There are lots of opportunities available to a young person looking to develop their passion for music. For example, education; performance and management are just some of the many pathways people choose to follow.

Music Education

Music education is an extremely rewarding but challenging career to follow. A career in music education could include teaching music in primary, secondary, or post-secondary schools. This could also include giving private music lessons or tutoring music to young individuals. After completion of a degree in music you would need to complete education courses in order to be qualified to teach music.

Music Performance

Music performance is another area music enthusiasts choose to follow. If you are a talented musician then performance might be something you will enjoy as your career path. However, this is not often the easiest area of music to follow as it also depends on demand for your specialism as well as fate. If you are interested in the music performance field it is important to realise that alot of time is spent on perfecting skills and networking in order to build up contacts within the music industry, which is crucial when starting your music career.

Recording, Management and Promotion

Recording, management and promotion offers a host of career opportunities for those who wish to share their passion by making and promoting music. Paving a career in such an area may be laregely achieved through  experience and perseverance but new educational options are assiting in opening such doors. Courses focussing on business related ideas and tools are emerging, equiping students for the music industry and more widely across sectors. Click on the link to read more about a new course The University of Scotland is offering - an MA Music: Innovation and Entrepreneurship.

Read our 'How to get started' case studies for more insight into how others have developed their passion for music.

So whether you are thinking about putting together a band or start up a recording studio, the following information and tips should be considered before moving forward:

• Both long term and short term plans should be highlighted, These plans should be clear with realistic goals. One important thing to work out is to establish the resources that you need such as people, money, time etc.
• You will need to decide on which products/services you will offer in the music industry. You should have ideas of how you will make money from your musical events.
• You will need to know your competitors as well as their strengths and weaknesses. Analsying information on your competitors can be a daunting task but it is crucial that you know a little about what others in the music industry are doing as it helps you to set your goals and know what to expect. You will also need to establish what makes you or your music unique from other competitors who already exist in the industry.
• A plan will need to be formed in order to work out who you wish to target and sell your music to. Will you target specific businesses? How will you go about promoting your work? Will you have key promotional strategies in place?

Its also important to note that promotional campaigning will be key to your success in the music industry. It is also worth noting that the music industry demands alot of time and commitment.

Don’t know  where to start, need more information on music career pathways, then there are many music expert institutions which can help or advise you!

The Royal Conservatoire of Scotland is a useful contact to note along with business gateway if you are thinking about taking the plunge to launch your own music business!

For more information on music careers call the Young Scot Infoline on 0808 801 0338, calls are free from landlines and mobile phones.

Useful Contacts:

The Royal Conservatoire of Scotland
RCS,
100 Renfrew Street,
Glasgow
G2 3DB
Tel: 0141 332 4101

Business Gateway
George House,
36 North Hanover Street,
Glasgow
G1 2LW
Tel: 0845 609 6611 

Music Tuition

As music can be a challenging career young musicians often find that music tuition helps teach everything you need to know about music! Many tutoring agencies offer one to one private tuition. Music tutors can offer guitar lessons, piano lessons, music lessons, private music tuition, private music lessons and much more. Music tuition prices range between £20 -35 (depending on location and level).