Careers Service Occupations

Music & Performing Arts

Music and Performing Arts

About

The culture, music and performing arts industry is tough to get into, but can be very rewarding.

Careers advice

Music

Performing arts

Industry news

Professional bodies

These represent people working in the sector, providing training and networking opportunities. They often provide careers support for students and graduates. 

They also provide development for people already working in the sector. Follow them on LinkedIn or visit their websites for news, contacts, work experience and vacancies.

The main professional associations for this sector include:

Music

Performing arts

Production

Find professional bodies outside of the UK on GoinGlobal by selecting ‘Professional and Personal Networking’ on each of the individual country guides.

Making contacts

Making contacts is essential for success in this sector. Many jobs in this field come through networking and speculative applications. You could start with:

  • social media, particularly LinkedIn and Twitter, which is useful for making contacts, finding employers and opportunities 
  • Newcastle alumni on LinkedIn - find out what they did after graduation and contact them for advice
  • Generator - music development agency based in the North East
  • Tipping Point - talent generation arm of Generator (listed above)
  • Generator Union is a Generator (see above) project, recently relaunched as a free membership organisation for digital creative professionals in the North East. They unite talent and business and match people to ideas, opportunities and innovation

Events 

Recruitment fairs, open days, talks and events give insights and opportunities to make contacts. Regular events organised by the Careers Service include Employer & Sector Insights, Recruitment Events and Newcastle University Creative Careers, which takes place each year, with speakers from a range of careers in the creative sector.

For more events for this sector see Careers Service events.

Publications available in the Robinson Library 

Related sectors

You may also be interested in Creative Arts, Design and Fashion, Teaching in Schools, Event Management & Hospitality, Leisure, Sport and Tourism, and Media.

Or see our other Explore Occupations pages for more options.

Roles & Skills

The following include descriptions of typical duties, entry requirements and case studies.

Actor

Agent

Artist manager

Broadcast presenter

Choreographer 

Composer

Dancer

Musician

Music producer

Music therapist

See Healthcare for more information.

Private music teacher

Promotions manager

Singing teacher

See Teaching in Schools for more information.  

Sound engineer

Talent agent

Theatre director

Theatre stage manager

Skills employers look for

Depending on the role, employers look for skills including:

  • good communication and listening skills as well as team working ability
  • punctuality and reliability
  • resilience, determination and the capacity to take instruction and criticism
  • networking and promotion ability
  • self-discipline and stamina
  • depending on the role, specific performance talents such as singing, dancing, acting or playing an instrument may be essential

Gaining Experience

To gain success in this sector work experience is essential. Self-promotion and contact building is vital as personal recommendation is a common way of finding work.

You will also need to develop a CV and portfolio that demonstrates your talent.

Finding work experience

Music 

To be successful in a music-related career, valuable experience can be gained in:

Performing arts

Examples of places to gain relevant experience include:

Internships

Search for vacancies on MyCareer

See Internships, placements & shadowing and Volunteering for more information and resources.

Finding opportunities

Find organisations that interest you and get in touch, always with a named contact. Be specific about why you are writing to them and what you’re looking for. 

Show your enthusiasm for the sector and highlighting any relevant skills. Don’t give up if you don’t get a reply – follow up with a phone call or email to show that you’re keen.

See Researching Employers for more ways to source and research companies.

Finding Jobs

Networking and self-promotion is essential in this sector as many roles are not advertised and there is massive competition for those that are.

Graduate schemes do not normally exist in this field.  

Many people in this sector have a ‘portfolio career’. Rather than having a traditional full-time job, they have multiple part-time jobs. 

This can include part-time employment, temporary work, freelancing, and self-employment.

Vacancy sites

Music

For music therapy vacancies see our Healthcare page.

Performing arts

Dance

Broadcast presenting

See also the Finding Jobs section of Media and Graduate Jobs for more vacancy sources. 

Specialist recruitment agencies

Spotlight is a casting agency while Handle recruits for music, media, entertainment or lifestyle brand roles. 

Finding opportunities 

Most jobs in this sector aren’t advertised, so self-promotion and speculative approaches are vital. You could approach casting agencies or creative organisations or network in the industry.

Find organisations that interest you and get in touch, always with a named contact. Be specific about why you are writing to them and what you’re looking for. 

Show your enthusiasm for the sector and highlight any relevant skills. Don’t give up if you don’t get a reply – follow up with a phone call or email to show that you’re keen.

See Researching Employers for more ways to source and research companies.

Find jobs and additional vacancy source websites outside of the UK on GoinGlobal.

Work for Yourself

The majority working in this sector are self-employed. This is something that you may want to consider.

The National Careers Service for example states that most actors are self-employed. They are paid a fee for each contract or performance so there is no set income. 

Many in this field are self-employed alongside having regular paid employment. This is a ‘portfolio career’.

START UP provides information on activities and support available to eligible Newcastle students and graduates interested in developing enterprise skills or starting a business.

You may also find it useful to look at: