What can I do with a degree in Music/Music Technology?

Find out where the range of skills you develop studying music / music technology can take you. Here we list potential careers and tell you how you can find a job in this sector.

Music/Music Technology

The occupations listed below are a selection of those which may interest Music/Music Technology students and graduates.

Musician

Musicians can work in a variety of different roles creating and/or performing music.  They might work on their own or in collaboration with others.  This is a highly competitive field requiring dedication and possible diversification across different musical styles in order to enhance employability.

Job profile of a Musician on the Prospects website
Job profile of a Musician on the All About Careers website
Job profiles for a Pop Musician and Classical Musician from the National Careers Service website

Sound Technician

Sound Technicians are responsible for the equipment used for the recording, enhancement, amplification, mixing and production of sound.  This could be at live events or in studios, in production and/or post-production.  The role involves working closely with producers and performers to ensure that requirements are met.

Job profile of a Sound Technician on the Prospects website
Job profile of a Sound Technician from the all About Careers website

Sound Engineer

Sound engineers are involved with making recordings of music, speech and sound effects.  As well as skills with technical equipment, a sound engineer should have understanding of the technical aspects of music.

Job profile of a Studio Sound Engineer on the My World of Work website
Job profile of a Live Sound Engineer from the National Careers Service website

Music Therapist

Music Therapists support and work with clients on a wide range of issues through a shared musical experience.  They help clients address social, emotional or physical difficulties with set goals based on the therapists understanding of the client’s needs.

Job profile of a Music Therapist from the Prospects website
Job profile of a Music Therapist from the National Careers Service website
Job profile of a Music Therapist from the TARGET Jobs website
Job profile of a Music Therapist on the Health Careers website

Private Music Teacher

Private Music teachers provide training for people of all ages across varying levels and settings.  They may work on a self-employed basis or with a local authority to teach in schools.

Job profile of a Private Music Teacher on the Prospects website
Job profile of a Music Teacher on the National Careers Service website
Job profile of a Private Music Teacher of the TARGET Jobs website

Teacher

There are opportunities to teach music/music technology in secondary schools, further education colleges and also primary schools.

Graduate jobs in teaching and education from the Prospects website
Get Into Teaching website from the Department for Education - explains the various routes into teaching

For a range of additional Music/Music Technology careers, visit Creative and Cultural Skills

Please note that some of these careers may require further study.
For further information on these careers, see also:

Many people in music/music technology roles are self-employed. 

Thank you to Prospects for the content on these pages.

Other careers

A music/music technology degree may be useful in the following career areas:

Event Organiser

The role of an Event Organiser is a busy and varied one that often involves working as part of a team.  Involved from conception through to completion of an event, the Event Organiser could work in the public, private and not-for-profit sector.

Job profile of an Event Organiser from the Prospects website
Job profile of an Event Manager on the National Careers Service website
Job profile of an Event Organiser on the All About Careers website

Radio Producer

The role of the Radio Producer is to oversee the content broadcast to a listening audience.  This could be via radio, podcasts or the internet.  They work closely with a team including presenters, engineers and broadcasting assistants.

Job profile of a Radio Producer on the Prospects website
Job profile of a Radio Producer on the All About Careers website
Job profile of a Radio Producer on the Creative Skillset website

Broadcast Engineer 

Broadcast Engineers work across the media industry with a focus on ensuring that programmes are made with a high quality of sound and image.  They are focused on ensuring that broadcasting equipment runs smoothly; repairing faults and limiting malfunctions.

Job profile of a Broadcast Engineer on the Prospects website
Job profile of a Broadcast Engineer on the All About Careers website
Job profile of a Broadcaster Engineer from the National Careers Service website

TV or Film Sound Technician

Sound Technicians for Film and TV are responsible for recording voice and background sound both in the studio and on set. 

Job profile for a TV or Film Sound Technician from the National Careers Service website
Job profile of a Sound Technician from the Prospects website

Arts Administrator

An arts administrator manages activities and services which support the arts sector, involving projects and initiatives provided by arts organisations

Job profile of an Arts Administrator from the Prospects website
Job profile of an Arts Administrator from the TARGET Jobs website
Job profile of an Arts Administrator from the National Careers Service website

Community Arts Worker

Community arts worker is more of an umbrella term as job titles tend to relate quite closely to the role or type of work, for example arts development officer, youth engagement officer, youth arts practitioner, and community projects assistant.

Job profile of a community arts worker from Prospects
Job profile of a community arts worker from the TARGET jobs website
Job profile of a community arts worker from the National Careers Service website
Job profile of a Community Musician from the Creative Choices Skills website
icould: Lynda W- Youth Worker
icould: Nathaniel M- Outreach Officer

Theatre Stage Manager

Theatre stage managers coordinate all aspects of a theatre company to ensure the successful delivery of the performance. In order to do this, they must have excellent people management skills.

Job profile of a Theatre Stage Manager from the Prospects website
Job profile for a Theatre Stage Manager on the All About Careers website

You may be interested in graduate roles outside of music. There are many employers who are looking for graduates with good degrees but that don’t have a preference for the subject studied. To explore different career options see:

Skills gained

As well as subject-specific knowledge and skills, a graduate in music/music technology will typically have gained:

This is not an exhaustive list of skills - you will develop many skills from your course, extra-curricular activities and work experience. Find out more about the skills employers look for and how you can develop them.

Find a job

The Careers and Employability Service provides information and advice on job searching to University of Kent students and recent graduates. This includes a vacancy database advertising a range of graduate jobs, sandwich placements and vacation work/internships and online resources. The websites listed below may also be useful when searching for a job and when looking for further information on this sector. 

Useful Websites

Job Boards/Listing Sites

  • Arts Hub  large listing of arts and creative jobs including internships and work experience. Jobs bulletin with 100 new listings each week is emailed free to members weekly. Free to join. Covers theatre, performance, visual arts, film, TV and radio, writing and publishing, design, music, fashion and the creative industries. Sister websites in the US and Australia
  • Arts Jobs Part of Arts Council England – List of paid opportunities in the Arts
  • Association of British Orchestras for orchestral vacancies
  • Corp of Army Music for roles in military music for the British Army
  • Media Volt Media community site offering Auditions & Jobs for Models, Writers, Actors, Musicians and TV/Film production crew
  • Music Business Worldwide
  • Musical Chairs for classical music vacancies all over the world
  • Music-Jobs this site features a variety of different roles across the UK
  • Music Mark a subject association for music education
  • Music Week advertises job opportunities as well as providing further resources across the site
  • Rhinegold a recruitment site for music and performing arts
  • StarNow advertises industry vacancies internationally
  • Vocalist this site links through to various others advertising vacancies across the music industry
  • Youth Music
  • Mandy Film & TV
  • The Journal of Music

More websites offering graduate jobs, internships and placement years

You may also find useful reviews and application/interview tips for specific organisations on the following websites:
Glassdoor
The Job Crowd

Further study

Around 15% of Music graduates go on to further study (source). Some Music graduates choose an area of study that allows them to specialise on a particular area, for example performance or music technology. Some may opt for professional qualifications for a particular career area, such as teacher training or music therapy. Others go on to postgraduate courses to specialise in a particular area of their undergraduate study or so that they can move into research or academia. There is also a range of postgraduate courses open to graduates of any degree subject.

More information on postgraduate study

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