Opportunities for Instrumentalists
Here's the many ways for instrumentalists to make a living from what you love.

The music industry is a massive, billion-dollar industry. There are professionals of different expertise that all contribute to making the industry what it is today. One of the most important, but sometimes neglected, members of the industry are instrumentalists. It's funny when you think about how underrated they are because they're the ones actually making the music. So if you're an instrumentalist who doesn't sing well enough to be the lead of a band, you might be wondering what opportunities there are for you in the music industry.

Your skill takes a lot to develop, so you deserve to make a living off it. In this article, I'll talk about some of the several career options you have as an instrumentalist in today's music world. Not all of them apply to every instrumentalist, but no matter what you play, I'm sure you'll find something helpful here.

Let's do it…

Producer

Behind the lyrics and vocals, the music is made by the producers. Whether using real-life instruments, DAWs, or a combination of both. This requires producers to have a good understanding of how instruments work. If you're already a great instrumentalist, you have a wonderful advantage over everyone else. All you have to do is master the tools producers use and you'll automatically become one of the best. You'll take to it like a duck in a pond.

Massive studios can be crazily expensive, but the good news is you don't need to start large to be a successful producer. You can start small with a home studio and build slowly but steadily from there. Being a producer isn't restricted to any instrument either. It doesn't matter whether you play a bass guitar or a trombone, you understand music enough to be a great producer.

Band player

If you're not willing to learn something else and want to continue playing your instrument of choice, you can join a band. You'll be doing what you love and making a decent amount of money while at it. There are three main options if you want to be a band player. You could form one with your friends, join an already existing band as a new member, or get hired by a celebrity singer to be part of the team.

Record yourself making great music so you have a decent catalog of your skill. I also strongly advise you to make good use of social media. I'll talk about social media more a bit later, but it's a great way to build a portfolio if you're looking to be hired.

This opportunity is more geared towards drummers, keyboardists, and guitarists. If you play the saxophone or trumpet, you stand a decent chance as well. I've never seen a violinist in a band before, but who says you can't be the first? If you're a classical musician, however, you stand a better chance of getting into a different kind of band…

Orchestra

If you're a classical musician, you may find it harder to get hired by a band. Your odds are much better with an orchestra. As one of the oldest musical institutions in existence, orchestras are the home of classical music. If you play woodwind, brass, percussion, or string instruments, the orchestra is the right place. You get the chance to play music you love with musicians like yourself, earning yourself a decent paycheck in the process.

That said, you face stiff competition given how rare orchestras are compared to regular modern bands. It's not the end of the world if you don't get hired by an orchestra. Let's talk about an alternative…

Music performer

You can join a band or an orchestra, but you can also decide to go alone. If no one will have you, why not just go ahead and do it yourself? I know it's more common to see singers develop careers as performers, but it doesn't have to be that way. One of my favorite performers of all time is Lindsey Stirling, a violinist. She has built her YouTube following to over 13 million subscribers and over a billion views. That alone is a source of income, not to mention the rest of it.

So you can build a career of your own, and one of the best ways to do it is using social media. The biggest brands I've seen are on YouTube so there has to be something about it. If you want to build a decent brand for yourself, study instrumentalists who have gotten to the top to see how they did it, preferably the ones in the same line as you.

Lindsey Stirling is a violinist, but you can find other big brands on YouTube for whatever instrument you want.

Music teacher

If you're interested in passing knowledge to the next generation, you can become a music teacher. You can either get hired to do it as a high school teacher or college professor, or you can start a private practice. Music teachers are one of the most important members of the music industry because they help keep the fire burning from generation to generation. Without music teachers, there would be no music today.

One amazing thing about being a freelance music teacher is that you can combine it with another job seamlessly. So you can be an orchestra musician and take on a few students in your free time. One or two premium students are enough to pay all your bills.

Final Thoughts

You don't have to be a singer to build a satisfying music career. You have a plethora of options as an instrumentalist depending on what instruments you play. I have only listed five options here, but there's so much more you can do. The roles in the music industry often intersect so it's easy to float around. You can be an orchestra musician and a teacher, you can play in a band while building a personal YouTube channel. Sprinkle in a bit of another skill like songwriting and production, and you'll be unstoppable.

The main ingredient you need for success is the desire and dedication required. Everything else is at the tip of your fingers.