How To Have A Career As A Pianist

Do you love playing the piano? Have you considered turning your musical hobby into a career?

A lot of people don’t consider careers in music because it might seem like a competitive field with a lot of instability. That can be true, but many pianists are able to find full-time work to support themselves and their families.

If you’re someone who enjoys the consistency of managing a single responsibility at your job, working as a musician might not be for you.

It is unlikely that someone who plays the piano for a living operates on a 9-5 schedule. Most musicians wear many hats. They are involved in many different musical endeavors and hold a number of responsibilities,

Many musicians thrive with this type of work because they enjoy the variety of tasks, music and people they encounter. This lifestyle is usually life giving rather than draining for musicians.

There are many different types of jobs that pianists can do, but we’ll just explore a handful of them today. Accompanying, teaching and performing are the

most common routes pianists tend to go.

Accompanying

There are many different ways to use your piano skills as an accompanist. Here are a few of the different applications:

• Churches
• Schools
• Ballet schools
• Community choirs
• Vocal and instrumental lessons
• Rehearsals for musicals and other productions
• Vocal and instrumental competitions and festivals

Accompanying requires you to have excellent sight-reading skills. You also have to be able to adapt quickly and think on the spot.

It’s unlikely that you’d have much control over your schedule since many of the groups listed above have pre-determined practice times. However, between all of the types of groups, there is a lot of variety in rehearsal times, so you’d likely be able to secure more than one accompanying gig and choose collaborations that appeal to you most. For example, you could fill day-time hours accompanying high school choir classes, evening hours as a ballet rehearsal accompanist or weekends as a church accompanist.

Some of these jobs are ongoing and others are seasonal. For example, churches and schools almost always have year-round rehearsals, or at least follow an academic year calendar. These jobs usually have a pre-determined pay that is hourly or salaried.

Accompanying for competitions and festivals would be more inconsistent. Many states and school districts hold music competitions for band, orchestra and vocal students. The students usually need an accompanist the day of the competition, but they may also need to rehearse with the accompanist for several weeks leading up to their competition. For these types of situations, you may be able to set your own rates.

Teaching

Teaching is a really common way to use your piano skills. There are a number of settings where you could teach:

• Local piano studio
• In your own home
• Traveling to students’ homes
• High school piano lab
• University piano lab or private lessons

Teaching piano is a very accessible job. Although you don’t need any specific degrees or certifications to teach private piano lessons independently, you do need to be qualified to teach in a school or university setting.

Piano teachers need to have excellent interpersonal skills, a creative approach to piano and good business sense.

Schools and universities will probably offer you a pre-determined salary; however, studio teaching can have more variance.

If you’re teaching for someone else’s studio, you will likely earn a portion of what students are paying for lessons. If you offer lessons independently, you have complete control over how much to charge.

Performing

Performing is probably the most competitive of these jobs. Concert pianists perform at a very high level. They are talented and put in many years of work to earn the privilege of performing in large concert venues.

On a smaller scale, there are many opportunities to perform in local communities. Some restaurants or malls may have pianists or small musical ensembles who perform for their guests.

Churches will occasionally hire professional musicians to make guest appearances for special church services, especially around Christmas or Easter. Pianists are also often needed for special events such as weddings, receptions and parties.

Piano performers need to play with exceptional artistry and skill. They need to create a name for themselves and have the reputation of being an excellent performer.

There is a huge range of pay for piano performers depending on experience, the type of venue and the nature of the performance.

Of these three career paths, most pianists probably do some combination of all three of these jobs in some capacity.

Other Careers For Pianists

While these are the main ways pianists can earn a living, there are a number of other directions you could go.

This is a special skill that may not be suitable for many musicians. However, if you are a musician who happens to have an excellent ear and a knack for the mechanics of a piano, this job might be for you. There is definitely a demand for qualified people to repair, tune and maintain pianos.

If you love creating your own music, there may be opportunities to compose music for a living. Video game music, soundtracks, commissioned work, and pedagogical music are some types of music that current composers are creating.

If you love using your music to help others, music therapy might be a good direction for you.

For example, if you have some conducting skills, you could be an accompanist and leader of a choral group.

Or, if your teaching interests include early childhood, you could teach music classes in daycares or elementary schools.

Another nice aspect of the jobs we discussed is that many of the can be part-time or side hustles that fit well with busy seasons of life or other career endeavors.

Piano jobs can be challenging, satisfying and interesting. If you love playing the piano or are studying the piano, there are a lot of different options for you!

This post was written by Megan, piano teacher and author of Pianissimo: A Very Piano Blog. Visit her website for more piano related blogs for teachers, parents, students, and all things piano.

Professional Piano Player FAQ

• Do pianists make a lot of money? Generally not. Famous concert pianists, such as Martha Argerich, can average $4 million a year. However, those salaries are reserved for the very, very best at the pinnacle of their profession. Most jobs for pianists provide an average base salary of $40,000 per year. Many make less than this and the ones who secure a university teaching position can make more. One of the biggest concerns for pianists is that they tend to have many part-time jobs cobbled together to make a living wage. This means that they rarely have benefits, such as health insurance, and must pay for those things out of pocket. 

• Who is the highest paid pianist? The highest paid classical pianist is hard to pin down as different concert venues pay different fees, but Lang Lang would definitely be a contender for the title. His current net worth is estimated to be $30 million. That is a lot of money, but he doesn’t even come close to the highest paid non-classical pianists. The New-Age pianist Yanni is worth $50 million and Bruno Mars, who is a pianist as well as singer and songwriter, is worth $150 million. 

• Do pianists have agents? Only if they need one. And they only need one if they are trying to get into the concertizing circuit, either as a classical pianist or a pop/rock performer. Classical pianists typically get an agent by winning a prestigious competition, such as the Van Cliburn. Pop/rock pianists can get representation by sending a demo to an agent or inviting an agent to hear one of their local concerts. Agents can be extremely helpful for ensuring more consistent workflow and income, but they do take a percentage.
• What skills does a music director need? If you have a love of theater, working as a music director may be an ideal profession for you. Music directors are responsible for preparing the singers and the band in a musical theater production. Typically you would attend the auditions, maybe play for them, and help make casting decisions. Then you teach the cast their songs and get them ready to sing on the stage. When it’s time to bring in the band, you may also be playing the piano with them or conducting them, depending upon the theater you’re working with. Music directing requires piano skills, teaching skills, some conducting skills, and the ability to collaborate with the entire production team. If this type of job interests you, the best way to get a foot in the door is to talk to your local community theater about playing the piano for a show. Get to know their music director and learn everything you can from them. You can volunteer to run a rehearsal or two, if they’ll let you. Many churches also have music directors, who lead the choirs and congregational singing during services, in addition to serving as organist or piano accompanist.