CGC Oakgrove Ebook 3.0

Music

What kind of person do I need to be? To be successful as a musician you’ll need to demonstrate that you have talent, a high level of musical ability, self-discipline and dedication. Success will also depend on your creative ability, the extent to which you can brand your own unique style as well as your level of confidence for either performing in front of an audience or coping with rejection. The technical and practical aspects of music will require you to have a good working knowledge of electronics and electrical systems as well as an appreciation for sound quality, pitch, rhythm, timing and acoustics. Excellent practical skills for working with wood or metal will also be impor tant for instrument repair or manufacture. Elsewhere in the music industry a patient and encouraging approach will help you to motivate and teach pupils, having the strength to cope with challenging situations will be needed when helping people deal with emotional difficulties, and having good business sense will be vital for sales and marketing. How do I get there? Having learnt to sing or play an instrument from an early age will give you an advantage but as long as you have the talent, passion and dedication can quickly progress your level of proficiency. Par t-time music classes are available at many colleges, adult learning centres and performing ar ts schools as well as with private tutors. Music qualifications and graded exams are usually on offer. You can also study music at college or university for which an audition may be required. A variety of courses reflect the broad nature of the music industry and the qualifications available range from cer tificates at Level 2 to postgraduate diplomas. Specialisms incorporate music technology, teaching and music therapy. Alternatively, even with no formal qualifications, you can attend shor t courses in musical instrument repair or as an ar tist promote your talent through CDs, DVDs, MP3s and various social networking sites.

What skills will I learn? Music offers many different careers paths for you to follow and each will bring you a different skillset. Playing an instrument, composing material and per forming will help to improve your memory, physical dexterity and levels of concentration. You will learn self-discipline, how to per form under pressure, how to engage an audience and develop an ability to evaluate your progress. Working within other sectors of the industry you could be developing technical skills to record and mix music, communication skills to share your enthusiasm for music with others, empathy to improve the well being of others through music therapy, specialist practical skills to build or repair instruments, and business skills to promote ar tists and musical events.