Occupation

Musician

Musicians perform and record music on stage, in studios, in pits, and in places of worship and education. Most careers are assembled from several strands at once, so practice, teaching, session work, and self-promotion usually run in parallel.

Also known as: Instrumentalist · Session musician · Performing musician

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Occupation content

Part of Arts, design, media and communications

A visual day in the work

What the work involves

  1. Practise technique and learn repertoire or parts for upcoming dates

  2. Rehearse with an ensemble, band, or musical director

  3. Perform live, adjusting to the room, the audience, and the sound engineer

  4. Record parts to a click or arrangement in a studio session

  5. Maintain instruments and equipment and arrange transport to venues

  6. Handle bookings, contracts, and promotion for your own work

Entry-route stepper

How people commonly enter

  1. Conservatoire or university degree in music performance

  2. College diploma in music or contemporary performance

  3. Long-term private tuition and graded examinations

  4. Self-directed practice with live and session work building a reputation

Typical training: Varies by employer or jurisdiction

Licensing: Not typically licensed

Work-context map

Typical work context

  • Works independently
  • Team based
  • Involves travel
  • Shift work
  • Public facing

Works independently · Team based · Involves travel · Shift work · Public facing

Related interests

  • Artistic (creative)
  • Realistic (hands-on)

Artistic (creative) · Realistic (hands-on)

Related aptitude preparation

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Skills to practise

Related learning

Family-level learning links for Arts, design, media and communications.

Official sources

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Labour-market context (not part of exploration match)

This is broad family-level context for Arts, design, media and communications in Canada, not a figure for Musician. It does not affect matching scores and is not an eligibility determination.

This is a broad Arts, design, media and communications family. Explore the official profile for the chosen occupation; entry education and training can differ within the family.

Canada Job Bank Career Planning · Canada · Current official profile; consult source for its release period

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Canada Job Bank Career Planning · Canada · Current official profile; consult source for its release period

Arts, design, media and communications: licensing

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