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A music degree can lead to all kinds of careers, and studying performance and production gives you skills that can take you across different areas of the industry. Whether you’re most at home on stage, in the studio or somewhere in between, there are plenty of routes to explore. Here are some of the careers a Performance & Production degree could lead to.
What careers can you pursue with a BMus Performance & Production degree?
There are plenty of jobs you can get with a music degree, both on stage and behind the scenes. Your route will depend on your skillset, interests and ambitions.
Musician or performing artist
For many musicians, the goal is to perform and release their own music. As an independent artist, you could write and record tracks, perform live, market yourself as an artist and collaborate with other musicians. Understanding production can also give you more control over your sound, from developing demos to producing your own releases. It’s a career that can take plenty of different forms, particularly as music industry trends continue to change how artists create, release and perform music.
Music producer
Music producers help turn ideas into finished tracks. Depending on the project, that could involve working with an artist on arrangements, recording performances, shaping sounds or overseeing the whole creative process. Some producers work primarily with other artists, while others produce their own music alongside performing and songwriting. If this is the direction you’re interested in, developing your own sound is only part of the job. Learning how to collaborate, communicate ideas and present yourself professionally can be just as important.
Session musician
Session musicians are hired to perform for other artists, either live or in the studio. You could play on recordings, join an artist’s touring band, perform at one-off shows or even record parts remotely from your own setup. Being adaptable is particularly useful here as you may need to learn material quickly, work across different genres and understand what an artist or producer needs from your performance.
Songwriter or composer
If writing is where your strengths lie, you could develop a career in writing music. Songwriters may work with artists and producers to develop original tracks, while composers can create music for areas including film, television, games and other media. Production skills can be useful here too, particularly when creating demos, developing arrangements and communicating how you want a piece of music to sound.
Live musical director
Musical directors help bring live performances together. They can be responsible for arranging songs for a live setting, leading rehearsals and making sure musicians work together as a band. It can be a natural route for musicians who enjoy the collaborative side of performance as much as being on stage themselves.
Recording and live sound
Performance and production skills can also lead towards technical jobs in recording studios and live music. That could mean supporting recording sessions, working with artists in studio environments or developing your experience in live sound and production. If you’re particularly interested in the technical side of recording, you may decide to specialise further through additional study or hands-on experience.
Do you have to choose one music career?
Not necessarily. Plenty of people working in music build careers around several different types of work. A musician might release their own tracks while playing sessions for other artists. A songwriter might also produce. A producer might perform live or work on collaborative projects. This kind of freelance or portfolio career can give you more than one way to earn money and build experience, while leaving room for your career to change over time.
That’s one reason developing both performance and production skills can be useful. By seeing both sides, you’ll building a wider set of skills you can take into different parts of the industry.
Where can a Performance & Production degree take you?
Where you work will depend on the direction you take. You could find yourself in recording studios and rehearsal spaces, at live venues and festivals, working with music companies or creating from your own home setup.
Freelance and independent work is also common across the music industry. Rather than having one permanent workplace, you might move between sessions, gigs, recording projects and collaborations.
What skills can you develop?
A music performance and production degree gives you the chance to develop your craft while understanding more of what goes into creating music beyond your own instrument or performance. Alongside performance, that can include songwriting and arranging, recording and production, collaborating with other musicians and developing your own projects.
You’ll also need the practical skills that come with working with other people: communicating your ideas, responding to feedback, meeting deadlines and adapting when projects change.
What can you study after a BMus Performance & Production degree?
Graduation doesn’t have to be the end of your studies. If there’s an area you want to take further, postgraduate study can give you more time to specialise and develop your practice. For example, you might choose a music performance master’s course to develop further as a performer or explore a master’s in music production if you want to focus on careers in music production.
Study Music Performance & Production at LCCM
At LCCM, our BMus (Hons) Music Performance & Production degree brings performance and production together, giving you space to develop as a musician while building experience creating, recording and working with others.
With us, you’ll study in a community of musicians, producers and creatives in Central London, with opportunities to collaborate and work across different areas of music.
Learn more about our BMus (Hons) Music Performance & Production degree course and discover what life is like at LCCM.
