In Part 1, we talked about the realities of a career in singing: typical income ranges, hidden expenses, debt, and why the pathway to becoming a professional singer is rarely a straight line.
Now let’s talk about what you can actually do with that information.
Define what success looks like for YOU
A career plan only works if it fits you-your health, your finances, your relationships, your temperament, and your long-term goals.
A question I recommend revisiting regularly is: “What does success look like for me right now—not someday, not for someone else, but for my current stage of life?”
Does that mean singing on the biggest stages of the world, Broadway or The Met? Does that mean making a living as a musician, and if so, through one income stream exclusively, or many diverse income streams? Does it mean working other jobs in unrelated fields? Does it mean engaging with music when and where you want to?
Success is defined differently for everyone. The sooner you can figure out what success looks like for you, the quicker you can find it.
Flexibility on your journey is not weakness—it’s strategy
Flexibility doesn’t mean lowering standards. It means adjusting your approach. Here are the important categories to consider:
Most singers who last aren’t the ones who never struggle. They’re the ones who pivot intelligently. As different obstacles come your way, keeping your eye on your goals while adjusting how you get there will give you the best chance at success. Don’t be so rigid about the pathway you take that you ignore opportunities or different routes that lead you to the same place, even if it’s not what you imagined.
Build multiple income streams early
A sustainable career for many singers includes some combination of:
Multiple streams don’t mean you aren’t good enough. They often mean you planned like a professional.
Versatility increases marketability
Opera or Musical Theater can be your center, but additional styles can keep you employable and musically alive.
Depending on your voice and interests, that might include:
Versatility is not about becoming generic. It’s about having options.
Teach only if you want to teach.
Teaching is not a fallback. If you teach, commit to learning about the following topics in detail:
If you don’t want to teach, that’s fine—but replace it with another stable income source that won’t destroy your body or voice. It’s important to have multiple streams of revenue that are compatible.
Ensemble skills matter more than people realize
Even singers aiming for principal roles often do ensemble work. It’s a fantastic option for many reasons, not the least of which is when you are in between gigs or contracts you need some income!
Ensemble work rewards singers who are:
Singers who make everyone’s job easier get rehired.
Yes, you need basic sight-reading and piano skills
You don’t need to be a concert pianist, but functional reading skills help you learn faster, spend less time and money paying someone to teach you your music, give you more confidence, and reduce stress in rehearsals.
Expensive training doesn’t guarantee quality training
Evaluate training by outcomes:
- Is your technique improving consistently?
- Is your voice healthier and more reliable than it was a few months ago?
- Are you building real, usable skills or learning band-aid fixes and tricks?
- Are you progressing in appropriate repertoire?
If the answer is no, don’t stay stuck just because you already paid, find a new option. Read this post for some tips on choosing the right coach or teacher.
You have to love the daily work, not just performance
You don’t have to “love it every day,” but love it enough to keep showing up, even on the hard days.
This career is built on:
The work is constant, the paycheck is not.
There will always be someone better—focus on being bookable
You’re not building a career by proving you’re “the best.” That’s incredibly subjective anyway. How would you measure that? The highest notes? The best riffs or coloratura? No. You build a career by becoming a solid technical singer, strong actor, proficient in different styles and languages, and when you get the gig, doing the kind of work that gets you hired back.
A practical early-career picture (so you don’t panic unnecessarily)
A common early-career pattern looks like this:
- You accumulate professional credits (often smaller houses or smaller roles).
- You audition a lot, and most auditions do not become jobs.
- You stabilize your life with other work between contracts.
- Your résumé shifts from “school roles” to professional credits.
- You grow into either larger roles in smaller houses or smaller roles in larger houses.
Summer programs and young artist programs can help accelerate stage time and experience—if chosen strategically—but they are not guarantees. Some are what we call “pay to sings” which require a substantial investment on your part to participate, but after spending the money on one or two of those, it’s time to get paid for them, or at least break even!
If you are not finding work or progressing at an acceptable rate. Examine these categories in this order:
In Conclusion
Remember, the pathway you envision as you begin will almost certainly not be the one you travel.
Be patient, surround yourself with excellent teachers who are also honest with you, and make sure you are marketing what you do best, not what you think others want to see or what everyone else is doing.
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