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I am very sorry to bring up this serious question, but I want to know what should I do after graduation.
I originally majored piano in a Korean university, because I loved music and to play piano. But as I got older I am starting to worry what to do after graduation because it is hard to get a job related to music in my country. I am curious whether America music students has the same concerns about their career. Of course I can play piano well than ordinarly people, but I am not terrific, or excellent performer, so I changed my major to musicology nowadays.
So this is the question. What does piano major students do after graduation in America and different countries? Of course it would be wonderful to be a superior pianist but it is almost impossible to most of students after graduation, and I want to know what does these students do...

Sorry to ask a such serious question, in this forum. Post replies.. Thank you for reading.

Here's a list of potential jobs for a good graduating pianist: solo concert performing; accompanying; studio piano playing; chamber music participation; becoming part of a piano duet; becoming a theater pianist, teaching (privately or in a school).

The latter suggestion is very practical. Pianists are often hired in private schools, not only as piano teachers but as band instructors, etc...

You may want to expand your general knowledge of instruments in order to broaden your job possibilities. Best of luck.

Don't feel bad bringing it up - it's a very real and serious question, and its not limited to Korea - pianists all over the world face this problem. Unfortunately there is no one-size-fits-all answer, but it will have to be something you answer for yourself.

My personal experience is that there comes a time in every pianists life where they have to make some very difficult decisions. Up through high school, and even into college, it is easy to "have your head in the clouds", and live in your own little world where its just you, your piano, and music. But then you reach a point where you need to take a serious look at piano and decide if it is worth proceeding, because a little thing called "real life" can intrude. You are right, the job market for pianists is not as lucrative as we would all hope. So you may need to choose a different direction for your career. The good news is that there are many options other than "concert pianist" that can still let you work in music, such as teaching, choir director, etc...

I hit this decision when I was a senior in high school. Up until then, my aspirations were to be a concert pianist - probably the same as most people in this forum. But before heading to college, my teacher sat me down and gave me some indications of how difficult it was, and who I would be competing against, and it gave me a needed shot of reality. As it was, I did decide to major in music as a dual composition and piano major. But after 3 semesters, I saw for myself what my teacher tried to tell me - the competition is fierce and you are competing against the best in the world. And then even if you "succeed", then what about the prospect of the job market - only a select few make it to the full concert stage.

So I decided mid-stream to change majors to computer science. I got my C/S degree with minors in music and math, which allowed me to get a software development position after college. For me, I think this was the right decision. My software job pays the bills and puts food on the table, but just because I'm not a concert pianist doesn't mean I can't fully enjoy playing on my own terms. In fact it is sometimes nice to be a talented amateur, as it gives me the freedom to play whatever I want, whenever I want - instead of being a slave to a concert schedule.

But as I said - this is a decision everyone needs to make for themselves, because the road that I took is not for everyone. Good luck with your decision.

I thought long and hard about what I wanted to do with a degree in piano before I entered the program at university. We don't have many choices - accompany, teach, play for a pittance. I chose teaching, and I'm using what I learned in college and throughout my life in my job.

I graduated with a dual degree in piano performance and psychology, with a certificate of piano pedagogy. If I weren't teaching, I'd be in grad school studying hearing, cognition, and music.

OOC, what does a "concert pianist" earn? I know it will vary and folks at the very tippy top make significantly more than a "simple journeyman concert pianist", but I have no point of reference at all. Are CP's paid by the gig? What is roughly the median income for a mid level concert pianist? Is it $30K/year, is it $300K/year? I assume considering recording contracts simply muddies the waters all the more, but any insight at all would be appreciated.

My teacher said that this is a common question, in fact she herself just brought up this subject to me a few days back.

It depends, are you graduating with a B.A degree or a Master's? My teacher said that if you have a B.A degree, you can't go that far, and usually you would look into gettting a job as a teacher. She said most teachers nowadays even have their masters and doctorates degree.

bitWrangler :

General observations :

I think it would be so hard to answer your question since there are so many extraordinary costs involved in the career of a mid-level concert pianist. Even if a concert pianist is fortunate enough to earn $30,000.00 a year through performances alone, how much of that is take-home pay?

I believe that almost all concert pianists - but this affects more those who are not in the top echelon with world-recognition attached to their names and the income to go along with that status - have to arrange and fund their own advertising, their own travel expenses - hotels, meals, travel can be very expensive - have to pay for the rental of performance venues whether the sale of tickets is good or bad. Almost every expense comes out of his/her own pocket. If the pianist is good enough to be backed by an agency, while the agency may do some of the "leg work" for the performer (advertising, booking, programs, etc.,) the expenses still come out of the performer's pocket along with the agent's fee.

It's no wonder, then, that even extremely gifted concert pianists with extensive repertoire have to do other things than perform to meet the expenses of day to day living.

Regards,

Thanks Bruce. Like I said, I had 0 context to draw from, but that helps. It's kinda scary when you start off by saying:

"Even if a concert pianist is fortunate enough to earn $30,000.00 a year through performances alone, ..."

If that's any indication, wow, certainly much lower than I thought.

Or..If you have writing skills and have some journalism experience, perhaps you may want to write for a magazine such as "Pianist" or "Keyboard". The editor of Pianist Magazine is a trained concert pianist who prefers the business side of things. Try writing...you never know...

- Mark

Yes, it's quite sad that an artist who has done 5 times the amount of total work a normal person with a bachelor's degree has would be so strapped for money.

I gave some ideas of what one could do with a music and business degree here recently. If you have a love of music, there are a lot of things that you can do other than performing or teaching, if you learn about the business of music.

I am a high school student and considering taking music course in a university. But my parents tell me that it is hard to find a career after graduation... Anyway, I am sitting for ATCL and LTCL before continuing my tertiary study in Australia.

Their advices for me is : if you really like music, be a private tutor and spend your weekends playing in a church choir. BUT, dont make music as your main career.

I think for most people graduating with degrees in piano performance, they're going to end up teaching, if they do continue with piano as a career path. I don't think I'm good enough to be considered one of the top pianists in the world (I wish!), so I'm actually thinking about trying to become a professor someday. However, the competition even for that is intense, according to the teachers I've had in university.

That's not a very fair statement at all. Maybe once you earn an Architecture, Physics, or Biomedical degree you can compare.

Daniel

The sad truth is that life is rarely "fair", hard work is not always rewarded with good pay. In addition to hard work, a certain amount of strategy must be deployed, some luck, and determintion, as we have only failed when we stop trying.....in some cases that means changing course.

Thank you all for the good information...

I currently make all of my income from music (though I've done plenty of other things over the years). I've 'diversified' a bit, in that I bill myself as a pianist and an organist. Being a good accompanist helps greatly, as does being able to sightread and play well.

Some churches pay quite well, although it can be difficult work on a variety of levels...

I accompany several choirs, have a church job, and several students. I get to perform quite regularly - sometimes four concerts a week.

So it can be done, if you are diligent and are willing to do a variety of things.

Even though teaching is not for everyone, private teaching can be a very enjoyable and financially secure career.

... and are willing, I would think, to work irregular hours. No nine-to-five job, this!

Regards,

Quite true.

However, I'm a real night person - I only come fully awake during the afternoon, then am ready for the evening!

The tough part (and it is excruciating ) is having to be up early for church.