5 of the Best Jobs for Music Lovers
If you love music, there are jobs available that allow you to be surrounded by music without necessarily having to be a musician yourself.
Music Therapist
As a music therapist, you will work with patients to help them manage pain and stress by using the power of music. You will need to receive certification from a music therapy program to understand the techniques you need to use in different settings with different patients. Music therapists work in a variety of settings, such as rehab centers, hospitals, schools, nursing homes and private practices.
Recording Engineer
As a recording engineer, you are involved with the technical aspects of music. You handle the recording, mixing, and editing of songs for musicians.
You will need an interest in music, sound, and electronics as well as the ability to listen to complex sounds and distinguish individual elements. Recording engineers often have a degree in sound engineering or audio production but being mentored and gaining experience is just as important.
Lyricist
Songs tell a story, and the lyrics can make or break them. It’s not that easy to get into this field, but you may want to try if you’re a creative person with a knack for expressing emotions in words.
Lyricists write song lyrics for commercials, musicals, film, TV, and songs. An advanced degree is unnecessary but taking courses to learn and hone your skills is important. One of these is your language skills. You also need to develop an awareness of genre and the language that’s appropriate within a particular genre.
Music Journalist
As a music journalist, you will review new albums, write about artists and cover concerts. You will spend much time behind your computer researching and writing stories. You will work with editors, photographers, publicists and other journalists.
College isn’t necessary for this career, but it is strongly advised. Useful degrees include journalism, communications, and English. Read a magazine like Rolling Stone, and you will see how the pros do it.
Gaining writing experience and developing your portfolio is essential. You will usually begin by working for a small local business and slowly work your way up.
DJ
DJ’s use their mastery of music to entertain people. Learning how to become a DJ is easy but making a living at it is difficult. There are many different types of DJs such as club DJs, performers, mobile DJs and radio DJs, all of which have different reasons for existing.
You will need to decide what type of DJ you want to be and then start exploring what software and hardware works for you.
If you want to become a DJ, you will have to learn various basic skills such as beatmatching and phrasing. Once you’ve acquired the skills and recorded a mix or two, it’s time to share it with an audience and to start building up a following. As a DJ you also need to learn how to read a crowd so you can take people on a musical journey.
