Many of us have dreamed of being a musician at some point in our lives, and some of us are or will be. But, in such a wildly competitive market, it can feel impossible to know what to do and how to get there. Where do you start? Is there one right path to a music career? I asked a few student musicians exactly that, and they had this to say:

Cody Hennebry, First Year Bachelor of Music and Performing Arts student at Wintec

In year 9 and 10 I was asked by a friend who played guitar if I would play bass in a band that he wanted to start up and the rest was history. I taught myself to play bass and guitar at high school after I joined my friend’s band and then started guitar lessons later on.

I am more of a practical learner and wanted to learn mostly through experience which is why Wintec appealed to me. With the program nearly being shut down I am grateful that I was able to take the program I wanted and firmly believe in the importance of all arts programs.

At Wintec, as well as performance, we learn music theory and writing music as well as audio production and the recording process in a studio setting. These classes have also helped me to develop my performance skills and stage presence.

I do not believe there is one right way to get into the music industry and start a career. Sometimes certain skills may help you on your journey. Studying can also be beneficial if there are certain aspects of music you are less experienced in, for me this was music theory. However, it is not a necessity. If you stick with what you enjoy then it doesn’t matter what approach you take, you can get where you want to go.

The easiest way to get into a music career is to start at the beginning. If you haven’t learnt an instrument yet, now is as good a time as any. Having musical experience with more than one instrument is also beneficial as it makes you a more versatile performer.

Mitch Denne, First year Bachelor of Music majoring in Academics, University of Waikato

I’ve been a percussionist for 8 years now. I got into performing music quite late compared to others my age, however it is my favourite thing in the whole world. I do a bunch of different gigs and performances all over the country.

This includes the national Finals in Smokefree Tangata Beats 2024, being a Member of New Zealand Youth Symphonic Wind Orchestra, and drummer for my own personal band known as “Joone” which has music on Spotify (shameless plug I know). I love performing. The thrill and adrenaline you get from providing live entertainment to an audience is not something you can create anywhere else.

In music classes at Waikato, I do not think there is ‘one right way’ to start a music career. Everyone does things differently. First, let’s look at my class. You can see a complete mix of people playing different instruments, majoring in different types of music, and the people who are just there taking music as an elective. Everyone wants something out of music Therefore, people will take different approaches to achieving what they want. There are guitarists like John Petrucci and Brian May who studied music at arts universities. There are also people like Jimi Hendrix and Eddie Van Halen who didn’t go to music school at all and just taught themselves the skills they needed.

My advice is music is a lot about who you make connections with. You can’t just expect things to be handed to you, you have to go out there and meet people who could eventually lead to opportunities. Find a local gig and attend it, talk to the band members after the show, and get to know how they got to where they are. Most importantly, have fun!

HOON- Taylor Neal, Ethan Collins, Chris Collett, Henare Snowling, and Harry Gillies

Initially, HOON was born with the name Collision, with a lineup consisting of Ethan – Gat + Vox, Taylor – Bass + Backup vox and Chris – Drums. Henare joined late 2023 as rhythm guitarist, and we performed for the 1st time, later deciding on HOON the next year and confirming our current lineup. Harry joined as rhythm guitarist at the start of this year, and we’ve been going ever since, especially having just played our first regional sets at Full Noise and JYD Fest these past 2 weeks!

Gigging is HOON’s main way of getting our name out there and we have started playing more shows in Auckland and hopefully will play more shows in the future. Having the opportunity to jam together and learn from each other and get more experience through school groups and concerts has also been incredibly helpful. Gigging also teaches you important time management skills to ensure you’re always up to speed (or you’ll fall behind and get replaced by the bassist, Henare says).

There is no one right path to music. You can release music before playing live, or play live and then release music, and you can study or not study at all. Focus on right now, continue to create, and take opportunities wherever you can get them. The most important thing is maintaining that drive.

Our advice is to just release and play music (also practice, practice, PRACTICE!!!) People don’t know what your music sounds like if you don’t put it out there. On that note, continue to do what works for you in your own time and surround yourself with good peers, finding like-minded people will do you better than anything else. Forcing yourself to become something is only going to make things tougher, so just go at the pace you want, reach out to your community, make friends, and you’ll start to learn so much along the way.