| Musicians, Instrumental | |||||||||||
| Summary Occupational Forecast Data for Musicians and Singers | |||||||||||
| Employment | Employment Change | Average Annual Job Openings | Wage & Training Levels | ||||||||
| 2020 | 2025 | Numerical | Percent | New Jobs | Replacement Jobs | Total | Median Hourly | Median Annual | Training Levels | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2,262 | 2,252 | -10 | -0.43% | -2 | 346 | 344 | $25.89 | $53,842 | No formal educational credential | ||
| Description: | Play one or more musical instruments in recital, in accompaniment, or as members of an orchestra, band, or other musical group. | ||||||||||
| Forecast Data Source: EMSI (4th Quarter 2023) | |||||||||||
Occupation Details
The information in this section represents occupational characteristics included in O*NET which defines key features of an occupation as a standardized, measurable set of variables called "descriptors". These distinguishing characteristics of an occupation are described in greater detail in the O*NET Content Model. All items are listed in descending order of importance.
- Practice musical instrument performances, individually or in rehearsal with other musicians, to master individual pieces of music and to maintain and improve skills.
- Perform before live audiences.
- Specialize in playing a specific family of instruments and/or a particular type of music.
- Play musical instruments as soloists, or as members or guest artists of musical groups such as orchestras, ensembles, or bands.
- Play from memory or by following scores.
- Sight-read musical parts during rehearsals.
- Audition for orchestras, bands, or other musical groups.
- Provide the musical background for live shows such as ballets, operas, musical theatre, and cabarets.
- Transpose music to alternate keys, or to fit individual styles or purposes.
- Promote their own or their group's music by participating in media interviews and other activities.
- Make or participate in recordings in music studios.
Knowledge
| 95% | Fine Arts - Knowledge of the theory and techniques required to compose, produce, and perform works of music, dance, visual arts, drama, and sculpture. |
| 62% | Active Listening - Giving full attention to what other people are saying, taking time to understand the points being made, asking questions as appropriate, and not interrupting at inappropriate times. |
| 60% | Coordination - Adjusting actions in relation to others' actions. |
| 56% | Social Perceptiveness - Being aware of others' reactions and understanding why they react as they do. |
| 53% | Speaking - Talking to others to convey information effectively. |
| 78% | Hearing Sensitivity - The ability to detect or tell the differences between sounds that vary in pitch and loudness. |
| 69% | Arm-Hand Steadiness - The ability to keep your hand and arm steady while moving your arm or while holding your arm and hand in one position. |
| 62% | Oral Comprehension - The ability to listen to and understand information and ideas presented through spoken words and sentences. |
| 62% | Oral Expression - The ability to communicate information and ideas in speaking so others will understand. |
| 62% | Manual Dexterity - The ability to quickly move your hand, your hand together with your arm, or your two hands to grasp, manipulate, or assemble objects. |
| 60% | Problem Sensitivity - The ability to tell when something is wrong or is likely to go wrong. It does not involve solving the problem, only recognizing there is a problem. |
| 60% | Originality - The ability to come up with unusual or clever ideas about a given topic or situation, or to develop creative ways to solve a problem. |
| 60% | Near Vision - The ability to see details at close range (within a few feet of the observer). |
| 60% | Selective Attention - The ability to concentrate on a task over a period of time without being distracted. |
| 56% | Speech Recognition - The ability to identify and understand the speech of another person. |
| 56% | Auditory Attention - The ability to focus on a single source of sound in the presence of other distracting sounds. |
| 56% | Finger Dexterity - The ability to make precisely coordinated movements of the fingers of one or both hands to grasp, manipulate, or assemble very small objects. |
| 56% | Speech Clarity - The ability to speak clearly so others can understand you. |
| 53% | Multilimb Coordination - The ability to coordinate two or more limbs (for example, two arms, two legs, or one leg and one arm) while sitting, standing, or lying down. It does not involve performing the activities while the whole body is in motion. |
| 53% | Information Ordering - The ability to arrange things or actions in a certain order or pattern according to a specific rule or set of rules (e.g., patterns of numbers, letters, words, pictures, mathematical operations). |
| 50% | Category Flexibility - The ability to generate or use different sets of rules for combining or grouping things in different ways. |
| 50% | Inductive Reasoning - The ability to combine pieces of information to form general rules or conclusions (includes finding a relationship among seemingly unrelated events). |
| 50% | Deductive Reasoning - The ability to apply general rules to specific problems to produce answers that make sense. |
| 50% | Time Sharing - The ability to shift back and forth between two or more activities or sources of information (such as speech, sounds, touch, or other sources). |
| 96% | Performing for or Working Directly with the Public - Performing for people or dealing directly with the public. This includes serving customers in restaurants and stores, and receiving clients or guests. |
| 84% | Establishing and Maintaining Interpersonal Relationships - Developing constructive and cooperative working relationships with others, and maintaining them over time. |
| 84% | Thinking Creatively - Developing, designing, or creating new applications, ideas, relationships, systems, or products, including artistic contributions. |
| 78% | Getting Information - Observing, receiving, and otherwise obtaining information from all relevant sources. |
| 71% | Identifying Objects, Actions, and Events - Identifying information by categorizing, estimating, recognizing differences or similarities, and detecting changes in circumstances or events. |
| 68% | Making Decisions and Solving Problems - Analyzing information and evaluating results to choose the best solution and solve problems. |
| 66% | Organizing, Planning, and Prioritizing Work - Developing specific goals and plans to prioritize, organize, and accomplish your work. |
| 65% | Communicating with Supervisors, Peers, or Subordinates - Providing information to supervisors, co-workers, and subordinates by telephone, in written form, e-mail, or in person. |
| 63% | Performing General Physical Activities - Performing physical activities that require considerable use of your arms and legs and moving your whole body, such as climbing, lifting, balancing, walking, stooping, and handling of materials. |
| 62% | Coordinating the Work and Activities of Others - Getting members of a group to work together to accomplish tasks. |
| 62% | Handling and Moving Objects - Using hands and arms in handling, installing, positioning, and moving materials, and manipulating things. |
| 61% | Scheduling Work and Activities - Scheduling events, programs, and activities, as well as the work of others. |
| 58% | Monitor Processes, Materials, or Surroundings - Monitoring and reviewing information from materials, events, or the environment, to detect or assess problems. |
| 55% | Judging the Qualities of Things, Services, or People - Assessing the value, importance, or quality of things or people. |
| 54% | Processing Information - Compiling, coding, categorizing, calculating, tabulating, auditing, or verifying information or data. |
| 52% | Updating and Using Relevant Knowledge - Keeping up-to-date technically and applying new knowledge to your job. |
| 52% | Developing Objectives and Strategies - Establishing long-range objectives and specifying the strategies and actions to achieve them. |
| 52% | Communicating with Persons Outside Organization - Communicating with people outside the organization, representing the organization to customers, the public, government, and other external sources. This information can be exchanged in person, in writing, or by telephone or e-mail. |
| Title | Job Zone Three: Medium Preparation Needed |
| Overall Experience | Previous work-related skill, knowledge, or experience is required for these occupations. For example, an electrician must have completed three or four years of apprenticeship or several years of vocational training, and often must have passed a licensing exam, in order to perform the job. |
| Job Training | Employees in these occupations usually need one or two years of training involving both on-the-job experience and informal training with experienced workers. A recognized apprenticeship program may be associated with these occupations. |
| Job Zone Examples | These occupations usually involve using communication and organizational skills to coordinate, supervise, manage, or train others to accomplish goals. Examples include food service managers, electricians, agricultural technicians, legal secretaries, interviewers, and insurance sales agents. |
| Education | Most occupations in this zone require training in vocational schools, related on-the-job experience, or an associate's degree. |
Interests
| Artistic - Artistic occupations frequently involve working with forms, designs and patterns. They often require self-expression and the work can be done without following a clear set of rules. |
| Enterprising - Enterprising occupations frequently involve starting up and carrying out projects. These occupations can involve leading people and making many decisions. Sometimes they require risk taking and often deal with business. |
| Dependability - Job requires being reliable, responsible, and dependable, and fulfilling obligations. |
| Attention to Detail - Job requires being careful about detail and thorough in completing work tasks. |
| Achievement/Effort - Job requires establishing and maintaining personally challenging achievement goals and exerting effort toward mastering tasks. |
| Cooperation - Job requires being pleasant with others on the job and displaying a good-natured, cooperative attitude. |
| Adaptability/Flexibility - Job requires being open to change (positive or negative) and to considerable variety in the workplace. |
| Stress Tolerance - Job requires accepting criticism and dealing calmly and effectively with high stress situations. |
| Self Control - Job requires maintaining composure, keeping emotions in check, controlling anger, and avoiding aggressive behavior, even in very difficult situations. |
| Persistence - Job requires persistence in the face of obstacles. |
| Social Orientation - Job requires preferring to work with others rather than alone, and being personally connected with others on the job. |
| Initiative - Job requires a willingness to take on responsibilities and challenges. |
| Achievement - Occupations that satisfy this work value are results oriented and allow employees to use their strongest abilities, giving them a feeling of accomplishment. Corresponding needs are Ability Utilization and Achievement. |
| Relationships - Occupations that satisfy this work value allow employees to provide service to others and work with co-workers in a friendly non-competitive environment. Corresponding needs are Co-workers, Moral Values and Social Service. |