Best Musician programs in Tennessee, ranked by enrollment
Play one or more musical instruments or sing.
30 schools in Tennessee run programs that feed this job, graduating 659 people a year. The job pays a median of — in Tennessee across about 1,860 jobs (BLS OEWS May 2025).
Fields of study in Tennessee that lead to this job
Grouped at the 4-digit CIP level. Numbers are graduates per year in this state.
12 programs in Tennessee that lead to this job
Ranked by graduates per year in Tennessee (IPEDS completions). Graduate earnings and debt are national College Scorecard figures reported at the 4-digit CIP level, so specializations within one field share a figure. Each program also links to its own Tennessee page.
| # | Program | Graduates / yr | Share of pipeline | Schools | Grad earnings (1 yr) | Median debt |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Music, Generalmain feeder CIP 50.0901In Tennessee → | 349 | 53.0% | 24 | $25,929 | $25,980 |
| 2 | Music, Othermain feeder CIP 50.0999In Tennessee → | 175 | 26.6% | 8 | $25,929 | $25,980 |
| 3 | Music Performance, Generalmain feeder CIP 50.0903In Tennessee → | 62 | 9.4% | 9 | $25,929 | $25,980 |
| 4 | Stringed Instrumentsmain feeder CIP 50.0911In Tennessee → | 17 | 2.6% | 2 | $25,929 | $25,980 |
| 5 | CIP 50.0509In Tennessee → | 14 | 2.1% | 4 | $20,667 | $24,994 |
| 6 | Voice and Operamain feeder CIP 50.0908In Tennessee → | 13 | 2.0% | 5 | $25,929 | $25,980 |
| 7 | Woodwind Instrumentsmain feeder CIP 50.0915In Tennessee → | 9 | 1.4% | 2 | $25,929 | $25,980 |
| 8 | Brass Instrumentsmain feeder CIP 50.0914In Tennessee → | 6 | 0.9% | 1 | $25,929 | $25,980 |
| 9 | Jazz/Jazz Studiesmain feeder CIP 50.0910In Tennessee → | 5 | 0.8% | 1 | $25,929 | $25,980 |
| 10 | Music Pedagogymain feeder CIP 50.0912In Tennessee → | 4 | 0.6% | 2 | $25,929 | $25,980 |
| 11 | Keyboard Instrumentsmain feeder CIP 50.0907In Tennessee → | 3 | 0.5% | 2 | $25,929 | $25,980 |
| 12 | Percussion Instrumentsmain feeder CIP 50.0916In Tennessee → | 2 | 0.3% | 1 | $25,929 | $25,980 |
Top 25 schools in Tennessee
Ranked by graduates per year into this job. Graduate earnings are reported for 10 of the 30 schools in this state.
| # | School | Graduates / yr | Top feeder program | Grad earnings (1 yr) | Grad rate | Net price | Acceptance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Belmont University Nashville, TN Private not-for-profit · 5 feeder programs | 143 | Music, Other | $24,016 | 71% | $29,246 | 95% |
| 2 | The University of Tennessee - Knoxville Knoxville, TN Public · 5 feeder programs | 81 | Music, General | $31,888 | 74% | — | 42% |
| 3 | University of Memphis Memphis, TN Public · 2 feeder programs | 71 | Music, General | $27,353 | 51% | — | 72% |
| 4 | Vanderbilt University Nashville, TN Private not-for-profit · 8 feeder programs | 46 | Stringed Instruments | — | 94% | $14,854 | 6% |
| 5 | Middle Tennessee State University Murfreesboro, TN Public · 1 feeder programs | 45 | Music, General | $27,586 | 54% | — | 69% |
| 6 | Lipscomb University Nashville, TN Private not-for-profit · 5 feeder programs | 39 | Music, Other | $19,352 | 72% | $24,309 | 68% |
| 7 | Austin Peay State University Clarksville, TN Public · 1 feeder programs | 28 | Music, General | $39,008 | 40% | — | 96% |
| 8 | The University of Tennessee - Chattanooga Chattanooga, TN Public · 1 feeder programs | 24 | Music, General | — | 50% | — | 81% |
| 9 | East Tennessee State University Johnson City, TN Public · 1 feeder programs | 23 | Music, General | $30,004 | 53% | — | 86% |
| 10 | Visible Music College Memphis, TN Private not-for-profit · 1 feeder programs | 23 | Music Performance, General | $25,929 | 23% | $26,266 | 28% |
| 11 | Lee University Cleveland, TN Private not-for-profit · 4 feeder programs | 21 | Music Performance, General | — | 63% | $18,918 | 71% |
| 12 | Tennessee Technological University Cookeville, TN Public · 1 feeder programs | 21 | Music, General | $44,635 | 58% | — | 76% |
| 13 | Tennessee State University Nashville, TN Public · 1 feeder programs | 16 | Music, General | $23,868 | 34% | — | 70% |
| 14 | The University of Tennessee - Martin Martin, TN Public · 2 feeder programs | 12 | Music, General | — | 53% | — | 88% |
| 15 | Nashville State Community College Nashville, TN Public · 1 feeder programs | 11 | Music, Other | — | 18% | — | — |
| 16 | Carson - Newman University Jefferson City, TN Private not-for-profit · 3 feeder programs | 8 | Music, General | — | 53% | $19,537 | 90% |
| 17 | Trevecca Nazarene University Nashville, TN Private not-for-profit · 2 feeder programs | 8 | Music, Other | — | 53% | $14,286 | 69% |
| 18 | The University of the South Sewanee, TN Private not-for-profit · 1 feeder programs | 7 | Music, General | — | 80% | $21,573 | 57% |
| 19 | Rhodes College Memphis, TN Private not-for-profit · 1 feeder programs | 5 | Music, General | — | 85% | $19,854 | 50% |
| 20 | Cumberland University Lebanon, TN Private not-for-profit · 3 feeder programs | 4 | Music, General | — | 46% | $19,206 | 67% |
| 21 | Lane College Jackson, TN Private not-for-profit · 1 feeder programs | 4 | Music, General | — | 18% | $14,494 | — |
| 22 | Milligan University Milligan, TN Private not-for-profit · 2 feeder programs | 4 | Musical Theatre | — | 63% | $19,143 | 72% |
| 23 | Southern Adventist University Collegedale, TN Private not-for-profit · 2 feeder programs | 4 | Music, General | — | 49% | $24,187 | 65% |
| 24 | Freed - Hardeman University Henderson, TN Private not-for-profit · 1 feeder programs | 3 | Music, General | — | 71% | $19,418 | 60% |
| 25 | Bryan College - Dayton Dayton, TN Private not-for-profit · 1 feeder programs | 2 | Music, General | — | 50% | $16,130 | — |
All 30 schools in Tennessee
Every school in Tennessee with a program that feeds this job, ordered by graduates per year. Earnings are shown for the ranked schools above; open a school profile for the rest.
| School | City | Control | Graduates / yr | Feeder programs |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Belmont University | Nashville | Private not-for-profit | 143 | 5 |
| The University of Tennessee - Knoxville | Knoxville | Public | 81 | 5 |
| University of Memphis | Memphis | Public | 71 | 2 |
| Vanderbilt University | Nashville | Private not-for-profit | 46 | 8 |
| Middle Tennessee State University | Murfreesboro | Public | 45 | 1 |
| Lipscomb University | Nashville | Private not-for-profit | 39 | 5 |
| Austin Peay State University | Clarksville | Public | 28 | 1 |
| The University of Tennessee - Chattanooga | Chattanooga | Public | 24 | 1 |
| East Tennessee State University | Johnson City | Public | 23 | 1 |
| Visible Music College | Memphis | Private not-for-profit | 23 | 1 |
| Lee University | Cleveland | Private not-for-profit | 21 | 4 |
| Tennessee Technological University | Cookeville | Public | 21 | 1 |
| Tennessee State University | Nashville | Public | 16 | 1 |
| The University of Tennessee - Martin | Martin | Public | 12 | 2 |
| Nashville State Community College | Nashville | Public | 11 | 1 |
What musicians and singers earn in Tennessee
What people already working in this job earn (BLS OEWS May 2025). Not graduate earnings.
BLS publishes an hourly wage only for this occupation. The work is intermittent, so no annual figure is estimated.
Concentrated here: Tennessee employs more of this job per worker than the U.S. average.
Metro areas in Tennessee, by employment
Job outlook
Bureau of Labor Statistics Employment Projections, 2024 to 2034.
Growth and openings are national. The Bureau of Labor Statistics does not publish employment projections at state level, so these figures describe the occupation across the whole U.S., not this state alone.
How to get in
The full skills, tools, and day-to-day breakdown lives on the national Musicians and Singers page.
How to become a Musician
Job zone 4 of 5 · SVP 7.0 to < 8.0- Typical entry education
- No formal educational credential
- On-the-job training
- Long-term on-the-job training
Most of these occupations require a four-year bachelor's degree, but some do not.
A considerable amount of work-related skill, knowledge, or experience is needed for these occupations. For example, an accountant must complete four years of college and work for several years in accounting to be considered qualified.
Employees in these occupations usually need several years of work-related experience, on-the-job training, and/or vocational training.
Top skills
The same job in other states
Where else this occupation employs the most people, and what it pays there.
Related careers in Tennessee
Every major mapped to this job
The official federal mapping behind the rankings above.
All 12 majors mapped to Musicians and Singers12 of them graduated someone in the latest IPEDS year. NCES CIP 2020 → SOC 2018 crosswalk.+
- 50.0509Musical Theatre
- 50.0901Music, General
- 50.0903Music Performance, General
- 50.0907Keyboard Instruments
- 50.0908Voice and Opera
- 50.0910Jazz/Jazz Studies
- 50.0911Stringed Instruments
- 50.0912Music Pedagogy
- 50.0914Brass Instruments
- 50.0915Woodwind Instruments
- 50.0916Percussion Instruments
- 50.0999Music, Other
Common questions
Answers for people weighing musicians and singers programs in Tennessee.
What degree do you need to become a Musician?+
No formal educational credential is the typical entry-level education BLS reports for this occupation. The most common program people actually graduate from is Music, General, which awarded 349 degrees in Tennessee in 2024-25, 53.0% of everyone graduating from a program that feeds this career.
Which college majors lead to becoming a Musician?+
The NCES CIP-to-SOC crosswalk maps 12 programs to this occupation. The largest are Music, Drama/Theatre Arts and Stagecraft. Together they graduate about 659 people a year in Tennessee.
Is demand for musicians and singers growing?+
BLS projects a +1.1% change in employment between 2024 and 2034, little or no change, with roughly 19,400 openings a year nationally once retirements and job changes are counted.
How many schools offer programs for this career in Tennessee?+
30 institutions in Tennessee reported graduates from at least one of the 12 programs that feed this occupation in IPEDS 2024-25. Rankings on this page use graduates per year, because the federal data publishes no enrollment count by program.
What other job titles do musicians and singers work under?+
Employers advertise this work under many names. O*NET records Singer, Musician, Violinist, Choir Member among the most commonly reported, all mapping to SOC 27-2042.
About the data on this page
Rankings use IPEDS completions 2024–25, degrees awarded per year. That is the closest federal measure of how many people a program puts into a career, because no federal dataset publishes enrollment by program. Wages and employment come from BLS OEWS May 2025, growth and openings from BLS Employment Projections 2024-34, and which majors lead to which jobs from the NCES CIP 2020 to SOC 2018 crosswalk. Occupation descriptions, tasks, skills and tools are O*NET 30.3 (CC BY 4.0, U.S. Department of Labor/ETA).
BLS Occupational Employment & Wage Statistics
May 2025Wages, employment counts, location quotients and metro breakdowns.
BLS Employment Projections
2024–34Projected growth, annual openings and typical entry-level education.
IPEDS Completions
2024-25 (provisional)Graduates per year by program and institution — the ranking metric.
College Scorecard, Field of Study
2020-21 cohortsMedian graduate earnings one year after completion, and median debt.
Census Post-Secondary Employment Outcomes
latest availableGraduate earnings 1/5/10 years out, where the state participates.
NCES CIP 2020 and the CIP-to-SOC 2018 crosswalk
CIP 2020 / SOC 2018Which college programs officially lead to this occupation.
O*NET Database 30.3
30.3Tasks, skills, knowledge, tools, job zone and alternate job titles.
Official source →CC BY 4.0, U.S. Department of Labor / ETA
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