The profession I’m interested in is session musicianship, for this profession most musicians have a university education often as sight reading is very important, at least simple charts(Berklee,2004).

Session musicians must also have deep proficiency on their instrument, be strong improvisers and be versatile (Berklee,2004).

Versatility is very important for a session musician as it means there are more job opportunities for the musician, having versatility allows the musician to play any genre and therefore be able to get more gigs on the back of their own wide repertoire of musical styles. Being a strong improviser is very important to a session musician as it allows them to come up with ideas for an artist and if there is a high proficiency in their improvisation skills they will be more efficient and faster at coming up with ideas for an artist or producer. Experience-wise wise many session musicians primarily work in a studio so a session musician needs to be comfortable in a studio environment. Additionally, a lot of musicians work touring with artists so it is also important for a session musician to be comfortable in front of an audience and be a good performer.

There are many personal qualities session musicians need among these are 

• Passion
• Flexibility 
• Creativity
• Self motivation 
• Vision 
• Resilience 

Luck, S (2024)

For a session musician passion is important as a love for the occupation is what drives a session musician forward to find work and to work long hours to ensure a steady income. Flexibility is important as a session musician may work unsociable hours additionally being able to easily adapt to changes in the music industry is very important for a session musician such as adopting new tech, social media and new trends. Creativity is important as being a creative asset to an artist by helping them shape their idea whilst using the musician’s personal style and additionally providing outside perspectives and ideas to a song for an artist or producer whilst also not overstepping into the artist’s creative process. Self-motivation is imperative for session musicians as they are self-employed it is down to the musician to find work and push themselves into better gigs and situations, additionally being proactive with networking and connecting with people is very important. Vision is important as having a strong trust in the musician’s skill and being able to plan a route forward in their career helps push the musician forward and helps them with their confidence when looking for work. Resilience is one of the most important qualities for a session musician as there are many situations where they may be pushed down and need to get back up and keep trying to find work or gigs it is also a highly competitive profession and this forces the successful session musician to be very resilient and motivated.

A typical day’s work as a session musician consists of being hired to work for an artist in a recording or gig setting by a contractor or label.

(Musicians’ union 2023)

The job of the session musician is to for a contracted amount of time play for an artist typically as backup or record with them.

Session musicians’ duties are to be professionally prepared, organised, punctual and flexible. (Berklee,2004)

Session musicians should be professionally prepped to ensure their efficiency and reliability in a session Prepping for a session you have been asked to work on ensures you are not a liability and can quickly and accurately fit the artist’s or producer’s needs. Organisation is important for a session musician as they are self sufficient they plan their own work ensuring they don’t over book themselves and don’t stretch themselves to thin, for example booking two gigs to close and being late to one of them, being organised ties in to being punctual and prepared this ultimately leaves a good impression and allows the musicians reputation and network to improve and this then allows them to get more gigs and work, these qualities allow them to come across more professional and will help them stand out amongst other competitors. Punctuality is also important for session musicians as it adds to the professional image of the musician. Being punctual will leave a good impression on employers and artists. This is imperative to the session musician’s success and will help them get more gigs in the future as it helps the musician appear professional and reliable. Reliability is important as it is a culmination of all the other qualities it consists including being punctual, prepared and organised being reliable often consistent with not cancelling gigs. Being very prepared for all the gigs the musician has booked so they can ensure that when they get to the gig they know what they’re doing and can be efficient. Being on time for the gig to not hinder anyone the musician is working with and ensures all deadlines can be hit efficiently. All of these things majorly contribute to the musicians’ employability.

The main issues that self-employed workers face are inconsistent income, difficulty finding clients, separating personal and professional life, taxes, and stress levels may be higher. (indeed,2021)

Inconsistent income is a big issue for session musicians as work can often fluctuate due to multiple factors and as it is down to the musician personal network of artist and producers, a session musician can struggle to earn a consistent income if they don’t have an amazing network of clients who trust them and are willing to give them work as often as possible, this can put a lot of stress on the musician to earn money and lead to a lack of motivation as they may see themself as failing. It is very difficult to find clients as a session musician as musicians often rely on personal relationships to try and get work for themselves especially at the start of their careers, it’s especially hard at this time as they may not yet have a strong network or a strong reputation to become successful it important to develop a strong reputation of reliability and ability. Additionally, the network of musicians is important so a session musician must be very outgoing and sociable but this can impact their work and personal life balance. Separating personal and professional life is especially hard for session musicians as often through being sociable and working with friends in the industry that is often how musicians find work, this searches as a positive for musicians as they work closely with people they are acquainted with do to the social nature of the industry but can present extra stress to a musician. Taxes are an issue for self-employed musicians as they have to handle all their own taxes, meaning fill out all their own tax forms. The self-employed person may also pay more tax than if they were with another company due to having to pay the employer and employee portion of social and income taxes (indeed,2021).

All these things can contribute to high stress levels and they in collaboration have amplified stress levels. Having to handle work-life balance, taxes and trying to find work is a constant struggle for session musicians especially if they are inexperienced.

The main way session musicians market themselves is on social media. “When social media is used well I can provide simple powerful ways to network and engage with audiences.”(Musicians’ union,2022). It is a simple way for a musician to find more work and network with other artists and producers, providing an online profile that serves as a portfolio. Some of the ways to develop an online profile are.

• Reply to comments and questions across the pages.
• Keep the platform tidy 
• Use pages to share details about gigs 

Musicians union(2022).

Replying to comments and answering questions in comments in direct messages helps create a positive impression on people coming across the account. I can also show that the musician has good communication skills which helps them look more professional and proactive. Keeping the platforms tidy helps show a more professional look to the musician and helps it look less casual for them,

Having an easy-to-navigate and read profile is similar to an easy-to-read CV or portfolio, posting clips showing the musician’s skills and can also show what genres they perform best with. Using the profile to share details about gigs is important for multiple reasons. It can aid in the promotion of live gigs the musician is a part of and doing this can help give off a professional, dedicated image around the musician allowing them to get rebooked and add to their reputation positively. It can also serve as a CV for the gigs a musician has done, showing their performance ability and their experience with gigs it also shows the scale of events they have played. Allowing both smaller-scale musicians to be seen allows them to be seen by artists and people who may not have come across them before and possibly offer them work. And also allows successful musicians as it allows them to show their experience.

Some of the main things that are challenges for session musicians are:

• Continuous changing industry “so much of what you learn is rendered completely useless because of how useless because of how quickly the music industry changes.”
• Financial stability “even when I fell I have a good lay of the land in terms of how to earn money, something will change and I feel completely naive

(We present,2022)

The changing industry is a problem for session musicians as there is no clear format for the career path and musicians who are already successful or established have to continue evolving never giving them a sense of stability creatively or generally in their career, this forces the musicians along with working to have to continually follow trends to help them network and follow the industry.

Financial stability goes along with the changing industry. There may be periods of stability for the musicians but there are many factors that affect the work of session musicians. For unestablished session musicians this is a large struggle as they need to break into the industry that is highly competitive with many people trying to start and many people with more experience, so they may have to charge less than competitors for their work adding to their financial trouble as their time is not being fairly compensated.

The way people progress in their careers is by creating larger networks of artists and musicians, and they advance by working with higher-profile artists on tours and in studios. As the musicians advance they additionally become in demand and can therefore charge high rates increasing the monetary value of their MMO career increases as well which helps make the career path more stable. Session musicians can additionally work for record labels making their career paths more stable as they may receive more consistent work. However, the most successful and famous session musicians continue their freelance work and often rely on their large networks of producers and artists they have worked with to provide them work they also rely on their brand and reputation to get them work. So although there are no Job title changes or promotions the salaries and monetary gain can range dramatically between well-known and beginner session musicians. There is also the possibility for musicians to earn royalties on what they play on recordings adding another layer of monetary value.

Reference list

Berklee (2004). Session Musician | Berklee. [online] www.berklee.edu. Available at: https://www.berklee.edu/careers/roles/session-instrumentalist.

Indeed Editorial Team (2021). 6 Common Self-Employment Disadvantages (With Advantages). [online] Indeed Career Guide. Available at: https://www.indeed.com/career-advice/finding-a-job/self-employment-disadvantages.

Luck, S. (2024). Beyond The Music: Essential Skills and Qualities for a Sustainable Music Career. [online] Musiciansunion.org.uk. Available at: https://musiciansunion.org.uk/news/beyond-the-music-essential-skills-and-qualities-for-a-sustainable-music-career.

Musicians Union (2023). Session Musician Advice. [online] musiciansunion.org.uk. Available at: https://musiciansunion.org.uk/working-performing/recording-and-broadcasting/working-as-a-recording-session-musician.

Present, W. (2022). WePresent | What’s it really like being a session musician? [online] wepresent.wetransfer.com. Available at: https://wepresent.wetransfer.com/stories/stuff-they-dont-tell-you-session-musicians.

Union, M. (2022). Promoting Yourself and Your Music Online. [online] musiciansunion.org.uk. Available at: https://musiciansunion.org.uk/career-development/career-guides/marketing-and-promotion/promoting-yourself-and-your-music-online.