Exploring a Portfolio Career based on Performance and Teaching

Introduction

I will be exploring a portfolio career, a title which encompasses many jobs, with a focus on performance as the main earning factor and teaching as support.

Qualifications and experience

According to the National Careers Service, (2020) , qualifications are not needed to be a private tutor or performer, but my degree from Leeds Conservatoire and a teaching qualification will provide me with credibility for potential employers.  Although I will leave the conservatoire with my degree which will have developed my musicianship and developed my theory skills, I will not have covered teaching so it would be a good investment to do a teacher training course.  The ABRSM would be a way of getting a level 4 Certificate for Music Educators. As described by ABRSM, (n.d.) this would develop my teaching skills and enable me to be more desirable to parents and schools. I do not currently have much experience, so to give myself an advantage, I can make the most of my time at the conservatoire and try to be involved in as many projects as possible. I aim to join several bands and do as much recording work as possible to gain valuable experience and knowledge, which has the added benefit of being able to be used as promotional material for an EPK or social media.

Skills and personal qualities

To be a successful musician, you need the relevant skills in your instrument; however, there are more skills and personal qualities required to be successful in the industry than being skilled with music. In an article by Georgesmusic.com, (2020), they give some tips that can be summed up as acting professional. Being punctual and respectful to colleagues and venue staff is an important step in building up a good reputation for yourself and is more likely to get you invited back to a venue or even recommended by other musicians for gigs. Networking is an essential part of being a musician. As you want to be part of a big community, you need to ensure you make yourself known. A friendly and approachable demeanour will make it more likely for people to remember who you are and want to work with you in the future.

When teaching music, you need a similar skill set. The National Careers Service, (2020) lists good communication as an essential skill for teaching. As a teacher, I would have to be as clear as possible for students to understand, and I would need to be able to reword some ideas and tackle tough challenges from different angles. This also means you would need to be patient and use critical thinking skills to recontextualise ideas for other students.

Duties and responsibilities

My duties will vary between my performance and teaching jobs. For performance, it is vital I maintain the skills I develop during my jazz degree after I have finished the course; therefore, I must continue to practice daily to develop my style and to expand my repertoire, ensuring I have the skills I need to tackle any challenges and to perform to the best of my ability. I would also be responsible for learning any required pieces before a gig, as it would be unprofessional and damaging to my reputation to perform poorly due to my own negligence. As a teacher, one of my responsibilities is to keep up with the multitude of exam boards and any curricular changes that may occur throughout my career. This would put me in a better position to guide students through exams, making me a more effective teacher and likely bringing me more work through recommendations.

As a musician, it is essential for me to look after my mental and physical health. One such area musicians neglect to protect is their ears. Protecting your hearing is necessary as being able to hear what others and yourself are playing is very important, especially while improvising. In an article discussing hearing loss, Crossley, N. (2023) refers to a survey  conducted by UK charity Help Musicians that found 40% of musicians suffered from hearing loss.  To mitigate the effects of hearing loss, I could use earplugs. However, as a trumpet player, I find using earplugs irritating as they cause me great difficulty with my pitching. In an study conducted by Killian, M.C. (2012), 80% of the group reported that the earplugs “distorted the timbre and/or dynamics of music” An easy way to combat this is simply to practice while wearing your protection or use a higher quality of ear protection such as in-ear monitors. 

Musicians rely on their instruments for their income; therefore, it is vital that I maintain my trumpet, as without it, I wouldn’t be able to perform and may even struggle to teach. With regular cleaning and servicing, I would ensure a long lifetime for my instrument and avoid damage such as red rot. In a study conducted by Okoshi K. et al. (2017), he discusses how the mouthpiece of a brass instrument can contain thousands of microorganisms that stay alive for several days. This could eventually lead to an infection, which could damage my instrument and adversely affect my health, potentially putting me out of work.

I will also insure my instruments as companies like Noble Insurance Services Limited. (2023).  allow me to either cover costs for repair or buy a brand-new instrument if it was too damaged. Having a cheaper instrument to hand will also come in handy if something happens to my main instrument, as it would allow me to continue playing while waiting for it to be repaired or replaced.

Joining the Musician’s Union (MU) would be beneficial. On their website, they state the many benefits they include for members. On their website, the Musicians’ Union, (n.d.) states legal advice, instrument insurance and public liability insurance as some of their services. Public liability insurance (PLI) is important as it would protect me from any claims made against me of potential injury to someone who is not my employer, as well as damage to property while teaching or performing. In an interview with Kelly Wood conducted by the Musicians’ Union, (2024), she discusses the importance of public liability insurance for all musicians, stating some venues require written evidence that performers have PLI before performing, which would be accessible immediately upon joining.

Financial and legal issues

A single source of income is not enough to realistically live off of, which is why I would mainly focus my time on performance-based income and would work as a private tutor for extra income. According to the Child Protection Company, (2020) It is essential to have an enhanced DBS check to tutor children and vulnerable adults. Having a certificate gives me credibility and potential clients some comfort in their safety. This will open up lots of employment opportunities for me as private teaching websites such as Music Teachers, (n.d.) require you to have one to be able to sign up and it is also a requirement to work in a school. According to the Government Digital Service (2017) this would cost me £49.50.

As a freelance musician, I would be working for myself. I, therefore, would have to calculate my finances, such as income tax and pension scheme myself, which would take up a significant amount of time from my already busy schedule and have the risk of getting into legal trouble if I was incorrect. To avoid any liability and to clear my schedule, I would get an accountant to monitor my finances.

When charging for private lessons, I must ensure I do not overcharge or undercharge. The Independent Society of Musicians, (2023) says charging too much puts you at risk of losing work to teachers with lower rates and charging too little limits your earnings and can “devalue music tuition.” The Musicians Union, (2024) suggests a rate of £42.50 per hour. I found these rates to be accurate when looking for trumpet teachers online on First Tutors: Music, (n.d.). Tutors were charging between £30 and £50. Those with higher qualifications, such as conservatoire training, set higher rates than those with less qualifications. Therefore, my degree from Leeds Conservatoire will allow me to set a higher rate as I will have more relevant musical and performance knowledge.

I will sign up for PRS, Performing Rights Society and PPL, Phonographic Performance Limited, to further boost my earnings. These are both royalty-collecting charities; PPL and PRS work together and issue a blanket licence to businesses that want to use music in their shops for employees or customers. The PPL (2022) website say they issue a licence to companies wishing to broadcast music on television, radio and other digital media. PPL collect data on what music was played and distribute the money paid from those license fees to the performers. PRS uses the same data to pay royalties to the owner or owners of the composition rights. PRS (n.d.) also pays royalties if your composition was used in a live performance. As a session musician, this means if I have performed on a track, I can collect royalties from PPL every time it is broadcast, and if I compose a piece of music, I can collect royalties every time it is performed or played.

Marketing and promotional aspects

A good way to promote both the educational and performance sides of your career would be to create an Electronic Press Kit (EPK.) In an article about EPKs, Apple Music (Apple Music, n.d.) describes an EPK as a resume in the music industry which makes it easy for industry professionals such as producers, venues, managers and booking agents to view your work. Soundcharts (soundcharts.com, n.d.) highlights the importance of quality and says that the kit should include high-quality photos which could be used for promotional purposes, a description of who you are and what you do and any music you have made or been involved in, as this shows off your skills. It must include contact information such as an email and any social media accounts you may have. In a blog, Kealey, M. (2022) mentions having your own website comes with many benefits including hosting an EPK on it. She goes on to say how a website is an industry standard now and is more permanent than social media. You have complete control over your website and can put what you like on it such as merch or student vacancies. It is important to have everything in one space because people will be more likely to see it. People often scroll past posts which are too long due to a decreased attention span caused by social media. Alaparthi, K. (2024.) conducted a study on the effects of social media usage on the attention span and found that there was significant correlation beyond chance that social media usage decreased attention span therefore, hosting all the information in one place makes it easier for people to engage.

Intellectual and personal challenges

In an interview conducted by Jackson. C, (2024), Sophia Petrides says how ‘balancing different commitments in a portfolio career can be stressful and lead to burnout’. Having to travel to gigs, practice, plan and teach lessons and promote yourself can make it challenging to keep track of everything. Therefore, I must make sure to write down all of my commitments in a diary so as not to double-book myself. I will also make sure to timetable lesson planning and practice time, so I do not let my work build up and overwhelm me.

Development and progression

As a private teacher, there is no typical way of tracking progress other than developing my teaching skills, which will enable me to charge more for my lessons. Another way I will measure my progress in this area is by how many students I have. The consensus being the more pupils you have the better teacher you must be and the more you can charge for your lessons.

Progress in the music industry can be different for each individual. I define progress by how much my theory and practical skills have improved. This will make me a more desirable performer. I will take every opportunity to build a better reputation for myself, leading to me picking up more esteemed gigs and, in turn, gaining better pay. Performing at higher-end venues may lead to being seen by publishers or record labels who may wish to work with me.

Conclusion

There are many factors I had not considered when first looking at a portfolio career, I now see the effort needed to be successful and the different ways I can make certain tasks easier by seeking help from the music community.

Bibliography

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