Launching Your Music Career (Coursera)

Launching Your Music Career (Coursera)

After you've acquired the various tools and strategies to build your music career, it's time to put those skills to work! In this course, you will acquire the skills to manage a variety of professional endeavors including self-management, freelance performing, and launching a private lesson studio. Perfect for the young professional or a seasoned pro looking to diversify their portfolio career.

Class Deals by MOOC List - Click here and see Coursera's Active Discounts, Deals, and Promo Codes.

What You Will Learn

  • Articulate your Unique Selling Proposition.
  • Use the Business Model Canvas to determine the core functions required to effectively manage your portfolio career.
  • Complete a comprehensive growth and recruitment plan for your teaching studio and identify the competitive landscape.
  • Seek out and book performance opportunities in a variety of settings.

Course 4 of 4 in the Musician’s Professional Toolbox: Your Portfolio Career Specialization

Syllabus

WEEK 1
Be Your Own Manager
In this module, you will learn the essential elements in a typical portfolio career, helpful mindsets for self-management, and how to manage the various components of the business that is You.

WEEK 2
Freelance Performance
In this module, you will learn how to land gigs, work with booking agents and venues, and create a steady and stable income stream from freelance performance.

WEEK 3
Setting Up Your Teaching Studio
In this module, you will learn key questions you should answer before launching a teaching studio, including identifying your target market, understanding the competitive climate, and determining your “Unique Selling Proposition.”

WEEK 4
Growing Your Teaching Studio
In this module, you will learn how to expand your studio and create community among your cohort of students.

WEEK 5
Honors Lessons: Launch a Website; Open a Studio (optional)
In this module you will complete this specialization by either publishing a professional-grade website or completing a comprehensive growth and recruitment plan for your teaching studio.

Go to Class
MOOC List is learner-supported. When you buy through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission.

Related Courses

How Music Can Change Your Life (Coursera) Coursera
University of Melbourne

How Music Can Change Your Life (Coursera)

Did you ever wonder how music works? This course provides free video, audio and journal resources that explain six basic principles about how music can influence individual and community health and wellbeing. From biology and neuroscience, to psychotherapy and politics, the ways we engage with music can make all the difference. Music has always played an integral role in the lives of individuals and communities all around the globe.

Aug 17th 2026
5-12 Weeks
Music for Wellness (Coursera) Coursera
Berklee College of Music

Music for Wellness (Coursera)

You love music. You listen to music all the time. Maybe you sing, play an instrument, or compose music. You don’t need to have musical talent to use music to enhance your well being, and even your health. Learn simple techniques to enrich your mind, body, and spirit through music. The methods can be applied in your daily life, particularly when you are feeling down or stressed out.

Aug 17th 2026
4 Weeks
Software Developer Career Guide and Interview Preparation (Coursera) Coursera
IBM

Software Developer Career Guide and Interview Preparation (Coursera)

This course is designed to prepare you to enter the job market as a software developer. It provides guidance about the regular functions and tasks of developers, as well as the opportunities of the profession and some options for career development. It explains practical techniques for creating essential job-seeking materials such as a resume and a portfolio, as well as auxiliary tools like a cover letter and an elevator pitch.

Aug 10th 2026
3 Weeks
Pro Tools Basics (Coursera) Coursera
Berklee College of Music

Pro Tools Basics (Coursera)

Producing music is an incredibly creative process, and knowing the tools of the trade is essential in order to transmit the musical ideas in your head into the DAW in a creative and uninhibited way. Whether you have used a computer to create music before, or you have been curious about production for years, this 4-week course will give you an introductory look into the world of Avid Pro Tools and Pro Tools First.

Aug 17th 2026
4 Weeks
Produção final do músico moderno (Coursera) Coursera
Berklee College of Music

Produção final do músico moderno (Coursera)

A indústria musical está passando por enormes mudanças e, por causa disso, os músicos precisam cada vez mais de habilidades em várias e diferentes áreas para ter sucesso. O objetivo da Especialização do Músico Moderno é oferecer aos alunos noções básicas sobre teoria e produção musical e composição e disponibilizar as ferramentas necessárias para escrever e produzir canções originais.

Aug 10th 2026
4 Weeks
Introdução à Guitarra (Coursera) Coursera
Berklee College of Music

Introdução à Guitarra (Coursera)

Compreenda os fundamentos necessários para começar a tocar guitarra elétrica ou acústica (violão). Você aprenderá uma abordagem fácil para tocar rapidamente, por meio de uma combinação de exploração do instrumento, técnicas de execução e teoria musical básica.

Aug 17th 2026
5-12 Weeks
Jazz Improvisation (Coursera) Coursera
Berklee College of Music

Jazz Improvisation (Coursera)

Learn the basic concepts of improvisation from Gary Burton, one of the most renowned improvisers in the jazz world, including the mental, melodic, and harmonic processes that contribute to the instinctive skills that an improviser puts to use when taking a solo. While many people are fans of jazz and understand that musicians are often “making up” the notes they are playing during a performance, most people—often including musicians, themselves, who are beginning to learn improvising—aren’t clear about what exact processes take place to enable this to happen. The purpose of this course is to introduce the basic concepts of modern improvisation and how to go about mastering the different musical and mental skills involved.

Aug 10th 2026
5-12 Weeks