and good decision making as opposed to luck or subjectivity. As with any career there are many ways to go about becoming a professional musician. You will not only need to learn about your craft and hone a high level of skill on your instrument, it is also necessary to learn how to market yourself once you have done this and to deal with people and technology necessary to maintain your career.
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Instructions
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Study your art form diligently. If you are going to become marketable as a professional musician, you must go beyond garage band level of musicianship that most musicians achieve and remain at. Find a teacher with serious credentials and take lessons. Enroll in your high school or college band, orchestra or choir program. The best way to learn to become professional is to acquire information from professionals, not just others who wish to play for a living.
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Practice your instrument daily and forever. Like other professions, it is not only about getting paid to do the job, but actually having the technical, intellectual and artistic ability to do professional level work. Even the most experienced and well known professional musicians still practice on a regular basis.
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Constantly develop your versatility, and therefore your marketability. Many musician jobs will require you to read music, so practice sight reading daily. Also make efforts to understand why certain musical situations are more lucrative than others. In modern times, musicians who can play jazz, rock and country are going to be eligible for more jobs than someone who is only willing to perform one genre of music. However, with this being said, staying true to your passions and strengths and avoiding becoming only mediocre at several different things is also important.
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Sell yourself as a sideman or professional musician in any way possible. Use networking tools such as Myspace and Facebook, set up a website with information and media of your playing and create business cards and distribute them to local musicians. Go to performances of your fellow colleagues and introduce yourself to make face-to-face connections.
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Always maintain the image of professionalism in your communication and demeanor. When you get a phone call, return it in a timely manner. When you get invited to play with a group or artist, be positive and open minded at every step, even if they approach things differently than you. Prepare for every audition or every rehearsal as much as possible and stay organized not only with your musical obligations, but with schedules and monetary issues. Don't forget about performance etiquette and dressing appropriately for every situation. Remember that your image will go just a far as your musical ability when developing your career as a professional musician.
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References
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