5 Music Resume Examples & Writing Tips

Music Resume Template (Text Format)

Don’t forget to include a well-written music cover letter with your application.

Copy & Paste Musician Resume Template

FIRST AND LAST NAME

Email: your.email@email.com

Phone: (123) 456-7891

Address: Street, City, State

LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/yourprofile

RESUME SUMMARY

Dedicated music industry professional with [number] years of experience. Seeking to leverage my experience in [relevant abilities] to fill the [Job Title] position. Hold a [degree/diploma/certification] in [Degree/Diploma/Certification Title]. Skilled at [2–3 relevant skills]. A [adjective #1] and [adjective #2] worker aiming to contribute to the success of [Company Name].

WORK EXPERIENCE

Current Job Title (e.g., Lead Keyboardist)
Company/Organization/Band Name, City, State | Month 20XX–Present

• Include a bulleted list of your achievements as a keyboardist
• Start each bullet point with an action verb (like “compose” or “perform”) to grab attention
• Use the present tense for your current musician role, unless describing a completed project or initiative
• Use hard numbers when possible to quantify your accomplishments as a musician
• Mention how you’ve used some of the musical skills listed in your skills section to demonstrate your mastery of these abilities

Previous Job Title (e.g., Keyboardist)
Company/Organization/Band Name, City, State | Month 20XX–Month 20XX

• List relevant accomplishments from your previous role as a keyboardist
• Assuming you’re no longer working in this musician role, use past tense verbs to describe your work
• Include 3–6 bullet points for each musician role, both your current one and previous ones
• Skip the pronoun “I” and begin directly with a verb
• Although you’ll usually list work experience, feel free to include music-relevant internships as well as any volunteer work and extracurricular activities if you lack formal work experience

EDUCATION

Degree Name / Major
University, City, State | Graduation Month, Year
GPA: 3.X/4.0 (optional)
Latin honors (if applicable)

SKILLS & CERTIFICATIONS

• List skills and certifications relevant to the musician position you’re applying for
• Look at the job description for ideas of the skills the employer wants and that are common in the music industry
• Emphasize music-specific hard skills and technical skills in this section
• Be as specific as possible by including names of tools, equipment, and software you’ve mastered that are used in the music industry

OPTIONAL RESUME SECTIONS

• Add any other relevant information about your background here
• For example, a separate section could be used to highlight any of the following information: music-relevant awards, publications, coursework, or volunteer experience

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Here are more sample musician resumes if you’re still looking for more:

Entry-level musician resume

Trying to break into the music industry? Model your resume after this example:

Download This Resume (Word)

Example highlights

• Relevant experience: Although they haven’t worked as a musician professionally, this applicant has played at various community and school events as well as a youth music festival. Include music-related activities like this on your resume to show employers how you’ve honed your skills.
• Diverse skills: The applicant is applying to work at a resort and it’s likely the employer could benefit from having a multi-talented musician on the team. By listing multiple instruments and vocal skills on their resume, this musician showcases their versatility.

Experienced musician resume

Here’s an example of how to structure your resume as an experienced musician:

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Example highlights

• Quantified accomplishments: Use hard numbers and percentage to quantify your resume and effectively demonstrate your accomplishments as a musician.
• Strong introduction: This applicant catches employers’ attention by highlighting the depth and breadth of their musical experience as well some of their top achievements.

Music producer resume

Draw inspiration from this music producer resume and convince employers that you’ve got the technical know-how and people skills required of a music producer:

Download This Resume (Word)

Example highlight

• Skill bars: Using a resume template with skill bars is helpful when you want employers to know how proficient you are in different areas.

DJ resume

Check out this DJ resume example to learn how to showcase your ability to create thrilling musical experiences for different audiences:

Download This Resume (Word)

Example highlight

• Award: If you’ve received recognition for your DJing skills, add a separate awards section on your resume like this applicant does.

How to write a music resume

Securing a position in the music industry can be difficult. Positions for musicians are scarce, and good jobs can be highly competitive.

To overcome these challenges, you’ll need a great musician resume, complete with your relevant experience, skills, awards, education, and other qualifications. Read on to learn how to make a musician resume that lands you an audition.

1. List your experience as a musician

Divide your musician experience according to where you played, for example, by listing different orchestra, opera, musical theater, or chamber experiences that you have. Also, when listing work experience on your resume, you should include the following five pieces of information:

1. Date(s) that you played
2. Organization you played or worked for
3. Instrument(s) you used
4. Section or role you played (and chair, if relevant)
5. Whether you were a substitute or a regular player

Here’s an example of properly formatted work experience on a musician resume:

20XX: Utica Symphony Orchestra, Utica, NY (first violin section; orchestra is currently without contract)

If you’re a young aspiring musician, listing school performances, major recitals, and other small projects is also an effective way of showing that you have musical performance experience.

2. Highlight your musical skills

In addition to your work experience, employers will want to see what instruments or techniques you’re skilled in. That’s why it’s essential to have a detailed skills section on your resume when applying to jobs in the music industry.

Here are some examples of skills to add to your resume:

• Instrument proficiency
• Vocal skills
• Music theory
• Sight reading
• Music notation software
• Digital audio workstations
• Mixing and mastering
• Live performance
• On-stage electronics
• Perfect pitch
• Symphony
• Improvisation
• Music composition
• Ensemble performances
• Opera
• Stage presence
• Audio recording and digital audio tools
• Ear training

3. Add any musical awards you’ve received

Only the most talented musicians are recognized for their hard work and dedication to mastering their craft.

If you’ve won any music awards, displaying them on your resume will increase your chances of being called in for an audition.

When listing awards on your resume, include the following information:

1. Year awarded
2. Placement/name of award
3. Awarding organization

Here’s an example of what an awards section on a music resume might look like:

4. Include your education

While plenty of musicians don’t have more than a high school diploma, formal music education is still highly regarded.

Create a dedication education section on your musician resume, and include the following information:

1. Dates attended
2. University name
3. Degree
4. Relevant coursework (optional)

Below is an example of how to list a degree on your musician resume:

If you don’t have any higher education, you can choose to include your high school diploma if you’re a recent graduate.

Remember to include any music-related experience you gathered in high school, such as relevant coursework, instruments you played, and band performances you participated in.

Resume examples for different industries

Not sure what your resume should look like? The best way to learn is by taking inspiration from resume examples written by other candidates in your industry.

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