How to Make a Living from Music (When There's No Blueprint)

I used to ask this question as a studying musician:

"How do I become a professional musician?"

In hindsight, I wanted someone to give me a blueprint. A precise pathway. Step 1: Do this. Step 2: Do that. Step 3: Success.

Eventually, I realised something uncomfortable:

There is no blueprint.

And the question I was really asking wasn't "How do I become a professional musician?"

It was "How do I build a brand, a business, and get an income from music?"

That's a completely different question. And the answer is different for everyone.

Why There's No Single Answer

Here's the reality: every musician's path is different.

Your journey will be shaped by:

• Your personality (are you entrepreneurial? Collaborative? Independent?)
• Your interests (studio work? Live performance? Teaching? Content creation?)
• What opportunities present themselves (often unpredictable)
• What you're willing to do when those opportunities arise

There's no formula. No guarantee. No step-by-step guide that works for everyone.

Some people make it as session players. Some as educators. Some as live performers. Some build businesses around music. Some do all of the above.

The only commonality? They all stopped asking "How do I...?" and started doing something.

My Story: Teaching Wasn't My First Choice (But It Became the Gateway)

After the pandemic, I needed income. Music gigs had dried up. I was figuring out what came next.

Teaching presented itself.

It wasn't my dream. I didn't wake up thinking "I want to be a drum teacher." I wanted to be a studio drummer, a technical specialist, someone known for high-level playing.

But teaching was income. Income from music.

And income from music—even if it's not your dream path—is better than income from stacking shelves.

So I started teaching. One student. Then a few more. Then it became consistent work.

Here's what I didn't realise at the time:

Teaching gave me:

• Financial independence (I could support myself from music)
• Deep understanding of how drumming actually works (teaching forces clarity)
• A curriculum I built myself (which later informed everything else)
• Connections I didn't know mattered (one student may have lead to future opportunities—I'll never know for sure, but the timing lined up)

Teaching became the gateway to everything that followed.

Not because it was my first choice. But because I said yes when the opportunity appeared, and I committed to doing it well.

The Question You're Really Asking

When you ask "How do I become a professional musician?" you're not asking about technique or skill level.

You're asking: "How do I build something that generates income so I can live the life I want?"

And that's a business question, not a music question.

The uncomfortable truth

Most musicians avoid thinking about this because it feels less "artistic."

But here's the thing: you can't pursue your artistic interests if you're broke and burnt out from a job you hate.

Income creates freedom. Freedom creates space to explore. Exploration leads to opportunities.

So the real first step isn't "get better at drums." It's "figure out how to make money from music in some form."

Teaching. Session work. Content creation. Building a product. Selling educational materials. Licensing music. Live performance. Studio work.

Pick something. Do it. Build from there.

The Decision Framework: What Do You Actually Want?

Before you can answer "How do I make a living from music?" you need to answer a different question:

"What do I want from LIFE?"

Not "What do I want from music?" but what kind of life do I want to live?

1. Choose Your Path (What Do You Want from Life?)

Do you want:

• Location independence? (Teaching online, content creation, app development)
• Stable income? (Teaching, session work, institutional positions)
• Creative freedom? (Building your own projects, less reliance on others' schedules)
• Family time? (Flexible hours, working from home)
• Performance recognition? (Live gigs, touring, stage presence)

Your music career serves your life vision, not the other way around.

I knew I wanted:

• Financial independence, freedom
• Time to develop my drumming at a high level
• Creative control (not relying on someone else's gig schedule)
• The ability to build something (entrepreneurial mindset)

Teaching fit that vision. Session work didn't. Touring didn't. Live performance didn't.

So I leant into teaching. And later, into building PracticAI—the app I wish existed when I was starting out.

Your path will be different because your life vision is different.

2. Who Are You NOW? (Not Who You Want to Be)

Here's a hard truth: your personality matters more than your technical ability when it comes to building a music career.

Ask yourself:

• Are you a studio drummer? (Control, precision, adaptability)
• Are you a live performer? (Energy, crowd connection, spontaneity)
• Are you a session player? (Versatility, quick learning, professional reliability)
• Are you an educator? (Clarity, patience, systematic thinking)
• Are you a content creator? (Storytelling, consistency, audience building)
• Are you a founder/entrepreneur? (Building systems, solving problems, long-term vision)

I'm NOT a live performer chasing gigs.

I don't thrive in that environment. I don't want the lifestyle. I don't enjoy the uncertainty of gig schedules or the energy required for constant networking.

I AM a technical specialist, an educator, and an entrepreneur.

I love systematic development. I love solving problems. I love building things that help people get better.

Leaning into who I actually am—not who I thought I "should" be—made everything clearer.

Stan Bicknell, one of the drummers I respect most, talks about teaching "the person behind the kit." He doesn't just teach technique—he teaches you to understand yourself as a drummer.

That's the approach I took with my own career: Understand who I am, lean into it, build around it.

3. If Income Presents Itself, Take It (Even If It's Not Your Dream)

Here's where a lot of aspiring musicians go wrong:

They wait for the "perfect" opportunity. The dream gig. The big break.

Meanwhile, they're broke, stressed, and losing momentum.

My advice: If income from music presents itself—even if it's not your first choice—take it.

Teaching wasn't my dream. But it was income from music. And income from music is better than income from a job you hate.

Why?

Because gateway opportunities often don't look like your end goal.

That first teaching student didn't seem significant at the time. But that connection may have led to the next opportunity. That opportunity led to more teaching income. More income gave me space to develop my drumming. That development led to insights about practice direction. Those insights became PracticAI.

None of that happens if I say no to teaching because "it's not what I really want to do."

You can't predict where opportunities will lead. But you can say yes when they appear and commit to doing them well.

4. Follow Your Interests + Practice the Fuck Out of It

Here's the part people don't want to hear:

You still have to be good.

Building a music career requires skill. Not world-class, necessarily—but competent, reliable, and continually improving.

But here's the good news: If you genuinely pursue what interests you on the instrument and practice consistently, opportunities will appear.

You can't predict where they'll come from. But they show up.

For me:

• I was interested in developing extreme technical development (bilateral double kick, polyrhythms, pro coordination)
• I practiced systematically, learning from other educators (Wei Lung, Matt Garstka courses, consistent progression)
• This gave me a teaching niche (technical specialist for intermediate+ students)
• It also revealed a problem I was experiencing (practice direction uncertainty)
• That problem became PracticAI—the app solving the exact issue I faced

I didn't plan any of that. It emerged because I followed genuine interest and committed to high-level practice.

If you're waiting for clarity before you start practicing, you've got it backwards.

Practice first. Clarity comes later.

5. Not Everyone Makes It—But You Give Yourself the Best Chance

Let's be honest: not everyone will achieve their exact dream music career.

Some people want to tour the world as a professional drummer. Most won't get there.

Some people want to be session players on major label recordings. Most won't get there.

But here's what you CAN control:

• Following your personality and interests (not someone else's path)
• Taking income opportunities when they present themselves
• Building skills systematically
• Creating something that serves your life vision

The goal isn't to guarantee success. It's to give yourself the best chance and avoid future regret.

Future-you looks back and says either:

• "I'm glad I tried. Even if it didn't work out exactly as planned, I built something meaningful."
• "I wish I'd given it a real go instead of playing it safe."

Which version do you want to be?

The Founder Mindset: Building What You Wish Existed

Here's where my path took a turn I didn't expect:

I became a founder.

PracticAI came from my experience as an educator combined with recognising a problem I'd faced myself: practice direction uncertainty.

Students (and I) often know what to practice but struggle with how to structure it, when to push through vs when to rest, and whether progress is happening.

I wanted an AI coach that could guide me through that uncertainty. It didn't exist.

So I built it.

Teaching income funds app development. The app becomes the tool I wished existed when starting out.

This wasn't part of some master plan. It emerged from:

• Teaching experience (understanding student struggles)
• Personal frustration (facing the same problem myself)
• Entrepreneurial personality (building solutions, not just complaining)
• Financial independence (teaching income gave me space to build)

If you're a side-creator, musician-entrepreneur, or someone who wants to build something that serves the music community—PracticAI is looking for collaborators who get it.

We're building the go-to app for practice direction and self-development. If that resonates, get in touch.

The Bottom Line: Stop Asking, Start Doing

Here's what I learned over the years:

1. Stop asking "How do I...?" and start doing SOMETHING.

Action creates clarity. Planning creates paralysis.

2. Your path emerges through doing, not through perfect planning.

You can't predict where opportunities will lead. But you can say yes and commit.

3. Take income opportunities even if they're not your dream.

Income from music > income from non-music. Gateway opportunities often don't look like your end goal.

4. Follow your interests and practice consistently.

Opportunities appear when you're genuinely engaged and improving.

5. Lean into your personality, not someone else's path.

Studio drummer, live performer, educator, entrepreneur—who are you NOW? Build around that.

6. Build the career that fits YOUR life, not someone else's blueprint.

What do you want from life? Let that guide your music career, not the other way around.

There's no blueprint. No formula. No guarantee.

But there's action. There's commitment. There's building something that serves your vision.

I didn't plan to be a drum teacher who built an AI practice app.

I just said yes to teaching when it presented itself. I committed to doing it well. I followed my interests in technical development. I recognised a problem worth solving.

That's not a blueprint. That's a process.

And the process starts with doing something—anything—that moves you towards income from music.

So stop asking how. Start doing.

Your path will reveal itself along the way.

Building something for the music education space? PracticAI is looking for collaborators who get it. Let's connect at harry@mentoraai.io