Skip to main content

Graduate destinations

You will graduate from the programme as a highly skilled and well rounded musician. Whether as a performer, composer or conductor, the programme will have equipped you with the skills and abilities needed to take on professional work. You will have developed a critical and autonomous approach to your principal study, which will enable you to continue to develop your musicianship as your career unfolds. Statistically, the prospects are good, with the great majority of graduates from postgraduate programmes in music progressing either to employment or further study.

It is important to remember, however, that the profession of music is continually changing and evolving. For classically trained instrumentalists in particular, the outlook is challenging, with large numbers of extremely well-qualified musicians from around the word chasing a dwindling number of traditional positions.

The portfolio career​

'There is no such thing as a typical musician. The blend of roles, patterns of paid and creative work, employment status and working hours vary across musicians and across different periods in their careers. Developing a portfolio career, made up of a number of different jobs, is a necessary characteristic of many musicians' careers; this invariably involves developing non-music skills such as business, marketing, teaching and community engagement.' – The Working Musician Musician's Union 2012

The quote above is one of the key findings of an extensive research project recently undertaken by the Musicians' Union. It accords well with the experience reported to us by our recent graduates, and is a realistic picture of the lives of many of the part-time staff who teach on the programme.

The Professional Development module is specifically designed to help you plan your transition into the profession. The options which form part of the programme also offer a very significant opportunity to develop complementary skills which will make you more employable. Areas which you might choose to develop include:

  • Writing and arranging music is a useful source of income for many musicians.
  • Community music and teaching constitute regular and reliable employment for many contemporary musicians.
  • Students interested in music administration, media and marketing should consider the Arts Leadership and Fundraising modules, which also incorporate industry placements.
  • Skills in music technology and sound recording can be a valuable addition to a musician’s portfolio, and are supported by a number of modules catering to students with differing existing levels of knowledge.

Further Study​

After completing our programme you may decide to proceed to further study, either here or at another institution. Many students choose to deepen and enrich their artistic practice by further study at a higher level, perhaps through the DPerf offered by the Conservatoire in association with the University of St Andrews, or through a variety of advanced diplomas offered by other institutions.

You may also be interested in pursuing research at PhD level, perhaps as a route to an academic career.