Musician - How to become a Musician

Musician like "Tansen" used to be one of the most important courtiers in the cabinet of great emperors like "Akbar".This shows the value of musicians in those old times. At that time this most distinguised human achievement was confined to a few clans of inherited musicians. These custodians of the music were able to pass their musical wealth to very few of next generation aspirants in the absence of ways and means to reach the talented and desirous learner of the music.

With the spreading of the mass media and especially the Television it has become easy to spread this talent to as many learners as possible. This is one of the main reason that from once being only an interest it has become a profession now. Besides it is now considered as one of the main source of entertainment at any occasion may it be a small party or multiday cultural programme. This increased demand of the music in every social event has automatically increased the Musician Employment rate. The spread of musical programmes on various T.V channels and Radio has also set the pace. It has largely been accepted as a profession that can not only provide one with financial reaches but also get name and fame.

Those who want to become Musician should have a genuine passion for music, a musical sense, versatility, creative ability and also stage confidence. Having an inborn talent to sing is a wonderful gift. But making a career out of this talent, demands regular devoted practice. Joining an institution and getting trained is one of the first steps towards making a career in Music but the main emphasis should be real dedication and commitment. At the same time one needs to have publicity-contacts with the right people, and of course money for training.

Thus to be a professional Musician is not an easy task as a lot of hard work and dedication is required. He is a person who is supposed to carry the old tradition as such to the next generation along with creating something new out of his own acquired and learned talent.

Like every other so called cherished profession, career as a Musician is also providing a lot of opportunities to showcase one's talent and earn money, especially for the younger generation, throughout the world now.

To become a successful professional Musician one requires special kind of learning too. To be a perfect musician one has to follow the below given path.

Eligibility to become a Musician

1. Educational Qualification

There is no specific qualification required to enter into this field. However, to take up a course in this subject the basic requirement is 10+2.

2. Age

No age barrier is there to join a course to be a musician.

How to become a Musician?

To become a Certified Musician one has to follow the below given steps:

Step 1

As a first step the prospective musician has to join one of the courses offered in this area like:

1. Certificate courses of one year.
2. Bachelor courses of three years.
3. Diploma courses and post graduate level courses of two to three years.

Prominent Institutes providing training in this field are:

1. Kalakshetra in Chennai.
2. Shriram Bharatiya Kala Kendra College of Music and Dance

Contents of the course included in music theory

Music interpretation, history of music, composing, voice instruction etc.

Step 2

After getting the requisite basic knowledge and specializing in any of the wide variety of forms in music like classical, folk, jazz, pop, fusion etc there are a variety of opportunities in this field which a person can avail. Besides becoming a performer (vocal or instrumental) or a teacher, one can be a composer/song writer, music publisher, music journalist, Disc Jockeys/ Video Jockeys, Music Therapist, Artist manager/PR and so on in the Music Industry. Today the advent of satellite television, the growing popularity of the music channels and corporate sponsorship of musical events, has all made music big business.

Musician Career Prospects

Today with music making its place in the league of big business, there is a long list of Musician career, one can choose from in the Music Industry. Some of them are:-

• Music composers / Songwriters: Those with flair in writing and an inborn talent in music can take up the career as a music composer.

• Singers / Performers: Performing artists may work alone or in a group with or without musical instrument.

• Producers: Producers brings together the various elements of recording and works to present them as an artistic whole.

• Artist / Music Management: This is considered as one of the emerging options. Artist management is the planning, organising and negotiating of an artists career. They work in the business area of music and deals with the tough, unpleasant stuff behind the scenes.

• Music Journalist: They review performances and recordings, conduct interviews with performers for various publications and write music reviews. To take up this career one must have keen interest and knowledge in music, flair for writing and good command of language.

• Music Educator / Teacher: Teachers can open music schools and also conduct private classes.

• Video Jockeys (VJs) & Disc Jockeys (DJs): With the advent of various music channel video jockeying is becoming an exciting career option for the music mad generation.

Musician Salary

A professional musician can earn anything from Rs.1,000 per hour to a few lakhs after he has proved his worth in the music industry. Although fame and money in this field depends a lot on luck and getting a good break but once you are established, there is ample scope for making good money in this field.