{"id":29352,"date":"2021-07-08T10:57:08","date_gmt":"2021-07-08T15:57:08","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/wp.stolaf.edu\/pipercenter\/?page_id=29352"},"modified":"2025-10-22T09:21:20","modified_gmt":"2025-10-22T14:21:20","slug":"performing-arts","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/wp.stolaf.edu\/pipercenter\/performing-arts\/","title":{"rendered":"Performing Arts"},"content":{"rendered":"

A career as a performer is not for everyone.\u00a0 It takes hard work, well-crafted talent, and – perhaps most importantly – the knowledge that you can’t imagine doing anything else.\u00a0 Making a living primarily as a performer takes perseverance, the ability to take rejection, and patience.\u00a0 Often it means a day job to pay the bills, while performing as much as possible in your free time.<\/p>\n

Explore Performing Arts Careers in O*Net<\/a> (Including Adjacent Roles)<\/p>\n

Entrepreneurial<\/u><\/b>\u00a0Mindset:<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

If you are going to work as a practicing arts performing, you have to approach your career with a freelancing, entrepreneurial mindset.\u00a0 Performers need to find new gigs, market themselves, look for work, have the needed skills and background to audition, manage finances, and more.\u00a0 Mastering your creative talents is just the first step to success in as a performer, building those entrepreneurial skills is critical.\u00a0 After all, working as a practicing performer can be similar to\u00a0 running your own personal business with you \u2013 and your talents \u2013 as the service.<\/p>\n

Consider engaging with the college’s entrepreneurial program<\/a> to build the needed business skills to make it as a freelancing creative.<\/p>\n

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Specialized Websites to Search for Opportunities<\/h2>\n\n\t\t\t<\/header>\n\t\t\n\t\n\t\n\t
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In addition to Handshake and other general career sites listed on the main page, here are specific resources to help you identify opportunities in the performing arts.<\/p>\n\n\t\t<\/figcaption>\n\t\n<\/figure>\n\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t

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\n \t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t \n\t\t\t\t\t\tDance\t\t\t\t\t<\/span>\n <\/button>\n \n\t\t\t\t\t
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DanceMN<\/a> – information sharing resource for the Minnesota dance community.<\/p>\n

Dance USA<\/a><\/p>\n

Backstage<\/span><\/a> – resources for performers, including robust job and opportunity search<\/span><\/p>\n

International Association of Blacks in Dance\u00a0 Job Board<\/a><\/p>\n

Entertainers Worldwide Jobs<\/a><\/p>\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n <\/article>\n\n\t\t\t\n

\n \t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t \n\t\t\t\t\t\tMusic\t\t\t\t\t<\/span>\n <\/button>\n \n\t\t\t\t\t
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American Guild of Organists<\/span><\/a> \u2013 membership required for searching job database<\/span><\/p>\n

Association of Lutheran Church Musicians Job Listings<\/span><\/a> \u2013 view full-time and part-time church music jobs at Lutheran institutions<\/span><\/p>\n

Audition Cafe<\/a><\/p>\n

Chorus America Jobs Directory<\/span><\/a> \u2013 listing of current choral directing opportunities<\/span><\/p>\n

Church Music Jobs<\/span><\/a> \u2013 searchable database of instrumental and choral church music opportunities<\/span><\/p>\n

Composer\u2019s Site<\/span><\/a> \u2013 lists of competitions and other opportunities<\/span><\/p>\n

Entertainers Worldwide Jobs<\/a><\/p>\n

OrchestraPlayers<\/span> \u2013 forum with lists of openings worldwide<\/span><\/p>\n

Musical American Worldwide<\/span><\/a> \u2013 search for contests, awards, schools, festivals, campus, service organizations and more<\/span><\/p>\n

Musical Chairs<\/span><\/a> \u2013 orchestral, vocal, and compositions opportunities<\/span><\/p>\n

Music Festival Wizard<\/a><\/p>\n

National Association for Music Education<\/span><\/a> \u2013 scholarships, job\/internship resources for music educators<\/span><\/p>\n

New York Foundation for the Arts<\/span><\/a> \u2013 premiere source for jobs and internships in the arts, culture, and museum industries nationwide<\/span><\/p>\n

SingerSource<\/span><\/a> \u2013 performance opportunities in the DC metro area, categorized by voice type<\/span><\/p>\n

World Federation of International Music Competitions<\/span><\/a> \u2013 more than 120 competitions on 6 continents<\/span><\/p>\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n <\/article>\n\n\t\t\t\n

\n \t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t \n\t\t\t\t\t\tTheater\t\t\t\t\t<\/span>\n <\/button>\n \n\t\t\t\t\t
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Backstage<\/span><\/a> – resources for performers, including robust job and opportunity search<\/span><\/p>\n

EMC Theaters with Apprenticeships\/Internships List<\/a><\/p>\n

Offstage Jobs <\/span><\/a>– behind-the-scenes jobs in the live entertainment industry<\/span><\/p>\n

Stage Directors and Choreographers Society<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n

The Dramatist Guild<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n <\/article>\n\n\t\t\t\n

\n \t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t \n\t\t\t\t\t\tList of Arts Venues by City\/State\t\t\t\t\t<\/span>\n <\/button>\n \n\t\t\t\t\t
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Arts Venues by City\/State<\/a> – one of the best ways to identify jobs and internships in the arts is to search by venue.<\/p>\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n <\/article>\n\n\t\t\t\n

\n \t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t \n\t\t\t\t\t\tJob Bank: Association of Performing Arts Professionals Job Bank\t\t\t\t\t<\/span>\n <\/button>\n \n\t\t\t\t\t
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Association of Performing Arts Professionals Job Bank<\/a><\/p>\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n <\/article>\n\n\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\n\t<\/div>\n\n\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\n\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\n\n\n\t\t\t\n\t\n\t\t\t

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Resumes and Cover Letters – Performing Arts<\/h2>\n\n\t\t\t<\/header>\n\t\t\n\t\n\t\n\t
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Resumes:<\/strong> A performance resume is often very unique to each person.\u00a0 These resume samples are intended to provide a general idea of what a performance resume can like.\u00a0 Your resume may \u2013 and typically will \u2013 look different.\u00a0 Further, other roles within or adjacent to the performing arts may have unique modifications as well.\u00a0 One of the best ways to figure out how your performance resume should look is to explore the resumes of other professionals who are working in similar ways to what you intend to do.\u00a0 \u00a0Many performing artists have webpages with their resumes included.\u00a0 An internet search is an excellent tool to discover resume version in the professional world.<\/p>\n

Basic Resume Samples:<\/strong><\/p>\n