How To Become An Organist: What It Is and Career Path

What is an organist and how to become one

Updated January 8, 2025

3 min read

The average organist salary is $53,224. The most common degree is a bachelor's degree degree with an music major. It usually takes 2-4 years of experience to become an organist. Organists with a Registered Piano Technician (RPT) certification earn more money. Between 2018 and 2028, the career is expected to grow 4% and produce 6,400 job opportunities across the U.S.

ScoreOrganistUS Average

Salary

4.2

Avg. Salary $53,224

Avg. Salary $59,228

Stability Level

4.2

Growth Rate 4%

Growth Rate 0.3%

Diversity

8.5

Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 0.18%

Asian 6.16%

Black or African American 10.83%

Hispanic or Latino 11.45%

Unknown 4.84%

White 66.54%

Gender

female 40.02%

male 59.98%

Age - 43

Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 3.00%

Asian 7.00%

Black or African American 14.00%

Hispanic or Latino 19.00%

White 57.00%

Gender

female 47.00%

male 53.00%

Age - 43

Stress Level

4.2

Stress level is moderate

7.1 - high

Complexity Level

7.8

Complexity Level is challenging

7 - challenging

Work Life Balance

7.6

Work Life balance is good

6.4 - fair

Key steps to become an organist

Explore organist education requirements

Most common organist degrees

Bachelor's

63.7 %

Master's

17.8 %

Associate

8.4 %

Start to develop specific organist skills

Skills	Percentages
Easter	16.61%
Music Program	15.17%
Church Services	13.33%
Choral Music	13.06%
Pianos	9.94%

Research organist duties and responsibilities

Manage entire music program, schedule ministers, concerts, and prayer services.
Create PowerPoint presentations, documents, and spreadsheets for daily workings of the church.
Supply music throughout Sunday morning services as well as week day bible study and outside fellowships.
Collaborate with teachers and directors to assist in learning and memorization.

Prepare your organist resume

When your background is strong enough, you can start writing your organist resume.

You can use Zippia's AI resume builder to make the resume writing process easier while also making sure that you include key information that hiring managers expect to see on an organist resume. You'll find resume tips and examples of skills, responsibilities, and summaries, all provided by Zippi, your career sidekick.

Choose From 10+ Customizable Organist Resume templates

Build a professional Organist resume in minutes. Browse through our resume examples to identify the best way to word your resume. Then choose from 10+ resume templates to create your Organist resume.

Apply for organist jobs

Now it's time to start searching for an organist job. Consider the tips below for a successful job search:

Browse job boards for relevant postings
Consult your professional network
Reach out to companies you're interested in working for directly
Watch out for job scams

How do organists rate their job?

-/5

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Organist reviews

A zippia user wrote a review on Jun 2021

Pros

I love my job. Music has always been an integral part of my life. I love working with the kids and watching their growth from the time they begin with us (7th grade) through when they leave us (end of 8th grade)....and throughout high school. I love knowing that I have the ability to help make a difference in their lives using music as a vehicle. At the end of the day, they will not all become music majors, but hopefully, they will love and understand a variety of music genres. I love the collaboration between the choir director and myself when choosing music, and working together to make the notes on the page into music. As an accompanist, it’s not about me...but about providing the students and director with what they need. I love hearing the final product when it all comes together. No day is ever the same, and while you have to be prepared musically, you also must have the ability to adapt lessons plans instantly...because you are working with middle schoolers, and they are ever evolving from day to day.