Piano Careers – 5 Great Career Ideas for Budding Pianists

Piano careers are a consideration for quite far down the line for beginners. If you are just starting to learn how to play the piano, nobody is going to pay you to perform or pass on your skills. However, staying motivated through lessons can be tough at times, and knowing that you have piano careers to aim for can be a wonderful way to give yourself something to aim for.

The idea of being the next Freddie Mercury might be appealing, but for most of us, it isn’t realistic. That does not mean there aren’t ways to make money out of playing the piano, though. In this guide, we’re looking at piano careers, or those very closely related to playing the piano. There are still some awesome ways to make a living even if you aren’t performing at Glastonbury.

Piano Careers – Which is Best for You?

The following are some ideas for piano careers, it is down to you to decide on the most suitable for your skills and what you are passionate about. These are just some examples. You may have a bright spark idea or a passion that leads you to another role.

Event Pianist

If you reach a certain level of ability, then you can offer your services to play at events. Have you ever been to a fancy dinner or a wedding where there has been a pianist in smart clothes? That could be you!

A lot of event pianists will be booked long in advance, and given a list of songs to learn and perform on the night. This can be quite lucrative, but many people do it in conjunction with another job.

Your skills need to be quite high to do this, especially if you are going to play classical pieces while guests are eating, for instance. If you’ve just started playing the basics in our academy, this is some way off, but it is something to aim for in the future.

Session Musician

A session musician is usually drafted in by an existing band or artist to help to play instruments either live or in recording sessions. Some session musicians get to tour with bands and musicians! Singers will often need session musicians to go on tour with them, and having a live pianist is more professional (and more authentic) than having backing tracks.

Once again, to become a session musician, you should ensure your skill levels are very high. You should be able to sight-read and be a reliable pianist. This is a great option as piano careers go, but it can be unforgiving. If you’re not the very best, there’s always someone to take your place.

Piano Teacher

It can seem weird to think about teaching others how to play the piano if you’ve only just started on the journey yourself, but there are so many people who want to learn this skill.

Learning to play piano brings a lot of people joy, and being a piano teacher can be one of the most fulfilling piano careers. You can do this at different levels. For instance, if you just teach around your neighborhood, you won’t need to be a world-class classical musician, but to teach at a university, you might!

Music Therapist

Music therapy is growing and becoming a mainstream tool for people to recover from mental illnesses. If you are inclined, you can get other qualifications besides your piano grades and learn how to help people with your skill. It helps if you can play some other instruments, too, and you may need social work or psychiatric qualifications.

Music therapy is a really rewarding career choice. Certain types of people are definitely cut out to help others. If you are good with people then this could be a good career.

Piano Tuner

Okay, so it’s a different set of skills. Being able to play the piano helps you to become a piano tuner, but it isn’t the most glamorous of piano careers. That being said, it is a great way to make reliable money out of piano, and you get to be around these amazing instruments all the time!

People always need piano tuners, and one of the best things about this career is that people keep coming back to you. Well, assuming you do a good job. A lot of piano tuners are self-employed which means you can make time to pursue your dreams, too.

Conclusion

When you start playing piano, people might tell you how difficult it is going to be. It can be. Learning is not the easiest thing you will ever do. On top of that, if you want to create a career out of piano, it is going to take graft.

However, in the modern age, there are more jobs than ever that can utilize your piano skills. You can become a composer, a performer, a tuner or instrument technician. There are also a lot of other jobs such as therapy or community work that includes piano.

FAQs

Is piano a good career?

This is a difficult question to answer. Playing the piano can be a very good career. However, you have to be prepared for self-employment in a lot of instances. You should also be flexible about your career options if you want to make a living playing the piano.

Can you earn money from piano?

If you are good enough, you can make money from playing piano. Whether this is teaching, performing, or another area in the industry, there is money to be made. You need to be talented and dedicated. It isn’t easy, but it is possible to make a living playing piano.

How much do top pianists make?

If you reach the point where you are one of the top concert pianists, you can demand big fees. Some are into the tens of thousands of dollars for every single performance they put on. Of course, there is the possibility to make even more with a record deal and your own compositions. At the very top, the sky is the limit.

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