How to hire a musician

How to hire a musician, step by step

Here's a step-by-step musician hiring guide:

• Step 1: Identify your hiring needs
• Step 2: Create an ideal candidate profile
• Step 3: Make a budget
• Step 4: Write a musician job description
• Step 5: Post your job
• Step 6: Interview candidates
• Step 7: Send a job offer and onboard your new musician
• Step 8: Go through the hiring process checklist

What does a musician do?

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1. Identify your hiring needs

   Before you start hiring a musician, identify what type of worker you actually need. Certain positions might call for a full-time employee, while others can be done by a part-time worker or contractor.

   Determine employee vs contractor status

   Is the person you're thinking of hiring a US citizen or green card holder?

   Yes

   No

   You should also consider the ideal background you'd like them a musician to have before you start to hire. For example, what industry or field would you like them to have experience in, what level of seniority or education does the job require, and how much it'll cost to hire a musician that fits the bill.

   This list shows salaries for various types of musicians.

   Type of Musician	Description	Hourly rate
   Musician	Musicians and singers play instruments or sing for live audiences and in recording studios.	$12-61
   Accompanist	An Accompanist is a person who provides musical accompaniment to another musician or to a singer. They generally play keyboard instruments, such as piano, pipe organ, or synthesizer.	$11-53
   Pianist	A Pianist accompanies symphonies and orchestras, and plays piano music for theater productions, church services, and for special events and locations. They must be able to read, write, and edit musical notation quickly and correctly.	$12-54

2. Create an ideal candidate profile

   Common skills:

   • Live Performances
   • Keyboard
   • Music Theory
   • Synthesizers
   • DJ
   • Saxophone
   • Worship Services
   • Individual Pieces
   • Clarinet
   • Musical Styles
   • Musical Entertainment
   • Private Parties
   • Sound Equipment
   • Church Services

   Check all skills

   Responsibilities:

   • Accomplish placement in first group clarinet section.
   • Play trombone, trumpet, baritone saxophone, keyboard, rhythm guitar, and provide backup vocals.
   • Jazz, fusion, blues band.
   • Design and maintain Facebook, MySpace and Purevolume websites.
   • Record multiple EP's and work on a full-length album.
   • Act as a vacation bible school instructor in the summer months.

   More musician duties

3. Make a budget

   Including a salary range in your musician job description is one of the best ways to attract top talent. A musician can vary based on:

   • Location. For example, musicians' average salary in colorado is 57% less than in new york.
   • Seniority. Entry-level musicians 80% less than senior-level musicians.
   • Certifications. A musician with certifications usually earns a higher salary.
   • Company. Working for an established firm or a new start-up company can make a big difference in a musician's salary.

   Average musician salary

   $57,257yearly

   $27.53 hourly rate

   ---

   Entry-level musician salary

   $25,000 yearly salary

   Updated December 12, 2025

   Average musician salary by state

   Rank	State	Avg. salary	Hourly rate
   1	New York	$88,795	$43
   2	Alaska	$85,730	$41
   3	California	$83,504	$40
   4	Ohio	$64,899	$31
   5	Michigan	$64,258	$31
   6	Virginia	$62,875	$30
   7	Massachusetts	$61,302	$29
   8	Maryland	$59,069	$28
   9	Wisconsin	$55,607	$27
   10	Rhode Island	$54,543	$26
   11	Texas	$53,822	$26
   12	North Carolina	$53,753	$26
   13	Minnesota	$53,269	$26
   14	District of Columbia	$51,524	$25
   15	Mississippi	$50,986	$25
   16	Florida	$48,834	$23
   17	Nevada	$48,387	$23
   18	Alabama	$47,518	$23
   19	Oklahoma	$46,815	$23
   20	Missouri	$40,460	$19

   Average musician salary by company

   Company

   Rank	Company	Average salary	Hourly rate	Job openings
   1	Sanford Health	$149,208	$71.73
   2	Brigham and Women's Hospital	$136,053	$65.41
   3	PSEA	$85,398	$41.06
   4	Diva Corporation	$74,975	$36.05
   5	Houston Symphony	$62,901	$30.24
   6	Virginia Commonwealth University	$62,800	$30.19
   7	University of Michigan	$62,335	$29.97
   8	Manhattan School of Music	$59,550	$28.63
   9	LPR Construction	$58,716	$28.23
   10	Catholic Diocese of Arlington	$52,457	$25.22	2
   11	Metropolitan State University of Denver	$50,952	$24.50
   12	Archdiocese Of San Antonio	$48,418	$23.28	6
   13	Salvation Army North	$44,556	$21.42
   14	Xanterra	$38,814	$18.66	1
   15	Rock and Roll Hall of Fame	$37,102	$17.84
   16	The Salvation Army	$34,888	$16.77	3
   17	Albany, NY	$24,826	$11.94
   18	Sul Ross State University	$24,177	$11.62

4. Writing a musician job description

   A musician job description should include a summary of the role, required skills, and a list of responsibilities. It's also good to include a salary range and the first name of the hiring manager. Below, you can find an example of a musician job description:

   Musician job description example

   Sanford Federal is looking for a qualified musician to provide instrumental music for Roman Catholic Worship events for all weekend worship services and Holy Days of Obligation at the 10th ABW Chapel at the United States Air Force Academy.

   Job Details:

   • Job Title: Catholic Musician
   • Location : Community Chapel in the 10th Air Wing Base at 5134 Cathedral Drive, Suite 100, United States Air Force Academy, CO 80840
   • Schedule: Approximately 5 hours per week

   Requirements & Skills:

   • Must have a minimum of two-years of experience providing music in a Catholic Church or Catholic chapel setting; some post, high school music education/professional training is preferred.
   • Be competent in playing a wide range of Catholic music to include the traditional, contemporary, and liturgical styles.
   • Be able to read and play parts and harmony. Vocal abilities are a plus.

   Tasks, Duties & Responsibilities:

   • Serve as accompanist for all regular Catholic Services and special services in coordination with the Catholic Music Director under the direction of the Catholic Chaplain or officiating priest.
   • Be present at least 15 minutes before and 30 minutes before Mass or other worship services that the Catholic Chaplain or officiating priest has coordinated for musical support.
   • Provide accompaniment for weekly choir rehearsals.
   • Ensure equipment used by the musician is properly stored and protected at the end of each practice or performance.
   • Ensure instrument(s) used are safely and properly stored.
   • In addition to weekly services the musician should perform their services during Catholic Holydays of obligation and special services as determined by the Catholic Chaplain or Presiding Priest:
     • Solemnity of Mary (one Mass on 1 January)
     • Ash Wednesday
     • Stations of the Cross
     • Lenten Penance
     • Holy Thursday
     • Good Friday
     • Easter Vigil
     • Assumption of Mary (15 August)
     • All Saint’s Day (1 November)
     • Immaculate Conception (8 December)
     • Advent Penance Service
     • All Christmas Events)
     • Funerals
     • First Holy Communion
     • Bishop/Confirmation

   Why choose Sanford Federal?

   You can take pride in working for a company dedicated to serving our government by providing the best, most cost-effective solutions for the US Government. Our work helps the US Government secure our nation, support the efforts of our military and intelligence communities, and provide lifesaving medical services to our soldiers, vets, and their families.

   Please submit your most up-to-date resume. Please be sure to highlight your relevant experience.

   Sanford Federal, Inc. is an equal opportunity employer and encourages all qualified candidates to apply.

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5. Post your job

   To find musicians for your business, try out a few different recruiting strategies:

   • Consider internal talent. One of the most important talent pools for any company is its current employees.
   • Ask for referrals. Reach out to friends, family members, and your current work to ask if they know any musicians they would recommend.
   • Recruit at local colleges. Attend job fairs at local colleges to recruit entry-level musicians with the right educational background.
   • Social media platforms. LinkedIn, Facebook, and Twitter have more than 3.5 billion users, and they're a great place for company branding and reaching potential job candidates.

   Post your job online:

   • Post your musician job on Zippia to find and recruit musician candidates who meet your exact specifications.
   • Use field-specific websites.
   • Post a job on free websites.

6. Interview candidates

   Your first interview with musician candidates should focus on their interest in the role and background experience. As the hiring process goes on, you can learn more about how they'd fit into the company culture in later rounds of interviews.

   Remember to include a few questions that allow candidates to expand on their strengths in their own words. Asking about their unique skills might reveal things you'd miss otherwise. At this point, good candidates can move on to the technical interview.

   The right interview questions can help you assess a candidate's hard skills, behavioral intelligence, and soft skills.

7. Send a job offer and onboard your new musician

   Once you've decided on a perfect musician candidate, it's time to write an offer letter. In addition to salary, it should include benefits and perks available to the employee. Qualified candidates may be considered for other positions, so make sure your offer is competitive. Candidates may wish to negotiate. Once you've settled on the details, formalize your agreement with a contract.

   It's also good etiquette to follow up with applicants who don't get the job by sending them an email letting them know that the position has been filled.

   After that, you can create an onboarding schedule for a new musician. Human Resources and the hiring manager should complete Employee Action Forms. Human Resources should also ensure that onboarding paperwork is completed, including I-9s, benefits enrollment, federal and state tax forms, etc., and that new employee files are created.

8. Go through the hiring process checklist

   • Determine employee type (full-time, part-time, contractor, etc.)
   • Submit a job requisition form to the HR department
   • Define job responsibilities and requirements
   • Establish budget and timeline
   • Determine hiring decision makers for the role
   • Write job description
   • Post job on job boards, company website, etc.
   • Promote the job internally
   • Process applications through applicant tracking system
   • Review resumes and cover letters
   • Shortlist candidates for screening
   • Hold phone/virtual interview screening with first round of candidates
   • Conduct in-person interviews with top candidates from first round
   • Score candidates based on weighted criteria (e.g., experience, education, background, cultural fit, skill set, etc.)
   • Conduct background checks on top candidates
   • Check references of top candidates
   • Consult with HR and hiring decision makers on job offer specifics
   • Extend offer to top candidate(s)
   • Receive formal job offer acceptance and signed employment contract
   • Inform other candidates that the position has been filled
   • Set and communicate onboarding schedule to new hire(s)
   • Complete new hire paperwork (i9, benefits enrollment, tax forms, etc.)

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How much does it cost to hire a musician?