and Music

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- directly related to their main training (e.g. performance, teaching);
- partially related to their main training (e.g. marketing, producing, writing);
- completely unrelated to their training, either to “pay the bills” or as a career choice.
In the above three categories we find that hard and soft skills play different roles: with the hard
skills especially present in the first category, and the soft skills present (increasingly) in all three
categories.
These findings seem to be confirmed by the few available official statistics: for example, a 2001
survey conducted in the UK showed that “13% of music graduates enter ‘performance-related’
employment (listed as musicians, musical instrument players, composers or arrangers), 8%
become teachers of music and/or dancing, and 74% go into ‘other occupations’ ”. (Rogers,
2002, p. 11) These statistics, however, fail to give us the vital information about those
combining different paths of employment simultaneously.
While HEIs are understandably discussing all of these issues, the willingness to implement
reform varies from region to region and from discipline to discipline. On the whole – at the risk
of generalising, of course – there is more awareness in the northern European countries (where,
significantly, innovative work opportunities are more available). And as a rule we find a greater
willingness to reform the curriculum in the arts academies (fine arts and applied arts), media
studies and theatre schools, which are traditionally better at adapting to changes in society. Less
receptive, on the other hand, are the HEIs teaching the niche skills like classical music and
ballet.
Do arts students have the right skills?
A question often asked is: “Do arts graduates have a disadvantage when it comes to looking for
employment in such a complex, competitive, entrepreneurial market?” It is a reasonable
question, if we consider that the common opinion of artists is that
- they have a reputation for being fragile idealists;
- they spend their whole time practising their art and are trained to do nothing except
perform;
- they have little knowledge of business, finance or marketing.
It seems reasonable, therefore, to assume that they will find it difficult to survive in such
unstable and challenging conditions. It also seems reasonable to imagine that arts graduates
could be alarmed by “warnings” like the following one posted on a major website advertising
employment opportunities in the UK: (Propects, n.d.)
“Graduates entering the creative arts and design sector can expect:
- the need to demonstrate a practical creative talent or to show a passion for art, music
or other creative areas;
- a higher than average likelihood of being self-employed or freelance;
- lower salaries, an unsteady income and lack of job security;
- working hours vary enormously, from regular office hours to working evenings and
weekends, to the flexibility of choosing your hours as a freelancer;
- the need to be independent, proactive and resilient.”