What is a Musician?
Musician: (noun) a composer, conductor, or performer of music. – Merriam-Webster Dictionary
Perhaps a thorough definition of musician should begin with a snapshot of how the profession is defined by arts organizations and labor statistics. In 2008 the National Endowment for the Arts released the Artists in the Workforce report that detailed the size and income of the artist population of the United States, as found in the 1990-2005 censuses.
According to the report, there were just under 170,000 working musicians in the United States in 2005. The largest populations of musicians were in Los Angeles and New York City, but the highest concentrations of musicians per capita were not in New York State or California – but in Tennessee and Hawaii.
41% of the country’s musicians worked for non-profit organizations like symphonies and operas, while another 44% labeled themselves as self-employed. The remainder, some 15% of musicians, were employed either by private-for-profit corporations (theme-parks for example), or by the government (presumably military bands, such as the Airmen of Note and Pershing’s Own).
The average income of full-time, full-year musicians was $38,600 according to the NEA’s report – although just 30% of musicians reported being employed year-round. Other sources estimate the expected income of musicians similarly. The Occupational Outlook Handbook (published by the U.S. Department of Labor) also puts the median yearly income of salaried music directors and composers just under $40,000 – but notes that the middle 50% of all musicians earn an hourly rate between just $10 and $36.
Regarding jobs outlook, the Occupational Outlook Handbook estimates that the total number of musician jobs in the U.S. was 264,000 in 2006. These jobs include positions with night clubs, religious organizations, tours, and others. According to the Handbook, this number is expected to grow a modest 11% by 2016.
From the statistics and reports it is clear that the U.S. Labor department defines a musician in terms of compensation. But can musician be so easily defined? What about all the different kinds of musicians, and the diversity of training, lifestyles and performance between different groups of musicians?
What is a musician? We asked our readers for their own definitions of the word musician. Feel free to leave your own thoughts in the comments.
A working musician is a craftsman. We train for years to gain the skills necessary to please a producer and/or audience. Although music is an art form, it is not the role of all musicians to be artists. The most famous artistic musicians of all time spent years pleasing churches and courts. Sure we can be artists in our own minds, expressing emotion in every touch, every breath. But before you get too carried away squeezing tears through squinting eyes and elevated brows, remember this: you must enter through the back door, and you must not talk to the patrons on break. You are the entertainment. Get over yourself. Furthermore, you can’t expect to convey emotion through your music if you haven’t lived enough life to understand the full spectrum of human feeling. Get out of the practice room and live life. Who you are as a person is much more important than how high you play, how deep your vibrato is, and how well you dance in your chair.
- Mikey Livingston
What separates a Musician, capital-M, from a hobbyist? To me, a Musician is someone that derives a “significant portion” of their income from music related activities and subjects themselves to public performance on a regular basis. Spiritually, the great vibraphonist Jay Hoggard taught me that a Musician can derive energy from the act of playing their instrument instead of exerting energy to do so. Functionally, a Musician is capable of playing anything that the situation calls for, regardless of the style or the individual’s personal preference.
- The Riz
To me, a musician is anyone that loves, and plays music in any facet. I hear far too often that musicians that play corporate gigs, or play in cover bands aren’t true musicians, and there is no way they could be satisfied doing that. I don’t feel that it matters what, where, or why you play what you play; all that matters is that you’re doing it, and that makes you a musician.
- Ryan Robinson
Do you play an instrument? Congratulations, you’re a musician. Can you take that instrument, boldly make a statement and stand by it? Congratulations, you’re also an Artist.
A musician is a person who discovers a like/passion/love/affinity/interest in/of music, typically first from a listener’s standpoint, that leads them to explore their creativity in the pursuit of more music and of the creation or recreation of music, whether composed by them or by another, using conventional instruments or otherwise.
In my opinion a musician is, in the big picture, a person who can reflect a multitude of state of beings through his or her innate gift of understanding the effect of sound on the listener, with or without a formal musical training. It is believed that all things, including people and their state of mind, are the result of a specific vibration. Music, being made up of a multitude of controlled vibrations (Notes) is the most direct way of affecting the vibrational state of the listener. It’s no wonder music is associated with virtually all our activities – specific musical genres being associated with specific activities or purposes. The movie “The Exorcist“ would not be quite as scary if it didn‘t have “Tubular Bells“ for a music theme, for example. That‘s the quasi-metaphysical definition of a musician.
Coming from my perspective as an independent self-taught musician and composer, a musician can be anyone who: a) has rhythm and b) can make a beautiful noise. A musician is the translator of the rhythmical workings of the brain into sounds that take on shape and form when put into song. The sounds can be added, subtracted, multiplied or divided.
I believe a musician to be, in the more traditional sense, someone that makes music via an instrument that plays sound – such as a guitar or piano or by singing.
[By that definition] I suppose you can also call yourself a musician if you make music by blowing on a blade of grass between your thumbs. There is a band that actually makes music by playing vegetables that have been carved into instruments!
So I remain open with my definition so as to allow all other forms of great, creative, imaginative forms of expression. Makes the world a much more interesting place.
- Linda
A Musician is someone who has spent significantly more of their time with music than other people – as Richard Carpenter so elegantly put it: “…While the other guys were out playin’ with the football, I was home bangin’ on the keys and it got me right where I am.”
Another way of saying this is: A Musician is someone who bangs a lot.
Anyone that falls in one of the following categories:
Hobby musician: Anybody who plays an instrument on a regular basis, without serious attempt to earn money or express him / herself in an artistic way.
Semi-professional musician: Players that try to earn money (succesfully or not) but have also other relevant income that is not generated in a directly music-related manner.
Professional musician: Players that generate the bigger part of their income by actually playing music.
Full-time professional musician: Players that generate all their income by playing music.
- Raphael Erdin
About the author
- I loved this question – my father-in-law would have had a completely different answer of course Ha! he’s just jealous.
11/11/2008
Musicians are people who love to solve puzzles! There life is a puzzle with music. They must make it sound well and interesting! Music is a way to express feelings and life! Music can be hateful or loving! you decide…
12/7/2009
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