Ask the Recruiter

Interest in a singing career seems to be a recurring question, which might hint at just how competitive that field is. My intention here is not to burst anyone's bubble, but to make sure that even the biggest dreamers keep at least one foot on the ground. With respect to a music career, this means two things.

First, for most working musicians, their performance careers do not mean national television appearances and lucrative recording contracts, but a series of small local gigs to build a following. If you've been performing in a church choir, see if there is a way you can leverage that into jump-starting the process of building up a following. The first point, then, is that you have to be realistic about what a music career might entail--especially at first, it means actively pursuing any gig you can get, and these may be much more small-time than what you'd imagined.

The second point of reality involves school. Many people think pursuing a musical career excludes continuing their education. On the contrary, pursuing a college degree can help your musical career. A degree in music might increase your formal knowledge, or a degree in education could allow you to make music part of your career as a teacher. In the meantime, a college environment should provide you with opportunities to perform, and perhaps work on building that following.