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Musicians and Singers

Play one or more musical instruments or sing. May perform on stage, for broadcasting, or for sound or video recording.
Related: Actors  Art, Drama, & Music Teachers, Postsecondary  Choreographers  Dancers  Music Directors & Composers 
Industries: Service  Arts & Entertainment 

  • Summary

  • Details

    • Work Activities

    • Collaborate with a manager or agent who handles administrative details, finds work, and negotiates contracts.
    • Transpose music to alternate keys, or to fit individual styles or purposes.
    • Compose songs or create vocal arrangements.
    • Teach music for specific instruments.
    • Research particular roles to find out more about a character, or the time and place in which a piece is set.
    • Seek out and learn new music suitable for live performance or recording.
    • Sing as a soloist or as a member of a vocal group.
    • Perform before live audiences in concerts, recitals, educational presentations, and other social gatherings.
    • Interpret or modify music, applying knowledge of harmony, melody, rhythm, and voice production to individualize presentations and maintain audience interest.
    • Provide the musical background for live shows, such as ballets, operas, musical theatre, and cabarets.
    • Make or participate in recordings in music studios.
    • Memorize musical selections and routines, or sing following printed text, musical notation, or customer instructions.
    • Practice singing exercises and study with vocal coaches to develop voice and skills and to rehearse for upcoming roles.
    • Promote their own or their group's music by participating in media interviews and other activities.
    • Play musical instruments as soloists, or as members or guest artists of musical groups such as orchestras, ensembles, or bands.
    • Sight-read musical parts during rehearsals.
    • Improvise music during performances.
    • Audition for orchestras, bands, or other musical groups.
    • Observe choral leaders or prompters for cues or directions in vocal presentation.
    • Direct bands or orchestras.
    • Play from memory or by following scores.
    • Listen to recordings to master pieces or to maintain and improve skills.
    • Make or participate in recordings.
    • Sing a cappella or with musical accompaniment.
    • Arrange and edit music to fit style and purpose.
    • Learn acting, dancing, and other skills required for dramatic singing roles.
    • Specialize in playing a specific family of instruments or a particular type of music.

    Skills

    • Time Management
      • Managing your time and the time of other people.
    • Management of Financial Resources
      • Making spending decisions and keeping track of what is spent.
    • Management of Personnel Resources
      • Selecting and managing the best workers for a job.
    • Instructing
      • Teaching people how to do something.
    • Complex Problem Solving
      • Noticing a problem and figuring out the best way to solve it.
    • Technology Design
      • Making equipment and technology useful for customers.
    • Equipment Selection
      • Deciding what kind of tools and equipment are needed to do a job.
    • Systems Evaluation
      • Measuring how well a system is working and how to improve it.
    • Reading Comprehension
      • Reading work-related information.
    • Science
      • Using scientific rules and strategies to solve problems.
    • Active Learning
      • Figuring out how to use new ideas or things.
    • Operations Monitoring
      • Watching gauges, dials, or display screens to make sure a machine is working.
    • Troubleshooting
      • Figuring out what is causing equipment, machines, wiring, or computer programs to not work.
    • Repairing
      • Repairing machines or systems using the right tools.
    • Coordination
      • Changing what is done based on other people's actions.
    • Active Listening
      • Listening to others, not interrupting, and asking good questions.
    • Learning Strategies
      • Using the best training or teaching strategies for learning new things.
    • Persuasion
      • Talking people into changing their minds or their behavior.
    • Service Orientation
      • Looking for ways to help people.
    • Installation
      • Installing equipment, machines, wiring, or computer programs.
    • Operation and Control
      • Using equipment or systems.
    • Equipment Maintenance
      • Planning and doing the basic maintenance on equipment.
    • Quality Control Analysis
      • Testing how well a product or service works.
    • Judgment and Decision Making
      • Thinking about the pros and cons of different options and picking the best one.
    • Management of Material Resources
      • Managing equipment and materials.
    • Systems Analysis
      • Figuring out how a system should work and how changes in the future will affect it.
    • Writing
      • Writing things for co-workers or customers.
    • Speaking
      • Talking to others.
    • Mathematics
      • Using math to solve problems.
    • Critical Thinking
      • Thinking about the pros and cons of different ways to solve a problem.
    • Monitoring
      • Keeping track of how well people and/or groups are doing in order to make improvements.
    • Social Perceptiveness
      • Understanding people's reactions.
    • Operations Analysis
      • Figuring out what a product or service needs to be able to do.
    • Programming
      • Writing computer programs.
    • Negotiation
      • Bringing people together to solve differences.

    Abilities

    • Originality
      • Creating new and original ideas.
    • Deductive Reasoning
      • Using rules to solve problems.
    • Inductive Reasoning
      • Making general rules or coming up with answers from lots of detailed information.
    • Information Ordering
      • Ordering or arranging things.
    • Arm-Hand Steadiness
      • Keeping your arm or hand steady.
    • Perceptual Speed
      • Quickly comparing groups of letters, numbers, pictures, or other things.
    • Depth Perception
      • Deciding which thing is closer or farther away from you, or deciding how far away it is from you.
    • Speech Clarity
      • Speaking clearly.
    • Auditory Attention
      • Paying attention to one sound while there are other distracting sounds.
    • Night Vision
      • Seeing at night or under low light.
    • Extent Flexibility
      • Bending, stretching, twisting, or reaching with your body, arms, and/or legs.
    • Response Orientation
      • Quickly deciding if you should move your hand, foot, or other body part.
    • Trunk Strength
      • Using your lower back and stomach.
    • Explosive Strength
      • Jumping, sprinting, or throwing something.
    • Wrist-Finger Speed
      • Making fast, simple, repeated movements of your fingers, hands, and wrists.
    • Gross Body Coordination
      • Moving your arms, legs, and mid-section together while your whole body is moving.
    • Dynamic Flexibility
      • Quickly and repeatedly bending, stretching, twisting, or reaching out with your body, arms, and/or legs.
    • Selective Attention
      • Paying attention to something without being distracted.
    • Memorization
      • Remembering words, numbers, pictures, or steps.
    • Flexibility of Closure
      • Seeing hidden patterns.
    • Glare Sensitivity
      • Seeing something even if there is a glare or very bright light.
    • Multilimb Coordination
      • Using your arms and/or legs together while sitting, standing, or lying down.
    • Sound Localization
      • Noticing the direction that a sound came from.
    • Peripheral Vision
      • Seeing something to your side when your are looking ahead.
    • Speech Recognition
      • Recognizing spoken words.
    • Near Vision
      • Seeing details up close.
    • Far Vision
      • Seeing details that are far away.
    • Reaction Time
      • Quickly moving your hand, finger, or foot based on a sound, light, picture or other command.
    • Stamina
      • Exercising for a long time without getting out of breath.
    • Oral Comprehension
      • Listening and understanding what people say.
    • Number Facility
      • Adding, subtracting, multiplying, or dividing.
    • Hearing Sensitivity
      • Telling the difference between sounds.
    • Visualization
      • Imagining how something will look after it is moved around or changed.
    • Speed of Closure
      • Quickly knowing what you are looking at.
    • Manual Dexterity
      • Holding or moving items with your hands.
    • Finger Dexterity
      • Putting together small parts with your fingers.
    • Time Sharing
      • Doing two or more things at the same time.
    • Dynamic Strength
      • Exercising for a long time without your muscles getting tired.
    • Visual Color Discrimination
      • Noticing the difference between colors, including shades and brightness.
    • Static Strength
      • Lifting, pushing, pulling, or carrying.
    • Gross Body Equilibrium
      • Keeping your balance or staying upright.
    • Written Comprehension
      • Reading and understanding what is written.
    • Oral Expression
      • Communicating by speaking.
    • Written Expression
      • Communicating by writing.
    • Fluency of Ideas
      • Coming up with lots of ideas.
    • Problem Sensitivity
      • Noticing when problems happen.
    • Category Flexibility
      • Grouping things in different ways.
    • Mathematical Reasoning
      • Choosing the right type of math to solve a problem.
    • Control Precision
      • Quickly changing the controls of a machine, car, truck or boat.
    • Spatial Orientation
      • Knowing where things are around you.
    • Rate Control
      • Changing when and how fast you move based on how something else is moving.
    • Speed of Limb Movement
      • Quickly moving your arms and legs.

    Knowledge

    • Public Safety and Security
      • Knowledge of relevant equipment, policies, procedures, and strategies to promote effective local, state, or national security operations for the protection of people, data, property, and institutions.
    • Geography
      • Knowledge of principles and methods for describing the features of land, sea, and air masses, including their physical characteristics, locations, interrelationships, and distribution of plant, animal, and human life.
    • Biology
      • Knowledge of plant and animal organisms, their tissues, cells, functions, interdependencies, and interactions with each other and the environment.
    • Law and Government
      • Knowledge of laws, legal codes, court procedures, precedents, government regulations, executive orders, agency rules, and the democratic political process.
    • Personnel and Human Resources
      • Knowledge of principles and procedures for personnel recruitment, selection, training, compensation and benefits, labor relations and negotiation, and personnel information systems.
    • Building and Construction
      • Knowledge of materials, methods, and the tools involved in the construction or repair of houses, buildings, or other structures such as highways and roads.
    • Customer and Personal Service
      • Knowledge of principles and processes for providing customer and personal services. This includes customer needs assessment, meeting quality standards for services, and evaluation of customer satisfaction.
    • Mechanical
      • Knowledge of machines and tools, including their designs, uses, repair, and maintenance.
    • Physics
      • Knowledge and prediction of physical principles, laws, their interrelationships, and applications to understanding fluid, material, and atmospheric dynamics, and mechanical, electrical, atomic and sub-atomic structures and processes.
    • Education and Training
      • Knowledge of principles and methods for curriculum and training design, teaching and instruction for individuals and groups, and the measurement of training effects.
    • Therapy and Counseling
      • Knowledge of principles, methods, and procedures for diagnosis, treatment, and rehabilitation of physical and mental dysfunctions, and for career counseling and guidance.
    • Transportation
      • Knowledge of principles and methods for moving people or goods by air, rail, sea, or road, including the relative costs and benefits.
    • Communications and Media
      • Knowledge of media production, communication, and dissemination techniques and methods. This includes alternative ways to inform and entertain via written, oral, and visual media.
    • Computers and Electronics
      • Knowledge of circuit boards, processors, chips, electronic equipment, and computer hardware and software, including applications and programming.
    • Sales and Marketing
      • Knowledge of principles and methods for showing, promoting, and selling products or services. This includes marketing strategy and tactics, product demonstration, sales techniques, and sales control systems.
    • Foreign Language
      • Knowledge of the structure and content of a foreign (non-English) language including the meaning and spelling of words, rules of composition and grammar, and pronunciation.
    • Economics and Accounting
      • Knowledge of economic and accounting principles and practices, the financial markets, banking, and the analysis and reporting of financial data.
    • Telecommunications
      • Knowledge of transmission, broadcasting, switching, control, and operation of telecommunications systems.
    • Mathematics
      • Knowledge of arithmetic, algebra, geometry, calculus, statistics, and their applications.
    • Administrative
      • Knowledge of administrative and office procedures and systems such as word processing, managing files and records, stenography and transcription, designing forms, and workplace terminology.
    • Food Production
      • Knowledge of techniques and equipment for planting, growing, and harvesting food products (both plant and animal) for consumption, including storage/handling techniques.
    • Engineering and Technology
      • Knowledge of the practical application of engineering science and technology. This includes applying principles, techniques, procedures, and equipment to the design and production of various goods and services.
    • Design
      • Knowledge of design techniques, tools, and principles involved in production of precision technical plans, blueprints, drawings, and models.
    • Psychology
      • Knowledge of human behavior and performance; individual differences in ability, personality, and interests; learning and motivation; psychological research methods; and the assessment and treatment of behavioral and affective disorders.
    • English Language
      • Knowledge of the structure and content of the English language including the meaning and spelling of words, and rules of composition and grammar.
    • Administration and Management
      • Knowledge of business and management principles involved in strategic planning, resource allocation, human resources modeling, leadership technique, production methods, and coordination of people and resources.
    • Production and Processing
      • Knowledge of raw materials, production processes, quality control, costs, and other techniques for maximizing the effective manufacture and distribution of goods.
    • History and Archeology
      • Knowledge of historical events and their causes, indicators, and effects on civilizations and cultures.
    • Sociology and Anthropology
      • Knowledge of group behavior and dynamics, societal trends and influences, human migrations, ethnicity, cultures, and their history and origins.
    • Fine Arts
      • Knowledge of the theory and techniques required to compose, produce, and perform works of music, dance, visual arts, drama, and sculpture.
    • Chemistry
      • Knowledge of the chemical composition, structure, and properties of substances and of the chemical processes and transformations that they undergo. This includes uses of chemicals and their interactions, danger signs, production techniques, and disposal methods.
    • Medicine and Dentistry
      • Knowledge of the information and techniques needed to diagnose and treat human injuries, diseases, and deformities. This includes symptoms, treatment alternatives, drug properties and interactions, and preventive health-care measures.
    • Philosophy and Theology
      • Knowledge of different philosophical systems and religions. This includes their basic principles, values, ethics, ways of thinking, customs, practices, and their impact on human culture.

    Education

    Education
    No formal educational credential
    Work Experience
    No work experience
    Training
    More than 1 year on-the-job training
    Education and Training Opportunities

    Pay

    Washington Hourly Wage
    33.57/hr

    Washington Employment Trends

    Currently Employed
    2,410
    Yearly Projected Openings
    350

    Personality

    Artistic: People interested in this work like activities that include creating, designing, and making your own rules. They do well at jobs that need:
    • Self-Confidence
    • Innovation
    • Perseverance
    • Social Orientation
    • Achievement Orientation
    • Optimism

    Tools

    • Accessories for stringed instruments
    • Accordions
    • Alto horns
    • Audio amplifier
    • Audio mixing consoles
    • Bagpipes
    • Banjoes
    • Baritone horns
    • Basses
    • Bassoon
    • Bells
    • Bongoes
    • Bugles
    • Clarinets
    • Clavichords
    • Compact disk players or recorders
    • Cymbals
    • Drum stick
    • Drums
    • Earphone
    • Electronic instrument tuner
    • English horns
    • Equalizers
    • Euphonium
    • French horns
    • Guitars
    • Harps
    • Harpsichords
    • Instrument strings or picks
    • Karaoke systems
    • MP3 players or recorders
    • Mandolins
    • Maracas
    • Marching bells
    • Marimbas
    • Mellophones
    • Metronomes
    • Microphone stand
    • Microphones
    • Musical cornets
    • Musical flutes
    • Musical instrument effects unit
    • Musical instrument stand
    • Musical instrument stands or sheet holders
    • Musical organs
    • Mutes
    • Notebook computers
    • Oboes
    • Personal computers
    • Pianos
    • Piccoloes
    • Public address systems
    • Saxophones
    • Sousaphones
    • Synthesizer
    • Tablet computers
    • Timpanies
    • Trombones
    • Trumpets
    • Tuba
    • Tuning forks
    • Vibraphones
    • Viola
    • Violins
    • Violoncellos
    • Wireless microphone and instrument amplification system
    • Xylophones
    • Zither

    Technology

    • Accounting software
    • Calendar and scheduling software
    • Computer based training software
    • Data base user interface and query software
    • Electronic mail software
    • Enterprise resource planning ERP software
    • Instant messaging software
    • Internet browser software
    • Music or sound editing software
    • Office suite software
    • Spreadsheet software
    • Video creation and editing software
    • Web page creation and editing software
    • Word processing software

ADDITIONAL RESOURCES

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