Your question about what to major in is not one we can answer directly. It has so much to do with what you see yourself doing after you graduate, how much of that includes music, what genre/s of music, and what area or areas of music you are passionate about and envision yourself working in. Pianists and vocalists perform, yes, but they also work in many other areas, depending on their interests. And if there are other non-music-related areas you’re interested in – that, too, can have major influence on what you major or even double major in.

We recommend that you read as many of the MajoringInMusic.com career-related articles as possible in order to get a sense of the many ways one can work within the world of music.

We also recommend taking at least one summer music program before you need to apply and audition, and look closely at the application and audition requirements at any schools you’d consider applying to.

There are no hard and fast figures to provide you with that we trust because so much has to do with where you work and the experience you bring when you apply for a job.

You’ll gain great insights by reading the various career articles on MajoringInMusic.com, and we recommend that as a first step.

You may also gain useful information by reading the latest SNAAP Study about careers for those with an arts education: https://pulse.snaaparts.org/findings/snapshots/employment-after-arts-education-findings-from-the-2025-snaap-pulse-core-survey

Yes, pursuing a degree in music will likely open doors for you and provide you with great resources, mentors, people to collaborate with, and of course the kind of training you’ll need to work in music fields. But you’ll need the passion necessary to keep actively going for what you need and want. The life of a working musician is challenging and requires ongoing active involvement, so if that’s not something you want to do, consider keeping music as a sideline or hobby rather than the focus of your career.

Musical proficiency as well as skills in areas such as business, pedagogy, and entrepreneurship will assist alumni of music schools to maintain what’s known as portfolio careers. It’s therefore important for music students to identify and engage with opportunities the career centers at their schools offer so they can best prepare for life after college.

The answer to this question is more complicated than it appears on the surface. The Strategic Arts Alumni Project (SNAPP) surveys arts program alumni from schools throughout the U.S. The data collected is compiled for each participating school to provide insights about the value of the degrees offered and how each school can move forward to improve career preparation. To date, it has appeared that the majority of students who graduated from arts programs were satisfied with their education and those who wanted to be working in the area of the arts they attended school for were doing that.

While these two career possibilities will require some skills unique to each, both will require high performance proficiency as well as the ability to play more than one instrument with that high level of proficiency. The pit orchestra work in particular will also require an excellent sight reading ability, because you’ll probably get minimal time to rehearse before performances. These are two skills that you’ll want to work on in order to audition successfully as well as work towards your career goals.

Please do think of your voice as your instrument! College-level music schools offer auditions and programs specifically for voice majors.

In addition to performing in your school choirs, consider taking some private voice lessons as well as attending summer music programs to focus on vocal skills. This will prepare you for any serious pursuit of music in college. And yes, many schools do offer a music minor if music is not something you want to immerse yourself in. Many also offer the less music-intensive Bachelor of Arts degree in music. You’ll need to check whether that’s possible and what it entails at schools you might consider applying to.

Each military band has a website where they indicate what they are looking for in prospective military band members. Here, for example, is what the top US Marine Band looks for, from their recruitment website:

“No specific level of education is required, but most members hold college degrees, and many hold advanced degrees. The playing ability and expertise required are equivalent to those of any major professional musical organization.”