It is hard to properly convey talent in a music CV, so it is important that you showcase the right skills, certifications, and achievements. You have to convince a recruiter or hiring manager that you have the skill for the role before you get an interview, and that is not easy. When writing your music CV, you should consider the skills and experience the person who’s looking to fill the position would want an ideal candidate to have, as expressed in the job description. Here are some key areas to focus on:
Professional summary or objective statement
No matter your
CV format you should included either an
objective for CV or a
summary for the CV. A summary statement is a sum-up of the skills, qualifications, and achievements that make you the best person for the job. This is best for a professional CV that includes a lot of work experience. If you have a short work history, an objective statement is best. This is a statement of your career goals and top skills. Neither should take up more than three lines or 6 bullet points on the page.
Skills
Your CV skills section will be crucial when it comes to impressing a music director or hiring manager. This section should be a summary of your most important technical skills and
soft skills. Give priority to your technical and
hard skills, of course, but if the role requires working in a group, you should also indicate soft skills that will make you a good fit for the team. Here are some
CV skills examples you should consider for your CV:
- Music theory
- Live music performances or gigs
- Chamber music
- Interpersonal skills
- Music composition
- Musical theatre
- Orchestral accompaniment
- Music direction
- Music teaching
Work experience
When applying for a role in music, your previous jobs and gigs will be important. You should list your
work experience section in reverse chronological order and provide up to 15 years of experience. When listing previous roles, focus on achievements and examples where you’ve used your skills. For example, if you are looking to join a band or orchestra, highlight your performance successes rather than just listing the bands you have worked with. Likewise, if you want to be a music teacher, your teaching experiences should be the focus of your CV. Remember that you can also list self-employment in this section; if you have worked freelance or had solo gigs, then this can be very useful, especially if you can link to online resources.
Education
Your education section may not always be of great importance in the music industry. However, if you are a Bachelor of Music or you have completed master classes in certain instruments, you should list these accomplishments here. Do not list your high school diploma unless you have no other education to reference.
Achievements and awards
Depending on the area of the music industry that you want to work in, your achievements and awards can be very influential. List any music awards or notable achievements you have earned in a professional, personal, or academic setting.
Performances or recordings
If you appear on any albums or recordings, or have some performances of note in your background, list them here.
Certifications
If you have recognized certifications that are relevant to your field, for example, certifications to use certain music recording technology or provide tutoring, then these should be listed in reverse chronological order. You should also give as much detail as you can about the certification: for example, which organisation certified the skill, when you completed certification, and if applicable, your grade (especially if it was exceptionally high).
This basic structure gives a complete and effective music teacher, producer, or musician CV – simply tailor it to suit your needs. If you want to make your CV more professional in appearance, use our CV templates via the
CVHelp CV builder.
