Visual and Performing Arts
Music
Focuses on the introductory study and appreciation of music and the performing arts. Covers music, dance, and other performing arts media.
Inside the major
Programs within this field
Colleges may offer this field under 17 more specific program names. The program you choose affects the courses you take.
- Music, General
- Focuses on the introductory study and appreciation of music and the performing arts. Covers music, dance, and other performing arts media.
- Music History, Literature, and Theory
- Focuses on the study of the historical evolution of music as a social and intellectual phenomenon, the development of musical instruments and techniques, and the analysis and criticism of musical literature. Covers music history research methods, aesthetic analysis of musical compositions, history of musical writing and notation, the development of musical instruments, the development of music theory, and the study of specific periods, cultural traditions, styles, and themes.
- Music Performance, General
- Prepares you to master musical instruments and performing art as solo and/or ensemble performers. Includes instruction on one or more specific instruments from various instrumental groupings.
- Music Theory and Composition
- Focuses on the study of the principles of sound manipulation as applied to the creation of music, and the techniques of creating and arranging music. Covers aural theory, melody, counterpoint, complex harmony, modulation, chromatics, improvisation, progressions, musical writing, instrumentation, orchestration, electronic and computer applications, studies of specific musical styles, and development of original creative ability.
- Musicology and Ethnomusicology
- Focuses on the systematic study of the forms and methods of music art, and the functions of music, in Western and non-Western societies and cultures. Covers music theory, musicological research methods, and studies of specific cultural styles such as jazz, folk music, rock, ethnic musical traditions, and the music of non-Western cultures.
- Conducting
- Prepares you to master the art of leading bands, choirs, orchestras and other ensembles in performance, and related music leadership. Covers score analysis and arranging, rehearsal and performance leadership, music coaching, arrangement and performance planning, ensemble operations management, and applications to specific school or professional ensembles.
- Keyboard Instruments
- Prepares you to master the piano, organ, or related keyboard instruments and performing art as solo, ensemble, and/or accompanist performers. Covers piano and keyboard pedagogy, ensemble playing, accompanying, service playing, repertoire, keyboard and pedal skills, recital, and personal style development.
- Voice and Opera
- Prepares you to master the human voice and performing art as solo and/or ensemble performers in concert, choir, opera, or other forms of singing. Covers voice pedagogy, diction, vocal physiology and exercise, expressive movement, repertoire, recital, and personal style development.
- Jazz/Jazz Studies
- Prepares you to study and master the performance and composition of Jazz. Covers the history of Jazz and related musical styles such as the Blues, Jazz composition and theory, improvisation, Jazz instrument and ensemble performance, and related topics.
- Stringed Instruments
- Prepares you to master a stringed instrument and performing arts as solo, ensemble and/or accompanist performers. Covers playing and personal style development.
Also called Piano, Organ, Harpsichord
Also called Violin, Viola, Double Bass, Guitar, Banjo, Harp
Where it can lead
Careers this field can lead to
Explore related careers, starting with the closest connections and the occupations hiring the most people.
Growing slowly
Musicians and Singers
- Median pay
- —
- Hiring change through 2035
- 0.3%
- Job openings a year
- 17,400
To get hiredNo formal educational credential
Explore this career Growing with the economyArt, Drama, and Music Teachers, Postsecondary
- Median pay
- $78,620
- Hiring change through 2035
- 2.2%
- Job openings a year
- 8,000
To get hiredMaster's degree
Explore this career ShrinkingSecondary School Teachers, Except Special and Career/Technical Education
- Median pay
- $72,040
- Hiring change through 2035
- −0.2%
- Job openings a year
- 63,500
To get hiredBachelor's degree
Explore this career Growing slowlyMusic Directors and Composers
- Median pay
- $73,710
- Hiring change through 2035
- 1.2%
- Job openings a year
- 4,200
To get hiredBachelor's degree
Explore this career Growing with the economyDisc Jockeys, Except Radio
- Median pay
- —
- Hiring change through 2035
- 3.8%
- Job openings a year
- 1,700
To get hiredHigh school diploma or equivalent
Explore this career ShrinkingSound Engineering Technicians
- Median pay
- $73,130
- Hiring change through 2035
- −3.1%
- Job openings a year
- 1,000
To get hiredPostsecondary nondegree award
Explore this careerAll work is projected to grow 3.5% between 2025 and 2035; read every hiring-change figure against it. The figures beside each career are the pay of that work, across everyone doing it. Graduates of this field earn $24,029 one year after completing the program, which is the start of a career rather than the shape of one.
Working style
How and where the work happens
Related careers can feel very different from one another. Compare the specific occupations to understand the work each one involves.
84%of related openings involve substantial in-person or active work
Most careers connected to this field involve in-person work. About 84 of every 100 openings require working close to other people or spending time on your feet.
College options
Where to study it
Ordered by how many degrees each college awards in this field. Sort by any numbered column.
| College | Degrees a year | Earnings, first year out | Admit rate | Average annual cost after aid |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Berklee College of Music MA | 625 | $20,512 | 50% | $48,000 |
| University of North Texas TX | 236 | $33,408 | 72% | $14,000 |
| Middle Tennessee State University TN | 155 | $29,416 | 68% | $13,000 |
| University of Rochester NY | 140 | $12,050 | 36% | $21,000 |
| Indiana University-Bloomington IN | 137 | $13,918 | 80% | $12,000 |
| Oberlin College OH | 136 | $20,910 | 33% | $29,000 |
| The New School NY | 111 | $17,971 | 63% | $56,000 |
| Florida State University FL | 109 | $26,580 | 25% | $10,000 |
| The New England Conservatory of Music MA | 105 | $10,847 | 43% | — |
| University of Michigan-Ann Arbor MI | 100 | $21,629 | 18% | $5,000 |
| Liberty University VA | 99 | $24,848 | 99% | $27,000 |
| University of Miami FL | 97 | $18,726 | 19% | $22,000 |
| Belmont University TN | 97 | $19,843 | 96% | $28,000 |
| California State University-Northridge CA | 94 | $17,822 | 93% | $8,000 |
| University of Colorado Denver/Anschutz Medical Campus CO | 92 | $24,558 | 78% | $11,000 |
| Rowan University NJ | 89 | $27,411 | 78% | $19,000 |
| Manhattan School of Music NY | 89 | $20,620 | 40% | — |
| New York University NY | 87 | $23,570 | 9% | $17,000 |
| California State University-Long Beach CA | 86 | $15,531 | 47% | $10,000 |
| Johns Hopkins University MD | 84 | $13,282 | 8% | $4,000 |
| The Juilliard School NY | 79 | — | 9% | — |
| West Chester University of Pennsylvania PA | 79 | $36,810 | 79% | $20,000 |
| Northwestern University IL | 77 | $38,199 | 7% | $8,000 |
| Texas Tech University TX | 76 | $43,170 | 71% | $17,000 |
| University of Cincinnati-Main Campus OH | 75 | $23,357 | 88% | $22,000 |
| University of Oregon OR | 74 | $17,495 | 85% | $18,000 |
| University of Southern California CA | 71 | $17,245 | 10% | $20,000 |
| Michigan State University MI | 71 | $35,201 | 84% | $17,000 |
| James Madison University VA | 69 | $32,499 | 76% | $16,000 |
| Brigham Young University UT | 68 | $17,786 | 69% | $13,000 |
| University of Colorado Boulder CO | 67 | — | 83% | $19,000 |
| University of California-Los Angeles CA | 66 | $19,508 | 9% | $10,000 |
| Stephen F Austin State University TX | 66 | $39,195 | 88% | $13,000 |
| George Mason University VA | 63 | $27,836 | 89% | $15,000 |
| California State University-Fullerton CA | 61 | $18,174 | 87% | $6,000 |
| Rutgers University-New Brunswick NJ | 61 | $26,349 | 65% | $18,000 |
| Montclair State University NJ | 59 | $31,985 | 87% | $16,000 |
| William Paterson University of New Jersey NJ | 59 | $22,365 | 93% | $19,000 |
| University of South Carolina-Columbia SC | 59 | $32,878 | 61% | $20,000 |
| Arizona State University Campus Immersion AZ | 58 | $15,860 | 90% | $17,000 |