What skills does a musician need?

A musician needs 16 essential skills including legal environment in music, perform live, manage feedback, follow time cues, study roles from scripts. Core competencies include .

Will AI replace musician jobs?

The AI disruption score for musician is 9/100 (very low risk). Some tasks may be automated but the role will evolve rather than disappear entirely.

Public Administration & LegalLegal, social and cultural professionalsISCO 2652

musician

Musicians perform a vocal or musical part that can be recorded or played for an audience. They have know-how and practice of one or many instruments or using their voice. The musician can also write and transcribe music.

European Skills Framework

Skills and knowledge areas required for this occupation based on European classification.

Essential (16)

legal environment in musiclegal environment in musicLaws and regulations related to music creation, distribution and performance.perform liveperform livePerform in front of live audiences.manage feedbackmanage feedbackProvide feedback to others. Evaluate and respond constructively and professionally to critical communication from colleagues and customers.follow time cuesfollow time cuesObserve the conductor, orchestra or director and follow text and vocal score to time cues accurately.study roles from scriptsstudy roles from scriptsStudy and rehearse roles from scripts. Interpret, learn and memorise lines, stunts, and cues as directed.organise a repertoireorganise a repertoireSort and order a collection as a whole in such a way that its parts can be found by following the organising principles.attend rehearsalsattend rehearsalsAttend rehearsals in order to adapt sets, costumes, make-up, lighting, camera set up, etc.collaborate with a technical staff in artistic productionscollaborate with a technical staff in artistic productionsCoordinate your artistic activities with others who specialise in the technical side of the project. Inform the technical staff of your plans and methods and obtain feedback on feasibility, cost, proc...interact with fellow actorsinteract with fellow actorsPerform together with other actors. Anticipate their moves. React to their actions.analyse own performanceanalyse own performanceUnderstand, analyse and describe your own performance. Contextualize your work in one or various styles, trends, evolution, etc. Self-evaluate your work in rehearsals and performances.interact with an audienceinteract with an audienceRespond to the reactions of an audience and involve them in the particular performance or communication.follow directions of the artistic directorfollow directions of the artistic directorFollow the instructions of the director while understanding his creative vision.work independently as an artistwork independently as an artistDevelop one's own ways of doing artistic performances, motivating oneself with little or no supervision, and depending on oneself to get things done.work with composerswork with composersCommunicate with composers to discuss various interpretations of their work.work with an artistic teamwork with an artistic teamWork closely with directors, fellow actors and playwrights to find the ideal interpretation to a role.cope with stage frightcope with stage frightDeal with conditions that cause stage fright, such as time limits, the audience and stress.

Optional (45)

musical instrumentsmusical instrumentsThe different musical instruments, their ranges, timbre, and possible combinations.musical genresmusical genresDifferent musical styles and genres such as blues, jazz, reggae, rock, or indie.link between dance and music stylelink between dance and music styleThe relation of a practiced dance style with music structure and musicians.music literaturemusic literatureLiterature about music theory, specific music styles, periods, composers or musicians, or specific pieces. This includes a variety of materials such as magazines, journals, books and academic literatu...musical theorymusical theoryThe body of interrelated concepts that constitutes the theoretical background of music.manage musical staffmanage musical staffAssign and manage staff tasks in areas such as scoring, arranging, copying music and vocal coaching.select music for performanceselect music for performanceSelect pieces of music for a live performance. Consider factors such as ensemble abilities, availability of scores and the need for musical variety.develop musical ideasdevelop musical ideasExplore and develop musical concepts based on sources such as imagination or environmental sounds.work within communitieswork within communitiesEstablish social projects aimed at community development and active citizen participation.improvise musicimprovise musicImprovise music during live performances.manage artistic projectmanage artistic projectManage an artistic project. Determine project needs. Establish partnerships. Manage the budget, schedule, contractual agreements and assess the project.play the pianoplay the pianoPlay the piano (for music repetiteurs).study musicstudy musicStudy original pieces of music to get well acquainted with music theory and history.transpose musictranspose musicTransposing music into an alternate key while keeping the original tone structure.supervise music groupssupervise music groupsDirect music groups, individual musicians or complete orchestras at rehearsals and during live or studio performances, in order to improve the overall tonal and harmonic balance, dynamics, rhythm, and...study musical scoresstudy musical scoresStudy musical scores and develop various interpretations.plan musical performancesplan musical performancesSchedule rehearsals and music performances, arrange details such as locations, select accompanists and instrumentalists.create musical formscreate musical formsCreate original musical forms, or write within existing musical formats like operas or symphonies.rewrite musical scoresrewrite musical scoresRewrite original musical scores in different musical genres and styles; change rhythm, harmony tempo or instrumentation.orchestrate musicorchestrate musicAssign lines of music to different musical instruments and/or voices to be played together.promote musicpromote musicPromote music; participate in media interviews and other promotional activities.perform music in ensembleperform music in ensemblePerform music in cooperation with fellow musicians, as a part of an ensemble.collaborate with music librarianscollaborate with music librariansCommunicate and work together with music librarians to ensure permanent availability of scores.advise on music pedagogyadvise on music pedagogyProvide advice and share experiences concerning musical practices, methods and principles of music instruction such as composing, performing and teaching music.perform for young audiencesperform for young audiencesPerform on a level accessible to children and young adults, whilst also censoring unadvisable content.transcribe musical compositionstranscribe musical compositionsTranscribe musical compositions in order to adapt them to a particular group, or to create a particular musical style.play musical instrumentsplay musical instrumentsManipulate purpose-built or improvised instruments to produce musical sounds.perform musical improvisations in therapyperform musical improvisations in therapyImprovise music as a reaction to what the patient is communicating, in order to enhance the individual nature of the relationship between therapist and patient. Improvise instrumentally, vocally, or p...specialise in a musical genrespecialise in a musical genreSpecialise in a specific type or style of music.transcribe ideas into musical notationtranscribe ideas into musical notationTranscribe/translate musical ideas into musical notation, using instruments, pen and paper, or computers.design a music showdesign a music showTake the necessary steps to create a musical show: decide on which musical pieces will be played, decide on how the venue will be used, and prepare decoration and lighting if applicable.act for an audienceact for an audienceAct in front of an audience, according to an artistic concept.draw up artistic project proposalsdraw up artistic project proposalsWrite project proposals for art facilities, artist residencies and galleries.compose musiccompose musicCompose original pieces music such as songs, symphonies or sonatas.edit recorded soundedit recorded soundEdit audio footage using a variety of sofware, tools, and techniques such as crossfading, speed effects, and removing unwanted noises.record musicrecord musicRecord a sound or musical performance in a studio or live environment. Use the appropriate equipment and your professional judgment to capture the sounds with optimal fidelity.complete final musical scorescomplete final musical scoresCollaborate with colleagues, such as copyists or fellow composers, in order to complete musical scores.select musical performersselect musical performersOrganise auditions and select performers for musical performances.read musical scoreread musical scoreRead the musical score during rehearsal and live performance.perform music soloperform music soloPerform music individually.manage artistic careermanage artistic careerPresent and promote one's artistic approach and position one's work in target markets.evaluate musical ideasevaluate musical ideasExperiment with different sound sources, use synthesizers and computer software, permanently explore and evaluate musical ideas and concepts.participate in music studio recordingsparticipate in music studio recordingsTake part in recording sessions in music studios.singsingUse the voice to produce musical sounds, marked by tone and rhythm.participate in artistic mediation activitiesparticipate in artistic mediation activitiesParticipate in cultural and artistic mediation activities: announce the activity, give a presentation or talk related to a piece of art or an exhibition, teach a class or a group, lead artistic mediat...