Professional musicians are skilled musicians who have discovered a way to earn a living while playing music. Often they work in studios, on the road and even create music for non-musicians who may have a need for it. If you are interested in a career in music and would like to learn how to become a professional musician, the information o this page will detail the steps you need to take to kick off your career.

Musicians often find their field frustrating if they enter into their career with dreams of becoming the next big rock star, but there are ways you can make a living while still making music.

There is a surprisingly wide range of ways to make a living as a professional musician. A few options are as a Worship Leader privately or for a religious organization, music teacher privately, in a music school or college or university; as a soloist, support musician, member of a group, band, orchestra, or background music for other media such as television or film; playing for organizations or associations such as a church, theater, circus, live performance; as a studio musician for cds, dvds, television commercials; and freelance in subways, as a street musician, for other musicians on tour or in performance and so on.

There is a wide range of musical instruments to choose from to play, and Mahalo has a strong collection of free instructional pages to get you started. Examples include How to Play Bass Guitar Videos, How to Tune a Guitar Videos, How to Begin to Play Bassoon, How to Play Guitar for Newbies, How to Play Guitar for Newbies Part 2, How to Play Guitar Chords, How to Play Bass Guitar for Newbies, How to Play Guitar Scales, How To Play Flute For Beginners, How to Play Xylophone for Beginners, How to Play Tuba for Beginners, How to Play Drums, How to Play Bongos for Beginners, How to Play a Harp, How to Play Trombone for Beginners and How to Play Piano Videos. Obviously there is a lot more to it than learning this one page but it will give you a good start or just a taste of many different options before you decide on what to pursue further.

Professional musicians are rarely self-taught, though in some cases they may be. Many of them, however, are schooled musicians who are well-versed in both theory and practice. If you have dreams of becoming a professional musician, begin your education early. Take lessons, practice regularly, and learn as many instruments as you can. When you are ready to go on to college, strongly consider a university that specializes in the arts and music.

• Before you finish college, you will definitely be thinking seriously about your career. While many professional musicians will go on and form bands that tour the country and put out yearly albums, others may not find this lifestyle appealing. Fret not. There are an abundance of branches in the music business, and one of them just might be right for you.

1. Scoring: you may find yourself writing or directing scores for films or television series.
2. Studio work: offer your expertise in the studio to an act or musician who has no band.
3. Tour musicians: offer yourself to tour with an act that needs a musician.
4. Orchestra: you might be able to land yourself a seat in the orchestra.

• There are many opportunities out there; some of them may not seem obvious. You will have to do some digging to find unique opportunities, but in the end you will be glad you did.

• Part of selling yourself to others is showing them what you are capable of. Go into the studio and put together a demonstration of your abilities that you can send out upon request to studios, musicians, record companies, television stations and other opportunities.

• Creative people benefit from networking just as much as business people do. Because you are offering a service, your music becomes a business in its own right. The more people you know, both inside the music business and out, the more your name will come up when someone is looking for a musician with your experience. Maintaining a professional work ethic and providing desirable results will guarantee that those who have worked with you in the past are anxious and excited to tell others about their experience.

• As with any creative job, there are no guarantees, but if you survey your options and feel willing to do whatever it takes to work within the music business, you can find yourself a job as a professional musician. You will need training and education, so start out as early as possible. Learn theory and practice. Look at all of your career options, and put together a demonstration that you can hand out to people with a copy of your business card. Network as often as possible, making sure you present a professional attitude and ethic that will make others want to drop your name when they hear about someone looking for a professional musician to work with.

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• Step 1: Get an Education
• Step 2: Career Choices
• Step 3: Put Together a Demo
• Step 4: Networking
• Conclusion