2025/09/02
Understanding the Difference Between “Professional” and “Professional-Level” in Music and Performance—and the Two Key Elements Required to Become a True Professional
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Many Aim to Become “Professional-Level”
In the world of music, the definition of “professional” is often unclear. As a result, many amateur musicians who aspire to go pro end up losing their way.
For instance, in baseball, one becomes a professional the moment they join a professional team. In boxing, there is even a clearly defined “pro test,” and passing it officially grants one professional status.
However, in music, the definition of “professional” is extremely ambiguous. Many people assume, “If I improve my skills enough, I’ll become a pro.” But in reality, there are countless individuals who, despite reaching very high levels of skill, never become professionals. Conversely, there are also many who work professionally despite not yet mastering professional-level skills.
Idol singers provide a clear example. Not every member has professional-level singing ability, and yet, with just a bit of vocal training, they are able to attract large fanbases and fill concert halls.
On the other hand, there are highly skilled bands whose members all possess professional-level techniques, but perform in empty venues with more members on stage than people in the audience.
So are they professionals? Or simply amateurs with professional-level skills? Most people would likely answer the latter.
Still, many musicians strive for professional-level skill, believing that once they reach it, they will naturally become professionals. They practice rigorously and consistently improve, acquiring even more advanced techniques. But will that alone eventually make them professionals?
The answer is clear:
No matter how skilled you become, that alone will not make you a professional.
Even if your technical ability reaches professional standards, being a “professional” is an entirely different concept.
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What Is the Definition of a Professional?
So what does it really mean to be a professional musician?
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“You’re a pro if you get paid.”
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“You’re a pro if you’ve made a major debut.”
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“If you have even one paying audience member, you’re a pro to them.”
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“You’re a pro from the moment you open your own lesson studio.”
There are various viewpoints, and none of these are necessarily wrong.
But they all share one thing in common: they rely on objective evaluation.
Getting paid for your music means there’s someone who sees value in your performance and is willing to exchange money for it.
Likewise, if you’ve made a major debut, that means a production company or record label has judged you as marketable and worthy of promotion.
Even having just one fan means someone has found enough value in your music to pay for it—whether through a concert, a lesson, a YouTube video, a livestream, or digital content.
Running a lesson studio doesn’t automatically make you a professional the moment you put up a sign. It’s when you get a student who finds value in your teaching and is willing to pay for lessons—that’s when you become a pro to that student.
Again, the common thread here is objective validation—recognition and support from someone other than yourself.
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The Difference Between Professional and Professional-Level: Objective Evaluation
In summary, the difference between being “professional-level” and being a “professional” lies in whether or not you have received objective validation.
Even if you possess top-tier musical ability and knowledge, if no one else recognizes that value and is willing to pay for it—whether by attending your concerts, taking your lessons, or watching your content—you are not a professional.
Objective evaluation means that others acknowledge and appreciate your skills.
In competitions like classical or wind orchestra contests, judges evaluate performances and assign awards like “Gold Prize” or “First Place.” Similarly, in band contests, well-known producers or composers judge participants.
In live performances, true validation comes when a previously uninterested audience member is moved by your performance and decides to attend your next show—and pays for it.
For music lessons, if a student takes a free trial lesson and then chooses to continue by paying for future sessions, that is a clear example of objective evaluation—and from that moment, you are a professional in that student’s eyes.
No matter how many years you’ve practiced or how long you’ve been playing, if you don’t receive objective evaluation, it all remains a form of self-satisfaction.
Ultimately, the presence or absence of someone paying for your value—your performance, lesson, or content—is what distinguishes a true professional from someone with merely professional-level skill.
Apply for the Music Certification Exam here
Skills and Knowledge Required for Objective Evaluation
To receive objective validation for your skills and knowledge, certification exams can be extremely helpful.
Our music certification exams provide objective evaluation of your technical ability. For example, if you pass the Level 2 Guitar Certification, it officially proves that your guitar playing and musical knowledge are at a professional level.
Let’s say you want to work as a paid support guitarist. Presenting your Level 2 Guitar Certification to the band hiring you serves as powerful proof—offering objective, third-party validation rather than just your own claims. This builds trust.
For lesson instructors, certification is equally beneficial. From a student’s perspective, certification shows that the teacher is objectively proven to have the skills and knowledge worth learning from.
Just as English proficiency is validated through English tests, or accounting skills through bookkeeping certifications, self-proclaimed skill is not enough in today’s world. Employers and students alike look for concrete, validated proof of expertise.
Apply for the Music Certification Exam here
Creating Appeal and Building an Audience: Business Skills Matter
Next, let’s talk about how to gain objective evaluation from the perspective of building an audience—or in other words, gaining fans.
As mentioned earlier, this doesn’t rely heavily on technical skill or musical knowledge, but rather business acumen—targeting and marketing.
You must be able to clearly answer:
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Who does your music make happy?
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Whose problems does your performance solve?
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Where can you find that audience?
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What search terms do they use?
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What pages or platforms do they frequent?
This is called defining your persona (ideal audience profile) and strategically reaching them.
There’s no such thing as “music that appeals to everyone.” The value people seek differs based on gender, age, background, and life circumstances.
A 40-year-old man and a 20-year-old woman will not only enjoy different music, but also have completely different life concerns. So it’s essential to narrow down and specialize your audience.
Even within the category of “20-year-old women,” the emotional needs vary. One might be in love; another might be recovering from a breakup. Whether you sing uplifting love songs or comforting ballads depends on which of these you are targeting.
The same logic applies to music lessons. Is your ideal student a complete beginner, an experienced player looking to level up, or someone more interested in social interaction than technical growth?
Once you’ve defined your target audience, you must also understand:
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What kind of lessons or content format they prefer
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How much they’re willing to pay
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Which platforms they use (e.g., TikTok for younger audiences, Facebook for older generations, Instagram for visuals, YouTube for in-depth content)
Marketing on TikTok to reach seniors is ineffective if they’re not even using the platform.
We won’t go too deep into business strategy in this article, but what’s crucial to understand is this:
“Becoming professional-level” and “delivering value to customers” are completely different goals.
You must rethink the belief that improving your skills alone will make you a professional.
Apply for the Music Certification Exam here
In Conclusion
I hope this article has helped clarify that:
The difference between being “professional-level” and being a “professional” lies in whether you’ve received objective evaluation.
You become a true professional only when you provide your high-level skills and knowledge to those who need it, and they willingly exchange money for that value.
Certification exams prove your objective value in terms of skill, while building a fanbase or client base requires business strategy and a deep understanding of your audience.
If you aspire to be a true professional musician, you’ll need to pursue both.
Apply for the Music Certification Exam here