Also called: Pit Orchestra Musician, Broadway Musician
Plays in the orchestra pit for Broadway shows, tours, and musicals.
A pit musician plays eight shows a week from below the stage, sometimes switching between flute, clarinet, and saxophone in one show. Subs fill in when they take a night off.
Approximate; Local 802 Broadway minimums are high, but work depends on shows.
Approximate: anchored on Bureau of Labor Statistics data for a broader job group.
Bachelor's degree (4-year), about 4 years after high school. A bachelor's in music, then years of gigging and subbing in pit orchestras; Broadway pit work requires AFM Local 802 membership.
Ways in: 4-year college. Training cost: $15k – $60k.
Majors to look at: Music Performance.
Growing slowly (about 1% over 10 years). Similar to musicians.
Low risk in 5 years, medium in 10. Virtual orchestra software is a real threat to pit sizes, but union rules and live sound keep human players.
Classes: Orchestra or band, Jazz band, AP Music Theory, Private lessons.
Official data: O*NET occupation 27-2042.
Career Universe is an early version. Pay, training and AI-risk figures are estimates to start your own research, not verified facts. The research was written with AI research assistants, checked by validation scripts and spot-checked by hand. Check anything important with schools, employers and official sources. How the numbers work.