Let us count the ways !

[m1469]

... In which one can use their musicianship.  Being a list-lover, I would like to form a list (for the sake of my students) of all the ways one can concievably use their musicianship throughout their life ; whether as a hobbiest, a professional, or a serious amateur.

I will start with some off the top of my head, but please add to it as you would like.  Some of these on the list are more like main topics which would have branches, most likely (For example, Accompanist -- there are many different types of accompaniment jobs).


Teacher
   Private
   Public
   University/Conservatory

Concert Pianist

Chamber Musician

Accompanist
   Church
   Choir
   Soloists

Composer

[soliloquy]

starving

[thalberg]

Music Therapist
Background music

[jlh]

Studio backing piano tracks

[Derek]

don't forget


fun

[elspeth]

Critic

Running performance venues

Writing (music or books!)

Other art forms - painting, dance...

Science - particularly physics or accoustics

Instrument-making

Study of languages

Amateur dramatics

Anthropology, with a bias towards how other cultures make music

Historian/archivist/librarian

Sound technician

And on the personal level... appreciation of arts in general. And stress relief, I'd've lost my mind lately without my piano!

[mike_lang]

Pit musician
Vocal coach
Music director (Broadway, Church, etc.)
Conductor
Transcriber (working for a publisher)

[ramseytheii]

Pit musician
Vocal coach
Music director (Broadway, Church, etc.)
Conductor
Transcriber (working for a publisher)

Thanks for mentioning Music Director of a Church.   It's better to think of it like that than to put it under "accompanist!"  A church directorship can be a very musically fulfilling position: every week you perform; you inspire other musicians (choir or soloists, vocal or instrumental);  you use the most practical musical skills which unfortunately are not relevant in the concert scene (transposition, improvisation, composition, analysis); and you can have your compositions performed as you write them.

Think of all those who go into music in order to try and get on the concert circuit, either performers or composers.  Most composers write many pieces that will never be performed, though no fault of their own; most performers learn music that they will never play before an audience.  All the time spent in classes in conservatory learning about harmony and analysis may seem useless especially to the concertizing pianist, who is only under pressure to learn the Liszt concerto to sub for someone by next Thursday, and wishing they had spent time learning it in conservatory rather than sitting in irrelevant classes.

But a directorship at a church can fulfill all of these things and provide wonderful challenges.  You can perform the pieces that you love, and challenge yourself every week to add new music to your repertoire, since you have real deadlines.  You can write your own pieces, admittedly for limited instrumentation, but you can have the satisifaction of hearing them in performance any time you want to - because the forces are yours to control.   If your church has resources, you can work to make it a center for musical life, bringing new people in the doors, and enhancing your own reputation. 

What a position!   All the practical skills brought into play, constant opportunity for performance and creativity, and potential for enormous growth.  "Accompanist" be damned!

Walter Ramsey

[pianowolfi]

Perhaps nothing for a list, but my two cents, call it naive:

A free artist , in any of the musical subjects you choose yourself. More and more. I "want" my six year old students to be free artists or the adult one with loads of "stoppages" Or myself. Or you. Or whoever.

edit: maybe for a list too, though. Why not? Thank you for this topic, it makes me think

[goldentone]

Concert Pianist
   Community Concert Pianist