Creative & Media
Musicians and Singers
Play one or more musical instruments or sing. May perform on stage, for broadcasting, or for sound or video recording.
Median salary
Varied
Typical range
Varied
Job outlook
+1% (about average)
AI exposure
Education
Typical entry: Bachelor's degree
Typical progression
Musicians and Singers Intern
Internship
$36,000
~4 mos to advance
Junior Musicians and Singers
Entry / Junior
Varied
~2 yrs to advance
Musicians and Singers
Established
Varied
~3 yrs to advance
Senior Musicians and Singers
Senior
Varied
Internships are a common on-ramp here — they speed up landing that first role and improve your odds, which is why the Safe and High-ceiling plans build one in.
Key skills
A typical day
- •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.
Fields of study
Any field
Top colleges for Creative & Media
Explore all- University of Southern California12% admit · $86,000 grad pay
- New York University12% admit · $84,000 grad pay
- Northwestern University7% admit · $95,000 grad pay
- University of Chicago5% admit · $91,000 grad pay
Reputation-based selection; stats shown are outcome data per school.