Music Resume: Examples, Key Sections, Cover Letter Tips

Music Resume
Created by CakeResume

A musician holds recitals or performs along with the orchestra. Musicians include composers, singers, and pianists. A good music performance resume is powerful in helping fresher and experienced musicians landing a dream role in an orchestra or getting accepted to join a musical team.

Take notes that the following guidelines steer towards musicians and not music teachers. While both jobs are about music, the former emphasizes professional performance, which will be  the focus of this article.

How to write an impressive music resume

Step 1: Understand the differences between a resume and a CV.

Both a musician CV and musician resume are for job applications. However, the following presents their fundamental differences.

CV:  

  1. Can be more than 2 pages.
  2. For academic and medical fields. 
  3. Less emphasis on design and style.

Resume: 

  1. Recommend to be less than 2 pages. 
  2. For general jobs. 
  3. Requires professional designs. 

CV:  

  1. Can be more than 2 pages.
  2. For academic and medical fields. 
  3. Less emphasis on design and style.

Resume: 

  1. Recommend to be less than 2 pages. 
  2. For general jobs. 
  3. Requires professional designs. 

Step 2: Choose the right resume format.

📝 Chronological resume format: 

This format requires you to list your work experience in chronological order. This format shows the timeline of your career trajectory and allows the recruiters to see what this role means to you. This can be a great musician resume format because a musician is a profession based on building and drilling skills daily.

From the request of composer CV, music producer CV, and musical theatre CV, you may see that an emphasis on the CV means the music industry highly values experience accumulation. 

📝 Functional resume format: 

A functional music resume format emphasizes what you can do instead of what you have done. This format presents you as a competitive candidate even if you have a lack of work experience. By showing the recruiters you have the ability to execute what the role demands, you are qualified. 

📝 Combinational resume format:

 A combinational resume format combines the advantages of the above-mentioned formats. In other words, it can help present your experiences chronologically while organizing your abilities. 

Step 3: Look up resume templates & resume examples online as references.

We recommend you check out music resume examples before looking up the templates. Music resume example allows you to build a sense of a good musician resume through a recruiter’s lens.

On the other hand, a music industry resume template allows you to have a structure in mind for drafting your musician CV or music resume. 

Step 4: Tailor your resume for the job position. 

Avoid unhelpful experiences or skills. For instance, if you are writing a singer's resume, include only information that strengthens your vocal ability. This step is important especially when you are writing a freelance musician resume. 

Step 5: Craft a musician cover letter. 

A decent polite professional cover letter can help you establish a good impression. 

Step 6: Proofread.

Start early and review the music resume multiple times before submitting it to avoid silly grammar and spelling mistakes. Moreover, make your music industry resume concise during proofreading.

What to put on a musician resume

1. Resume Profile

Following are our suggestions for the do include and do not include information in your musician resume profile section. 

You should include these:

  • Full Name. 
  • Phone Number 
  • Email address
  • Personal website (optional)
  • LinkedIn (optional)

You should not include these:

  • Marital status 
  • Religion preference 
  • Sexual orientation 

2. Resume Headline

This is a one-sentence statement that sums up your ability and proudest achievement. Short but important. Spend some time making your music resume headline concise and telling. 

Example of resume headline:

Phenomenal Pianist Won 2nd Place in the 2016 Sydney International Piano Competition

3. Resume Summary

This is a 2-3 sentences description of your skill, career background, and who you are as a professional musician.

For instance, if you are writing a composer's resume, please include your most well-written or famous song and the awards you received. 

Example of music resume summary:

Professional pianist with 10+ years of experience cooperating with the Japan national orchestra. Performed 20+ recitals since the age of 10. Skilled at grasping the nuance of multiple instruments. Well-known as the manual autotune. 

4. Resume Objective

A resume objective is a section for candidates to express the link between the applied role and their career trajectory. The inclusion of a resume objective reflects your ambition as a musician. 

Example of music resume objective:

Skilled at transforming life experience into melody. Aspire to become a composer and have already composed 50+ songs. With this determination and passion, I take being a composer as the chance to contribute and grow. 

5. Skills

The skills section on the pianist resume, violist resume, or musician resume, in general, is crucial but difficult to describe. Musicians' skills are reflected by how large of an audience they attract. Still, you may show your skills by mentioning your familiarity with difficult songs. 

Example of musical skills for resume:

  • Capable of performing Liszt – La Campanella eloquently. 
  • Memorized Ravel – Gaspard de la Nuit. 
  • Phenomenal at expressing unique emotions through the piano. 
  • Superb at jazz performance and inventing new notes. 

6. Work Experience

Include in your musician resume which orchestra or organization you have participated in or worked for in carrying out musical performances. Please include the name of the concert and location, dates, songs played, or the number of audiences. 

Example of work experience:

Chief Flute Player
National Taiwan Symphony Orchestra
May 2013 - March 2018

  • Performed 50+ orchestra concerts. 
  • Delivered solo passages in over 20+ songs. 

7. Education

In this section, list the school attended and the concerts you performed at school. Most importantly, mention your musical-related results. 

Example of education: 

Curtis Institute of Music
Bachelor of Music - Double major piano and flute

  • Performed for two recitals at the year-end musical performance. 

8. Additional Information 

Include your musical awards, concerts, recital, or songs composed in this section. 

Example of additional information:

  • List of songs composed. 
  • List of awards. 
  • List of performed recitals, including recital title, month and year, and location. 
  • List of participating orchestras or concerts, including concert title, month and year, and location.

CakeResume provides the best music resume templates & examples for talents to demonstrate your qualifications. Let us help you land the dream as a musician with a strong resume (free download)!

Tips for writing the best musician resume

✅ Tip 1: Customize the resume for the job.

Design a music industry resume that meets the recruiters' demand. Search for the musical style or culture preferences of the institution and tailor your musician resume accordingly. 

✅ Tip 2: Quantify results on resumes.

Avoid generic descriptions such as “I play viola well.” Use the number of audiences, praise, and recognition from the third party to back up your qualification. 

✅ Tip 3: Craft an ATS-friendly resume.

Though in musician resumes competition, fewer recruiters are using ATS, including music industry keywords is still important. 

✅ Tip 4: Adopt resume action words (verbs).

Action words convey a sense of determination for your music resume. It helps depict you as a strong candidate full of passion and clarity about the future path. 

✅ Tip 5: Choose the right one --- CV or resume. 

A music resume for a college student might be a better option. However, for experienced musicians, a music industry CV is more professional.

A musician is a profession that emphasizes music’s nuances, which requires devotion to years of hard work. Persuasive phrases and musician resume stylish design are less important.

💡 Tip: The recruiters care about your solid musical abilities. Thus, writing a musical theatre CV, composer CV, music producer CV is a more effective choice.

How to write a musician cover letter

  1. Contact details: Include your email and phone numbers at the top of the cover letter without blurring the content, or at the final before closing.  
  2. Introduction: Share who you are, what instruments or musical aspects you are professional at, your qualifications, skills, and experience. 
  3. Motivation (Intention to apply): Convey the importance of this role to your career and how you think your ability might support you to contribute. 
  4. Qualifications: This includes awards you have received, famous concerts or recitals you have participated in, or songs composed. Alternatively, recommendations from your musical mentor will also work. 
  5. Closing: A warm thank you note, along with your full name.

Musician Resume Sample

Isabella Smith

Professional Violinist Held 5 Recitals & Performed at Carnegie Hall in 2017

+20-3245-1299
[email protected]
Sydney Australia 

Professional Summary

Violinist who has played violin since the age of 6. Won the Menuhin competition at age 18. Skilled at expressive performance and possess an innovative composing approach. 

Work Experience

Violinist
Sydney Symphony Orchestra 
01/2018 - 10/2020

  • Performed in concerts along with the orchestra. 
  • Cooperated in composing. 
  • Held a violin recital. 

School Strings Tutor for Violin and Cello
Birali Steiner School 
09/2015 - 10/2017 

  • Taught students violin techniques. 
  • Guided students to engage in musical performance. 
  • Conducted the string sector.

Education

The Juilliard School
Bachelor of Music - Violin

Class of 2012

Skills

Soft skills: 

  1. Diligence and perseverance in drilling violin skills. 
  2. Exceptional at violin’s emotional expression.
  3. Precise auto tune with hearing. 
  4. Superb at performing fast passages. 
  5. Experienced in participating in the orchestra.

Hard skills: 

  1. Good bow hold and bow control.
  2. Clean position shifting. 
  3. The balance between finger coordination bow’s speed. 
  4. Experienced in double-stop harmonics. 
  5. Proficient in music theory.

--- Originally written by Rebecca Huang ---

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