ABSTRACT
The music profession is diverse. Musicians work in many musical cultures, in a wide range of genres and in different combinations. They may perform, improvise, compose or arrange music; contribute to its technological production; write about, analyse and critique music; and teach or facilitate music making in the community. Historically, access to gaining high-level musical skills was limited to those who could afford to pay for lessons or learn through informal communities of practice like brass bands, folk groups, garage bands. To become a highly expert musician of any kind it is essential to practice. Take a moment to reflect on how much time we typically spend in our chosen area of expertise. For Western classical musicians, the time spent in practice tends to increase as musical expertise develops as the repertoire becomes longer and more demanding. Learning to improvise within an established genre. Professional classical musicians often have to perform lengthy pieces from memory.
