Performing on cruise ships is one of the many career paths you can take as a musician. You get to travel the world doing what you love, and most of your expenses will be paid for.
However, you also have to deal with the harsh living conditions and everything that comes with that.
Being a cruise ship drummer is an opportunity of a lifetime for many, and getting into the industry can be tough.
Here’s a quick guide on what you need to know and who you need to speak to.
Before you even consider working on a cruise ship, you need to learn to read music. If you can’t read sheet music, you’ll never be accepted as a drummer on a cruise line.
You also need to make sure that you’re brilliant at sight reading. Having a vague idea of how to read isn’t good enough.
When you perform on cruise ships, you often run up to 40 charts a day. Your drumming needs to be spot-on with the rest of the band, so most of the songs are notated. You’ll be reading the music as you play most of the time.
When you feel comfortable reading any and all types of drum charts, you’ll be ready to start applying for gigs.
There are dozens of companies that hire musicians for cruise ships. You just need to look online to find them, and you’ll see casting calls for various areas.
These companies will make you go through an audition process. If you pass that audition, they’ll add you to their performers roster, and then they’ll let you know when there are cruise ships that need drummers.
To pass these auditions, you need to show that you can read music well, play the drums confidently, and exhibit a strong sense of professionalism.
Another good way of getting cruise ship gigs is to make connections with drummers and musicians that are already in that world.
Most drummers play on cruise ships for a few years and then stop. If you meet one of them, they’ll still have contacts with the people and companies that they used to work with.
You could ask them to forward your information. They may get asked to work on a cruise, and then they can recommend you if they’re not keen to take on that particular gig.
Once you have a cruise ship gig, you need to be as professional as possible. That’s the best way of ensuring that you get more gigs in the future.
Keep practicing so that your drumming skills are up to speed, and then always show up on time. The better you are to work with, the more people will want to work with you.
It’s well-known that there is a huge turnover rate for cruise ship musicians. The reason for this is that a lot of them get fired for being unprofessional.
This depends on what cruise ship you’re playing on and where it’s traveling to. But the assumed income for a cruise ship drummer is anywhere from $2000 to $4000 a month.
While that may seem low for some people, remember that all your expenses are paid for when you’re on the cruise ship. You’ll just be spending your own money on non-essential things.
This also depends on what cruise ship you’re performing on. Most cruise ships travel for months at a time, with some of them traveling for the better part of a year.
Other cruise ships may only be traveling for a few weeks.
The cruise ship performer life isn’t for everyone. It’s something that may be better doing when you’re young and have nothing to tie you down.
Traveling for months at a time takes a toll on people, and that’s why drummers don’t do it for several years. However, the experience you get while performing and traveling the world is incredible.
Drum Teacher
Brett Clur has a Drum Performance Diploma from Trinity College London has been playing drums for over 20 years. He is passionate about advanced concepts and uses his years of experience to teach his students about them. While he is a full-time drum teacher, he is also working on growing a YouTube channel where shares his insights. You can see him playing there, or on Instagram where he posts daily videos.
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