Piano Major in College

[Awakening]

If I decide to major in piano in college, what other professions would be available to me aside from a teacher or concert pianist?  The latter is not going to happen for me, and the former may not be what I want.  I love music and the piano but am not sure whether it is a good idea to make it my profession.  Are there many options available for music majors fresh out of college?  Thanks.

[amanfang]

Who says you have to go into music profession even with a degree?  I have a two friends with bachelor's and master's degrees in music - one is a banker, and the other sells insurance.  A lot of what you learn from music - i.e. discipline, how to learn, how to improve, etc. - carries over into every field.  They are traits that most businesses will be looking for.  Granted, if you don't want to go into the music field as a profession, majoring in it might not be the smartest way to go, but there is no rule saying you have to go into the field you get your degree in.

[thierry13]

If you want it to be related to piano... well you could play in piano-bars and things like that...  I don't see any other options. But if you practice hard I'm sure you will be able to be a concert pianist, or at least a teacher !

[pianowelsh]

If your interested in music theres research, administration, publishing, adjudicating, music journalism, music therapy, community work etc. Essentially anything you fancy - alot of jobs are self made in music (if you have a cool idea - run with it). Most musicians today do more than just play infact a firnd told me that only something like 3% of pianists graduates in the world make a full time living in piano performance - ouch! most do piano perf plus chamber music and teaching and editorial work and adjudicating - and thats people who graduate as 'performance' majors. You need to be increasingly broadly skilled today - make the most of every opportunity you get to do whatever!

[dinosaurtales]

The music industry is humoungous!  and unfortunately, most piano teachers only know about playing and teaching piano (my teacher is like that, but she doesn't like to admit it). 

Piano specific:  work as a sales person in a piano store.  Become a piano technician/rebuilder.

Non necessarily piano:  Composition - get good at meeting "the spec" and learn about midi - then write jngles for ads, write graded literature for students, develop method books.    Orchestration:  get good at meeting "the spec" and learn midi (sound familiar?).  Write band or orchestra arrangements of popular music for various grades. Transcribe songs for sheet music for any instrument.  These companies have somebody working for them doing these things!  Get good at research and musicology and work as an editor for a publishing company.

Get into the music "scene" locally or regionally and become a music / talent agent.  These people manage entire careers and book gigs for individual musicians or groups.  They get a cut of the fees.  Good ones book bigger musicians and get a cut of a bigger fee. Get it? 

Get involved int the entertainment industry in any way you can = tv, movies, theater, whatever you can get that appeals.  Guaranteed there will be music needed somewhere.  If you can orchestrate, compose, analyze, and play, there will be some kind of job for you!