Succeeding as a Part-Time Musician
If you are a part-time musician, it is likely you have wondered whether it is even possible to be successful when you do not dedicate every waking hour to music. While there are some challenges that come with being a part-time musician, it is possible to achieve success and to do it on your own terms. Here is what you need to know.
Choose a Single Path
Being a part-time musician is hard enough without having to make decisions about a new direction you would like to take your career or music. A common mistake part-time musicians make is not taking the time to identify a single path they would like to follow and what they would like to achieve.
Because you only have a limited time to work on your music, you need to have a clear sense of direction and a concrete plan on what you want to achieve. If you do not, you might waste time changing direction and trying to succeed in multiple areas instead of succeeding in an area you are fully confident in.
Keep Your Skills Updated
It is quite common for part-time musicians to take so much time away from music that their skills start slipping. Once this happens, they find they are not able to perform or sing at the levels they used to before. This can be very discouraging and disheartening and can make artists feel like they cannot continue with this passion anymore.
To ensure this doesn’t happen to you, it is important to keep your skills updated. Many artists will keep playing their instruments or singing a couple of hours after work or for a few hours during the weekend. If you want to train at home, you can set up some space with the instruments you love to play and practice alone or as a band. To help you set everything up, you can shop for new and pre-owned music instruments at Cranesmusic.com which has a huge selection of music instruments at affordable prices for you to choose from.
If you have been out of it for some time, taking classes can also be a great way to get up to your previous levels. Taking classes at a renowned music school can help you keep your skills up to date and can even help those who have been playing professionally and semi-professionally improve their skills.
Do Not Be Afraid to Fail
The fear of failure can be crippling and is one of the reasons why many artists do not see any traction. Failure is often a source of valuable lessons and so it should be embraced rather than shunned. This is especially true for artists who are trying to do things and succeed on their own terms.
Use failure as a feedback mechanism. Use the information you get out of it to know what areas to focus on, what to improve and to streamline your processes.
There is no doubt that succeeding as a part-time musician is challenging. However, if you choose a path and remain focused on it, learn from your mistakes, document your journey and find opportunities where they lie, you improve your chances of becoming a successful part-time musician.
Know when (and how) to take the jump to full-time musician
It is possible to make music your sole source of income, but you need to be successful enough that you’re getting a steady stream of revenue without spending too much in the process. As Gerard Zappa of Wooster suggests, it can be beneficial to explore different sources of revenue. This includes making sure that you’re selling/streaming music on multiple platforms and actually making a profit from gigs. Pursuing jobs such as music teaching or composing commercial music can be great options for those who want a stable job based around music.
