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Musician vs accompanist

The differences between musicians and accompanists can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. It typically takes 2-4 years to become both a musician and an accompanist. Additionally, a musician has an average salary of $57,257, which is higher than the $52,645 average annual salary of an accompanist.

The top three skills for a musician include live performances, keyboard and music theory. The most important skills for an accompanist are music theory, sight-read, and piano performance.

Musician vs accompanist overview

MusicianAccompanist
Yearly salary$57,257$52,645
Hourly rate$27.53$25.31
Growth rate4%4%
Number of jobs103197
Job satisfaction55
Most common degreeBachelor's Degree, 61%Bachelor's Degree, 66%
Average age4545
Years of experience44

What does a musician do?

A musician specializes in performing or producing music through different mediums. Most of their responsibilities will revolve around practicing to develop their skills and enhance their performance, receiving training from experts to monitor progress and identify weaknesses to improve. There are also instances when a musician must interact and engage with the public, appear in shows, and participate in various competitions. Furthermore, a musician needs to maintain a healthy relationship with fans while continuously improving skills and releasing good music.

What does an accompanist do?

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.

Musician vs accompanist salary

Musicians and accompanists have different pay scales, as shown below.

MusicianAccompanist
Average salary$57,257$52,645
Salary rangeBetween $25,000 And $127,000Between $24,000 And $111,000
Highest paying CityNew York, NYHempstead, NY
Highest paying stateNew YorkNew York
Best paying companySanford HealthKern Community College District
Best paying industryMediaEducation

Differences between musician and accompanist education

There are a few differences between a musician and an accompanist in terms of educational background:

MusicianAccompanist
Most common degreeBachelor's Degree, 61%Bachelor's Degree, 66%
Most common majorMusicMusic
Most common collegeMassachusetts Institute of TechnologyStanford University

Musician vs accompanist demographics

Here are the differences between musicians' and accompanists' demographics:

MusicianAccompanist
Average age4545
Gender ratioMale, 80.4% Female, 19.6%Male, 38.6% Female, 61.4%
Race ratioBlack or African American, 10.9% Unknown, 5.1% Hispanic or Latino, 12.9% Asian, 5.4% White, 65.4% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.2%Black or African American, 9.0% Unknown, 5.1% Hispanic or Latino, 12.3% Asian, 5.6% White, 67.8% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.2%
LGBT Percentage9%9%

Differences between musician and accompanist duties and responsibilities

Musician example 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.
  • Show more

Accompanist example responsibilities.

  • Provide solos for worship services, lead tenor section of adult choir
  • Chart chords for gospel choir songs.
  • Accompany individual voice, violin, and cello students.
  • Accompany cello, violin and piano students in competition, recital, workshop, and certification programs.
  • Perform in piano bars, cabarets, and clubs all over NYC, Off-Broadway, and in summer stock
  • Accompany solo singers during rehearsals and competitions.
  • Show more

Musician vs accompanist skills

Common musician skills
  • Live Performances, 20%
  • Keyboard, 11%
  • Music Theory, 6%
  • Synthesizers, 6%
  • DJ, 4%
  • Saxophone, 4%
Common accompanist skills
  • Music Theory, 18%
  • Sight-Read, 16%
  • Piano Performance, 16%
  • Singers, 8%
  • Piano Accompaniment, 8%
  • Musical Theatre, 7%

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