Musici an

If you like to sing, perform, listen to music or enjoy rhythms and musical
instruments, a career in music may be for you. Musicians are artists who
express themselves through the composition, arrangement and performance
of music.

Being a musician is like being fluent in another language; instead of forming

sentences with letters and syllables, musicians create measures through notes
and meter. Notes indicate pitch and meter determines rhythm. Musicians are
natural mathematicians who split time into beats and sound into chords.

Top Ten
Tune In
There are many steps a piece of music must pass through on its way to the
radio waves, the concert hall or the CD store. For every step, there is a
different job that must be performed by a music-minded person.

AGENT:
An agent works on the business side of the music industry, matching talented
musicians with music projects. An agent is paid a fee from both the project
coordinators and the musicians for performing this service. Agents need to be
good at staying “in the know” on the music scene.

ARRANGER:
An arranger develops the raw elements of a song or piece of music. For
instance, an arranger can take the main instrumental line and basic melody
and compose back-up vocal harmonies and accompanying instrumental flairs.
Arrangers are sensitive to musical styles and they have a sophisticated
command of chord relationships and complex rhythms.

COMPOSER:
A composer creates pieces of music. Some compose all the parts for an
entire orchestra, and some write a basic instrumental line before collaborating
on the rest of an arrangement. Composers are sometimes commissioned to
write for specific projects, like doing the score for a movie or new ballet.

TIGER’S ACTION PLAN Career Exploration: Musician p.1

CONDUCTOR:
A conductor directs and leads an orchestra, keeping track of what every
single musician is doing. Conductors explain motivation, mood, timing and
style – everything a group of musicians need to deliver a compelling
performance. Conductors ensure that all the musicians keep the same tempo,
remember their cues and develop a piece to its greatest stylistic potential.
They are required to have played every instrument in an orchestra so that
they can talk to any musician about how to improve their part.

MANAGER:
Managers are music-loving businesspeople who are hired to develop and
guide an artist’s or music group’s career. They advise musicians about
contracts and other decisions involving payment, and they attempt to
develop the musicians’ fan base through all available means – by booking
concerts, recording “demos,” securing media coverage and “spreading the
word”.

PERFO RMER:
A performer is a musician who is hired to play an instrument or sing on a music
project. Performers play and sing “live” or for studio recordings, adding vocals
or instrumentals to the work of orchestras and bands. Some performers work
with the same group of musicians all the time and some float from project to
project, so performers need good people skills, patience and the ability to
compromise.

PRODUCER:
A producer develops new music projects, hires musicians to compose and
perform them and also oversees the production of the final product. They
explain to writers, lyricists, performers and sound engineers the desired
mood, audience and style of the finished piece. Producers guide a
composition to get the results that they want, and they settle disputes that
arise during the creative process.

PUBLISHER:
A publisher assists writers and lyricists to establish the rights to their original
compositions and to sell their work to others. By copywriting lyrics and
publishing scores, they ensure that music is not stolen or copied. They

TIGER’S ACTION PLAN Career Exploration: Musician p.2

introduce new pieces to producers and artists and assist in the buying or
licensing of the music they represent.

TEACHER:
There are all kinds of music teachers working to ensure that future
generations appreciate music and include skilled musicians. There are music
teachers at every level of formal education, from preschool on up. Specialized
teachers concentrate on specific instruments and styles of music and often
take on private students.

SOUND ENGINEER:
A sound engineer specializes in “mixing.” Whenever music is performed live or
in a recording studio, the sound engineer ensures that no one part
overpowers all the others – unless it’s supposed to! The instruments and
vocals must be balanced properly, which is the job of the sound engineer.

How to Get Ther e

What’s the Key?

• The best place to start preparing for a dream career in music is to

notice it in your everyday life. Analyzing the music you hear lets you
know what kinds of music you prefer and why. This can influence your
own style and ability to express yourself musically. When you hear
music, you can ask yourself the following questions:
o Is it classical, pop, jazz or …?
o Are there lyrics or is it instrumental?
o Does it remind you of another tune you know, and if so, why?
o What is the tempo? Is it fast, medium or slow? Are there long
sweeping notes or short, choppy ones? Does the tempo change?
o Are there a lot of instruments playing at once, and what
instruments do you think you hear? Is there a sound you can’t
identify, and if so, what is the quality of that sound? Is it high- or
low-pitched? Does it have qualities like another instrument you
know?
o How does the music make you feel? Happy or sad? Confused?
Angry?

TIGER’S ACTION PLAN Career Exploration: Musician p.3

 • Nature gave you a great instrument – your voice! If you have access to
another instrument, play with it. Regardless of the instrument (voice,
guitar or penny whistle), figure out how it works and try to make it
sound good. The time you spend messing around with an instrument can
also teach you about chord relationships and rhythm – information that
any musician needs.
• Ask your parents and teacher what instruments are available to learn
through your school. (If you ask for lessons, be prepared to practice!)
Also, depending on your school, instruments and lessons might cost
money, so figure out whether you and your parents can afford lessons
before you sign up.
• Ask your music teacher about orchestras, bands, choirs or chamber
groups at your school or in your community. Participating with these
groups will get you used to practicing and performing with others.
• Ask your parents or music teacher to arrange trips to watch rehearsals,
concerts, musicals or operas. Talk to musicians about their work, training
or instruments whenever you get the chance.
• Search on the Internet with keywords MUSIC, MUSICIANS, MUSIC
ACTIVITIES FOR KIDS, MUSIC PERFORMANCES FOR KIDS, MUSIC
PROGRAMS FOR KIDS, MUSIC CONTESTS FOR KIDS, MUSIC LESSONS
FOR KIDS, MUSIC INTERNSHIPS FOR KIDS.

Activity
Recycling Is Music to My Ea rs!
People have been making music throughout history and all around the world.
The first instruments were made by hand. We can still make musical
instruments by hand, as you’ll discover in this activity… Grab the following
things from your recycling bin, kitchen or laundry room, then find some friends
and make an orchestra! (Be sure to ask your mom or dad before you grab
anything.)

• Coffee cans with lids

• Combs and brushes
• Soda cans and bottles
• Cereal boxes

TIGER’S ACTION PLAN Career Exploration: Musician p.4

 • Pots, pans and buckets
• Paper towel, wrapping paper and toilet paper tubes
• Pens and pencils
• Washboards
• Wooden spoons and chopsticks
• Paper plates and cups
• Plastic wrap
• Rubber bands, tape and staples
• Dry lentils, rice or beans

Tambourines: With dry lentils, rice or beans inside, staple two paper plates
together so the rounded sides form a pocket. Maracas: Pour dry lentils, rice or
beans into a plastic cup or can and seal it with plastic wrap or wax paper and
a rubber band. If the can has a lid, seal it with that.

Drums: Use upside-down pans and buckets, or cans with lids. Wooden
spoons, pencils, chopsticks and brushes can serve as drumsticks.

Flutes: Blow air across the top of an empty bottle. Fill another one with a
little water and do it again to get a different pitch. (This can be tough, but
you’ll get it if you keep trying.)

Guitars: Wrap rubber bands around a tissue box so that they cross the hole
you pull tissues from. If you don’t have a tissue box, cut a hole in one side of
another small box.

Play with ways to make different sounds. Does a lot of rice in a can make a
different sound than a few beans? Do small beans make a different sound than
large beans? What different noises do metal and plastic surfaces create?
Make low sounds, high sounds, slow sounds, quick sounds, soft sounds, and
loud sounds and learn to recognize different tempos. Listen to your favorite
songs and accompany them with your own instruments!

Q&A
Q. What a re the mos t and least fun p a rts ab out y our jo b and why?

Michelle B. is a lyricist, songwriter and singer in New York City. She says:

TIGER’S ACTION PLAN Career Exploration: Musician p.5

I am a lyricist/arranger. A lyricist is one part of a songwriting team. On my
team, there is a composer, who creates all of the instrumental music; a
lyricist/arranger, who creates a melody for the song and words to go with it;
and a producer, the person who oversees the melding of the work of the
composer and the lyricist/arranger. My team writes “pop music,” which is the
sort of music that you hear on popular FM radio stations. The purpose of pop
writing is to compose songs that a lot of people can relate to and that will
stick in their heads long after they hear it.

I have the most fun at the very beginning of my creative process, when the
composer first passes his completed instrumental work to me. I listen to the
song several times to familiarize myself with the piece in terms of meter,
tone, mood and chord progression. Once I feel comfortable with the song, I
try to figure out a catchy melody and chorus that go best with the music. I
love this part because I get to do the things I enjoy the most – listening to
music, singing, making up lyrics and dancing around my apartment!

The part that’s least fun is the challenge of working as a team in a creative
setting. When writing, the whole team has to agree on what makes the song
sound best – which melody is the prettiest, which theme makes the most
sense, etc. Sometimes we don’t agree. Everyone has a creative role to play,
so there’s no wrong answer. When we can’t agree, the producer makes a
decision, and inevitably someone doesn’t get their way and is unhappy.

TIGER’S ACTION PLAN Career Exploration: Musician p.6