Music
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There are many career options open to Music graduates, from professional musician roles to less obvious careers that may not have previously occurred to you. The Careers Service can help you to make the best choices for you and to formulate a plan to get you started on your chosen career path. The Careers Adviser responsible for your department is Kate Murray who can be contacted via kate.murray@kcl.ac.uk
Where do music students go?
Recent research suggests that Music students enter a huge range of careers after they leave King’s. 61 students who graduated from the BMus or MMus between 2004 and 2008 gave us their career journeys to date.
Careers outside music varied from law, gardening, writing, insurance and HR to radio, academic administration and accountancy. One alumnus has gone into a policy career, and another into events management.
However, a significant proportion of these 61 were making a career for themselves in music, either in artist management, as academics, or as performers (there are King’s cellists and trombonists in European orchestras!).
More than half had gone through a postgraduate degree or qualification, and many of these were of course the practical courses that give people a helping hand into the music world.
Another large group of alumni had become teachers at either Primary or Secondary level (and a couple were teaching at university while doing PhDs). Some chose the PGCE route into teaching while others had chosen GTP, SCITT or Teach First. One person had turned to teaching as an alternative after working in an investment bank and a couple had done it after being classroom assistants for a while.
What was striking about these journeys was that many alumni had done several things at one time, either to fund their postgrad studies, or to make some money while building up a performing career.
Most of the 61 were still involved in music outside work in one way or another: singing in choirs, teaching children, or taking part in other amateur music-making.
Music students use their skills in a variety of ways; one way will be right for you. Use all the resources of King’s to help you make your decision and find the right path.
Careers outside music varied from law, gardening, writing, insurance and HR to radio, academic administration and accountancy. One alumnus has gone into a policy career, and another into events management.
However, a significant proportion of these 61 were making a career for themselves in music, either in artist management, as academics, or as performers (there are King’s cellists and trombonists in European orchestras!).
More than half had gone through a postgraduate degree or qualification, and many of these were of course the practical courses that give people a helping hand into the music world.
Another large group of alumni had become teachers at either Primary or Secondary level (and a couple were teaching at university while doing PhDs). Some chose the PGCE route into teaching while others had chosen GTP, SCITT or Teach First. One person had turned to teaching as an alternative after working in an investment bank and a couple had done it after being classroom assistants for a while.
What was striking about these journeys was that many alumni had done several things at one time, either to fund their postgrad studies, or to make some money while building up a performing career.
Most of the 61 were still involved in music outside work in one way or another: singing in choirs, teaching children, or taking part in other amateur music-making.
Music students use their skills in a variety of ways; one way will be right for you. Use all the resources of King’s to help you make your decision and find the right path.
What do I need to do now?
Knowing where to start can be difficult and that’s where we come in. We can help you identify where you are and the decisions you need to make and come up with a plan. This might mean researching more occupations or perhaps understanding what employers are looking for and how to market yourself.
Equally, it may mean exploring what you mean by ‘the arts’ or ‘using your Music degree’ or understanding why you’re considering further study.
Equally, it may mean exploring what you mean by ‘the arts’ or ‘using your Music degree’ or understanding why you’re considering further study.
Are there any deadlines I should work to?
Taking practical steps such as internships or vacation work throughout your degree can really help. Deadlines apply for some schemes and also for some of the graduate posts or further study options you may wish to consider. These deadlines are often early in your final year of study so seeing us in your second year can be very helpful.
How do I find out more?
Here’s just a few of the services for Music students
- Read through the attached pdfs which gives lots of resources of information for music-related jobs and careers
- Find out what employers and alumni are saying by attending our events listed in our online calendar
- Attend specialist events at King’s such as the Media Forum, Human Rights Forum, Policy Forum
- JobOnline and International JobOnline provide details of part time, vacation, internships and graduate opportunities. These include the less obvious options that aren’t really covered in the standard publications.
Get someone to one help
Speak to one of our careers advisers. We can help you talk through any further study or time out you are considering. We can help you draft or improve your CV, prepare for interview and research opportunities. You can also talk to our Information Officers about how to find the latest information on career options, and use the wide-ranging resources of the Careers Information Library in the Macadam Building to help you with your research.
See the pdf documents at the bottom of the page for an enormous number of useful websites and links.
Use CareersTagged. CareersTagged is the new social bookmarking tool for locating all kinds of career related resources – job profiles, professional bodies, directories, journals, books, courses, vacancies, etc. Type in a "tag" to find the subject; combine tags to refine your selection; click through to resources; add your own "tags" and comments. CareersTagged is more than a search engine because each item is described so you know what you're going to look at.
Use Prospects website for ideas on "options with your subject".
Use CareersTagged. CareersTagged is the new social bookmarking tool for locating all kinds of career related resources – job profiles, professional bodies, directories, journals, books, courses, vacancies, etc. Type in a "tag" to find the subject; combine tags to refine your selection; click through to resources; add your own "tags" and comments. CareersTagged is more than a search engine because each item is described so you know what you're going to look at.
Use Prospects website for ideas on "options with your subject".
Attached files
