Music professor vs performing artist

The differences between music professors and performing artists can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. It typically takes 1-2 years to become both a music professor and a performing artist. Additionally, a music professor has an average salary of $52,399, which is higher than the $49,715 average annual salary of a performing artist.

The top three skills for a music professor include music theory, curriculum development and music history. The most important skills for a performing artist are private parties, poetry, and facebook.

Music professor vs performing artist overview

	Music Professor	Performing Artist
Yearly salary	$52,399	$49,715
Hourly rate	$25.19	$23.90
Growth rate	12%	12%
Number of jobs	14,604	3,609
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 54%	Bachelor's Degree, 63%
Average age	46	46
Years of experience	2	2

Music professor vs performing artist salary

Music professors and performing artists have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Music Professor	Performing Artist
Average salary	$52,399	$49,715
Salary range	Between $32,000 And $83,000	Between $20,000 And $121,000
Highest paying City	Los Angeles, CA	-
Highest paying state	Massachusetts	-
Best paying company	Kuyper College	-
Best paying industry	Education	-

Differences between music professor and performing artist education

There are a few differences between a music professor and a performing artist in terms of educational background:

	Music Professor	Performing Artist
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 54%	Bachelor's Degree, 63%
Most common major	Music	Music
Most common college	Northwestern University	Northwestern University

Music professor vs performing artist demographics

Here are the differences between music professors' and performing artists' demographics:

	Music Professor	Performing Artist
Average age	46	46
Gender ratio	Male, 62.4% Female, 37.6%	Male, 46.9% Female, 53.1%
Race ratio	Black or African American, 7.0% Unknown, 4.9% Hispanic or Latino, 10.0% Asian, 11.3% White, 66.5% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.3%	Black or African American, 7.3% Unknown, 5.0% Hispanic or Latino, 10.4% Asian, 11.2% White, 65.9% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.3%
LGBT Percentage	16%	16%

Differences between music professor and performing artist duties and responsibilities

Music professor example responsibilities.

Used blackboard online to manage students tests, grade papers and assign materials.
Experiment with different surface chemistry to improve quality of yields -participate in poster session and presentation to faculty and graduate students.
Experiment with different surface chemistry to improve quality of yields -participate in poster session and presentation to faculty and graduate students.

Performing artist example responsibilities.

Lead an outreach art program in a public school in the Bronx for 4th and 5th grade students.
Experience in songwriting and playing for private events, festivals, churches, and local music venues.
Conceptualize and develop terrain models using Maya and partner with director and animators to correspond and produce effective shots.
Prepare PowerPoint presentations for lectures and workshops.

Music professor vs performing artist skills

Common music professor skills

Music Theory, 42%
Curriculum Development, 14%
Music History, 12%
Jazz Ensemble, 9%
Chorus, 6%
Music Education Courses, 5%

Common performing artist skills

Private Parties, 33%
Poetry, 15%
Facebook, 9%
Event Planning, 8%
Sketch, 5%
Music Videos, 5%

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Music Professor
Music Professor vs Performing Artist

Updated January 8, 2025

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