Musicians and Singers
Arts, Audio/Video Technology and CommunicationsO*NET 27-2042.00United States
Play one or more musical instruments or sing. May perform on stage, for broadcasting, or for sound or video recording.
- Median annual earnings
- $74,997
- Projected change
- +7.1%
- Typical education
- High school diploma or less
- Employment
- 178.15K jobs
50th percentile, United States
2025 to 2035
31.4% of the workforce
Growing to 190.81K by 2035
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These courses and certificates are connected through catalog career relationships and Lightcast skill tags.
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The work
What musicians and singers do
Tasks reported for this occupation, ordered by how often they come up in the role.
- Perform before live audiences in concerts, recitals, educational presentations, and other social gatherings.
- Sing a cappella or with musical accompaniment.
- Interpret or modify music, applying knowledge of harmony, melody, rhythm, and voice production to individualize presentations and maintain audience interest.
- Specialize in playing a specific family of instruments or a particular type of music.
- Sing as a soloist or as a member of a vocal group.
- Observe choral leaders or prompters for cues or directions in vocal presentation.
- Memorize musical selections and routines, or sing following printed text, musical notation, or customer instructions.
- Play musical instruments as soloists, or as members or guest artists of musical groups such as orchestras, ensembles, or bands.
- Sight-read musical parts during rehearsals.
- Play from memory or by following scores.
- Practice singing exercises and study with vocal coaches to develop voice and skills and to rehearse for upcoming roles.
- Listen to recordings to master pieces or to maintain and improve skills.
- Teach music for specific instruments.
- Provide the musical background for live shows, such as ballets, operas, musical theatre, and cabarets.
- Audition for orchestras, bands, or other musical groups.
- Seek out and learn new music suitable for live performance or recording.
- Make or participate in recordings in music studios.
- Promote their own or their group's music by participating in media interviews and other activities.
- Make or participate in recordings.
Pay and outlook
What the job pays and where it is heading
Annual earnings range
Reported earnings by percentile, United States
- 10th percentile
- $26,626
- 25th percentile
- $41,396
- 50th percentile
- $74,997
- 75th percentile
- $129,940
- 90th percentile
- $246,931
The gold marker shows the median. Half earn more than $74,997 and half earn less.
Employment outlook
2025 to 2035 projection
+7.1%faster than average
2025178,147 jobs
2035 projected190,814 jobs
12,667 more positions over the decade, before replacement hiring.
Preparation
Education levels
What people currently working in the career hold. These are not entry requirements.
- High school diploma or less
- 31.4%
- Bachelor's degree
- 29.9%
- Master's or Professional degree
- 17.2%
- Doctoral degree or more
- 12.7%
- Some college
- 8.6%
- Certificate
- 0.3%
Skills
Skills employers ask for
Technical skills appearing most often in job postings for this occupation.
How the work gets done
Core competencies
Broad capabilities associated with strong performance in this occupation.
- Speaking
- Talking to others to convey information effectively.
- 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.
- Monitoring
- Monitoring/Assessing performance of yourself, other individuals, or organizations to make improvements or take corrective action.
- Social Perceptiveness
- Being aware of others' reactions and understanding why they react as they do.
- Reading Comprehension
- Understanding written sentences and paragraphs in work-related documents.
- Coordination
- Adjusting actions in relation to others' actions.
- Critical Thinking
- Using logic and reasoning to identify the strengths and weaknesses of alternative solutions, conclusions, or approaches to problems.
- Service Orientation
- Actively looking for ways to help people.
- Time Management
- Managing one's own time and the time of others.
- Writing
- Communicating effectively in writing as appropriate for the needs of the audience.
- Systems Analysis
- Determining how a system should work and how changes in conditions, operations, and the environment will affect outcomes.
- Active Learning
- Understanding the implications of new information for both current and future problem-solving and decision-making.
- Persuasion
- Persuading others to change their minds or behavior.
- Judgment and Decision Making
- Considering the relative costs and benefits of potential actions to choose the most appropriate one.
- Learning Strategies
- Selecting and using training/instructional methods and procedures appropriate for the situation when learning or teaching new things.
- Negotiation
- Bringing others together and trying to reconcile differences.
- Instructing
- Teaching others how to do something.
- Systems Evaluation
- Identifying measures or indicators of system performance and the actions needed to improve or correct performance, relative to the goals of the system.
- Complex Problem Solving
- Identifying complex problems and reviewing related information to develop and evaluate options and implement solutions.
- Management of Personnel Resources
- Motivating, developing, and directing people as they work, identifying the best people for the job.
In the market
Job titles and employers
Recent job postings in United StatesCommon job titles
- 01Accompanists265 postings
- 02Musicians158 postings
- 03Drummers156 postings
- 04Footwear Managers148 postings
- 05Pianists/Accompanists132 postings
- 06Worship Leaders107 postings
- 07Bass Players100 postings
- 08Organists/Pianists88 postings
- 09Church Organists86 postings
- 10Collaborative Pianists86 postings
- 11Church Pianists83 postings
- 12Church Musicians81 postings
- 13Keyboardists78 postings
- 14Singers73 postings
- 15Actors/Musicians71 postings
- 16Audio Recording Engineers67 postings
- 17Keyboard Players66 postings
- 18Guitar Players58 postings
- 19Stylists54 postings
- 20Piano Players46 postings
Top employers
- 01Dick's Sporting Goods148 postings
- 02Edjoin.Org117 postings
- 03Welocalize76 postings
- 04Backstage International Ltd44 postings
- 05Optiv Security32 postings
- 06Music Ministry31 postings
- 07Norton Healthcare29 postings
- 08Regis Corporation29 postings
- 09ChurchStaffing25 postings
- 10ManpowerGroup25 postings
- 11Alto Agency24 postings
- 12Von Maur24 postings
- 13Archdiocese Of St. Louis23 postings
- 14Bowling Green State University19 postings
- 15Ensemble Performing Arts Limited18 postings
- 16JPMorgan Chase18 postings
- 17Supercuts17 postings
- 18St. Olaf College15 postings
- 19System One15 postings
- 20Ladgov Corporation14 postings
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