The main focus of this research paper is the classical music industry and more specifically, the areas that I wish to work within. These areas include Orchestra Musician and Private Teacher. Researching careers before pursuing them is important to ensure that it is right for you and is realistic to your personal abilities, strengths and goals, as confirmed by a quote from St Johns University page on career research ‘researching potential career paths will help you get real insight into what different jobs are actually like, what they require, and whether they fit your goals’ (Stjohns.edu, 2025) There are two areas of the classical music industry that I will be focusing on because as many other musicians I will be pursuing a portfolio career. ‘A portfolio career is a way to define a career that has encompassed several related or unrelated jobs… may work various positions simultaneously or at different points in time’ (Flexjobs.com, 2025) Portfolio careers are very common within the music industry due to its flexibility and range of creative projects to work on at the same time. This is preferable as I wish to perform regularly but also teach and help others to also enjoy music. I required clarity on these specific career paths, therefore, I will explain in greater depth about multiple areas within a classical portfolio career.
For the start of my research paper, I will be focusing on the qualifications, skills, knowledge, and personal challenges that I could potentially face working within the classical music industry. These areas incorporate both orchestra musician and teaching however this will focus mostly on an orchestra musician because this is my primary goal whereas I understand teaching will be an additional role alongside. ‘The undergraduate performance degree is the single most important form of initial training’ (Bennett, 2016), more specifically a Bachelor of Arts degree. This could be from a university however its preferred from a conservatoire because of the speciality music focus. Before University you must have five GCSEs 4-9 and either three A Levels at the correct level required for university or an equivalent BTEC Diploma in the correct level. Also desirable is previous work and performance experience such as working with local groups and orchestras or anything within the music industry. (Egas-online.org.uk, 2025)
As for skills required; Communication skills and being able to communicate with others effectively is imperative for playing in an orchestra as stated by Dawn Bennett in Chapter 4 of her book ‘Understanding the Classical Music Profession’ ‘Communication skills were the single most important skill set for 62 per cent of the UK musicians’ (Bennett, 2016) Other skills include being able to stay motivated and have stamina for either long and tiring rehearsals or completing your own daily personal practice. ‘Self-discipline and time management skills’ (AGCAS, 2022) are also imperative to be an orchestra musician due to a demanding and sporadic schedule. Other important skills include patience, resilience, being able to take criticism and and the ability to use feedback in order to grow and become a better musician. Overall to become a successful orchestra musician, you must be talented, dedicated and extremely resilient. This is because it is difficult and there is a high level of demand on the people that are able to achieve and obtain an orchestral position.
Due to the rigorous work completed by orchestral musicians there are challenges associated with orchestra work, including high rates of personal injury e.g. ‘There is a higher rate of injury amongst musicians than athletes’ (Bennett, 2016) and low pay or sporadic pay so it could become difficult to live upon that income, so much so that musicians must seek additional employment to supplement their income. A personal challenge faced is the constant rejection and criticism which if not met with a strong mind could lead to ‘self-doubt and frustration’ (Arts, 2024) A few ways to deal with this could be to think of rejection as a way to grow into a better musician and to also not take it personally as also referenced in the earlier website. Another personal challenge would be dealing with ‘imposter syndrome’ Arts, M. (2024), This could be defined as not believing that you are good enough to be where you are in your career. Realising the imposter syndrome initially is a good place to start, you need to begin to realise that you truly are where you are supposed to be. It is helpful to be around people who support you as well.
I will explain in more detail about the duties and responsibilities of an orchestra musician and private teacher in addition to the promotional and marketing opportunities and other aspects that are included in the job. Regarding orchestra musicians, some duties and responsibilities include keeping your instrument and technical playing abilities up to professional standards and attending rehearsals regardless of how inconvenient or unsocial the hours may be. Other more technical skills such as being able to sight read proficiently and be able to fill in for someone else with limited notice for parts such as solos. Confidence is also key within a performance job and being able to take over when needed is a skill that all musicians need to have. It would also include communicating and working with different conductors and fellow orchestra musicians as well as participating within recording and community programs around classical music and the ‘promotion of the orchestra’ (Editorial, 2025) A typical work day of an orchestra musician would involve morning practices, personal practice to work on difficult repertoire and technical skills then more rehearsal in the afternoons, usually more specific like sectionals, evenings are usually reserved for performances and concerts. (Editorial, 2025)
Orchestra musicians also participate in other jobs within the music industry such as teaching. Private teachers have a plethora of responsibilities that range from planning and executing lessons to even learning a new instrument or fresh style of music if your student is interested in it. They need to be able to ‘provide reports and feedback to pupils’ (AGCAS, 2017) as well as have the networking and connections within their music community to provide different performance opportunities and examinations for their students. Overall, a private instrumental teacher must be a rounded professional and be able to communicate and teach their knowledge to others in a way that best works for the pupil. Adaptation and differentiation is essential because everyone does not learn in the same way and you need to be flexible to be able to suit multiple learning styles.
Marketing and promotion are slightly different within the classical music world. It is most likely true that if you work with an ensemble, they may have their own promotion already, they may have a name for themselves and an established fanbase. Despite this, each orchestra musician needs to have marketed and promoted themselves as their own person and performing entity within the music industry. The music industry works by word of mouth or credentials of trustworthiness within the community, because of this, each person needs to make sure that they always work diligently and make good impressions to the other professionals they meet throughout their career. Word of mouth is one of the most important ways that musicians obtain work as agreed with in a music teachers forum ‘Word-of-mouth marketing is the most powerful advertising you can get.’ (Bram, 2023) However, it can work in both directions, it can be positive and lead to more work within the industry. On the other hand if you acted unprofessionally, you could lose your credentials and future jobs because the client may book someone else due to a good recommendation. This is very prevalent within the private teaching sector because they must be so involved within the community. Useful methods to market yourself as a music teacher would also include things like direct mail, social media and paper marketing, overall having something such as a specific teaching niche or a large reach within social media and your local communities is a good way of being able to market yourself within the professional world.
It is no secret that the music industry is not known for its kindness or financial stability. The classical music world is incredibly competitive and in addition, there are issues such as unsociable or unstable working hours, long travel hours, multiple sources of income that are not sufficient and overall exhausting working conditions that are not up to standard. If you are unsuccessful in gaining a position in one of the top tier and famous orchestras, the likelihood is that you will have to do additional work to supplement this because they will not pay a liveable wage as said by Douglas Yeo in a forum he wrote about the challenges orchestra musicians face. (The Woodwind Forum, 2018) The instability of an orchestral income is mentioned in a plethora of sources of media about the classical music industry, including the book that is included in my referencing by Dawn Bennett earlier. In chapter seven she states that ‘Artist attrition across multiple artforms is influenced by insufficient financial security, unsociable hours, injury and lack of practitioner diversity’ (Bennett, 2016) This is a huge issue especially when the economic state of the UK and the world is not particularly stable. A significant percentage of musicians find themselves holding multiple jobs with multiple streams of income and are still not able to make a living wage and must supplement with other work not within the music industry.
As for career development opportunities, the nature of the work itself leads to development due to the broad range of what a musician can do, however, within an orchestra, career development is incredibly difficult. Either because of hierarchies or that people play and stay with an orchestra for a long time you have to wait for the player higher than you such as a principle player to leave or retire before you are able to move up, as also stated by Douglas Yeo, (The Woodwind Forum, 2018) Even though it is difficult to move within an orchestra, if you stay vigilant and create good relationships within the industry and the orchestra it could happen for you. For me as a violinist there are more opportunities than a section player, there are places available such as principle second or principle first violin which would also have the title of concert master. These progression opportunities are available however due to the competitive nature of orchestras; they take time and perseverance to obtain. As Dawn Bennett states, ‘Success as a musician is the achievement of sustainable practice’ and this applies for an orchestra musician as well as becoming a private teacher. Teacher progression is different, it could include being able to charge more for your time as you become more skilled, teaching in universities or a conservatoire in comparison to a lesser music specialised institute. However overall, all teaching for an instrument no matter where it takes place is imperative to create new generations of musicians who enjoy the craft and dedicate their time and attention to it.
In conclusion, I have explored in detail the workings of the classical music industry and the private teaching sector. Having the correct knowledge on a career that you are planning to work in is imperative, I have learned vital information that I did not have before. I am also better informed and prepared about the challenges and difficulties faced by professionals in the industry so I can either avoid them myself by making changes to how I perform and practice my craft or if it is unavoidable, I am aware and ready to face it instead of being completely uninformed. Many people think of teaching as a fall back career if you aren’t successful at the dream of being a soloist or in an orchestra, I don’t believe this to be true, I believe that if we possess a talent and a passion for music and our instrument, we should want to share that to inspire new musicians and keep it alive. The world has become so technologically advanced as of late however in my opinion, something that technology cannot do, is to personally teach how to play an instrument, and that is where we can share our skills and expertise.
Bibliography
AGCAS (2022). Musician Job Profile | Prospects.ac.uk. [online] Prospects.ac.uk. Available at: https://www.prospects.ac.uk/job-profiles/musician.
AGCAS (2017). Private Music Teacher Job Profile | Prospects.ac.uk. [online] Prospects.ac.uk. Available at: https://www.prospects.ac.uk/job-profiles/private-music-teacher.
Arts, M. (2024). Top 5 Challenges Faced by Aspiring Performers and How to Overcome Them. [online] Musical Arts. Available at: https://www.musicalarts.com/career-advice/top-5-challenges-faced-by-aspiring-performers-and-how-to-overcome-them.
Bennett, D. (2016). Understanding the classical music profession: the past, the present and strategies for the future. London Routledge.
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Editorial, G. (2025). Orchestra Member Job Description [Updated for 2025]. [online] Interview Questions. Available at: https://interviewguy.com/orchestra-member-job-description/
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