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Boston Career Explorer

Arts, Design, Entertainment, Sports, and Media

Musicians and Singers

Play one or more musical instruments or sing. May perform on stage, for broadcasting, or for sound or video recording.

Also called: Chorister, Drummer, Musician, Opera Singer, Orchestra Musician, Percussionist

Median pay in Greater Boston
Not published
$38.18/hr
Jobs in Greater Boston
540
Massachusetts 2024–2034
+6.5%
170 openings a year
Typical U.S. entry requirement
No formal educational credential
plus Long-term on-the-job training

Greater Boston: Boston-Cambridge-Newton, MA-NH metro area, May 2025. Growth and openings: Massachusetts statewide projection.

Pay range in Greater Boston

Yearly pay in Greater Boston by percentile
10th25thMedian75th90th
Not publishedNot publishedNot publishedNot publishedNot published

10% of workers earn less than the first figure and 10% earn more than the last.

What you’d do

  • Perform before live audiences in concerts, recitals, educational presentations, and other social gatherings.
  • Practice performances, individually or in rehearsal with other musicians, to master individual pieces of music or to maintain and improve skills.
  • Specialize in playing a specific family of instruments or a particular type of music.
  • Play musical instruments as soloists, or as members or guest artists of musical groups such as orchestras, ensembles, or bands.
  • Provide the musical background for live shows, such as ballets, operas, musical theatre, and cabarets.
  • Play from memory or by following scores.

AI and this job

AI exposure: how much of this job’s work AI tools can do or help with, based on national research. It is not a forecast of job loss.

Moderate exposure43 of 100

The index averages three national research measures, each shown as a percentile of all jobs:

  • AIOE 46
  • Language-model AIOE 54
  • GPTs-are-GPTs 28

Observed AI use today: Little or none (Anthropic Economic Index)

AI exposure is moderate, but observed AI use is little or none so far. AI tools may touch practice, learning new pieces, or recorded and background music. Playing live for audiences and with other musicians relies on people.

Likely to change

  • Learning and practicing new pieces
  • Recorded or background music

Still relies on people

  • Performing live before audiences
  • Playing together in bands and ensembles

Written with AI from the data on this page. Check with a career coach before making a decision.

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Training near Boston

College and school programs in the Boston metro area that lead to this job, with 2023-24 completions (IPEDS).

54 programs near Boston (plus 30 graduate)

Related occupations

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