You’re a professional musician. You didn’t get into music to be a marketer. Or a salesperson. Or a one-person administrative department.
You got into it because this work means something and you’re ready for your career to reflect that both financially and creatively.
Join me for a free live training where you’ll learn how to build a meaningful, financially sustainable career, even if the business side has always felt like the last thing you want to deal with.
It’s totally possible to have a career that is fulfilling financially and creatively. You just need to see the business side of your work differently.
Join me for this FREE training where you’ll discover how to:
Take your million ideas for projects, identify which one is the best, and walk away with a three-part action plan to get started this week
Stop reacting to whatever comes your way and start choosing — the projects, the rates, the income, the opportunities that actually fit the career you want
Create the simple, repeatable systems for getting clients, booking projects, and networking — ones you don’t hate and never have to rebuild from scratch
Open your calendar and feel excited about what you’ve committed to — because it protects your creative time, keeps you following through on your project, and doesn’t make you want to close the laptop
Why this matters
For most musicians, the business side of their career lives permanently on the to-do list, right below everything else that feels more important.
Not because you’re lazy.
But because it feels like the one thing most likely to drain you and pull you away from the work you actually love.
You worry it’ll eat into your creative time, so you avoid it or do it reluctantly, waiting for it to feel as draining as you expect.
And that avoidance has a cost.
Your projects don’t fully get out into the world. The opportunities you want stay just out of reach. The career you actually want – on your own terms – doesn’t get built.
Because loving the artistic side of your work - the performing, the teaching, the creating - is not the same as knowing how to build a career around it.
Here’s what nobody told you:
The business side of your career doesn’t have to take from your creative life.
The real problem is that you’ve been treating them as two separate things competing for the same hours, when business is actually a creative practice, and you’re already good at that.
This training will show you how to bring that same creative superpower you use in your music into the way you build your career, so art and income stop fighting each other and start feeding each other.
This is for you if:
You’re a professional musician with a multifaceted career – performing, teaching, composing, directing, leading group programs – and you’re ready to build on what you’ve already got
You want a career that’s genuinely meaningful and financially sustainable, and you’re done waiting for those two things to feel less at odds
You’re open to seeing the business side of your career differently, even if right now you can’t imagine ever liking it
You’re ready to take ownership of where your career goes next and not wait for the right opportunities to fall into your lap
This probably isn’t for you if:
You’re waiting for the industry to change before you make a move
You believe the gatekeepers are the reason you haven’t gotten where you want to go and you’re not interested in finding another way
You’re not open to learning new ways of doing things
Hi! I’m Sarah.
I’m Sarah Whitney – violinist, career & leadership coach for musicians and artistic director who’s learned firsthand what it means to build a career on your own terms.
A hand injury early in my career pushed me to discover the power of mindset and coaching. But it was the pandemic that changed everything. When my performing work disappeared overnight, I didn’t wait for things to go back to normal. I used that moment to completely reimagine my life. I left the nonstop NYC freelance grind, built my coaching business from the ground up, and created a lifestyle that finally feels balanced, spacious, and fulfilling.
Throughout my career, I’ve turned a lot of ideas into reality. I co-founded a Billboard-charting chamber ensemble, created a concert series that’s still going strong 11 years later, and built a thriving coaching business – all by learning how to treat the business side of my career as creatively as I treat my music.
Today I’m a faculty member at Longy School of Music and New England Conservatory and I help professional musicians craft careers that feel as good as they look, where purpose, creativity, and income work together instead of against each other.
I built this training around the shift I wish someone had handed me earlier, because when you finally see it, everything changes.
SAVE YOUR SPOT — IT’S FREE
Join me live on Monday, June 29th at 1pm EST
Can’t make it live? Register anyway and I’ll send you the replay.
“Sarah helped me craft a dream career….the best investment I could have ever made in my career.”
Sarah helped me craft a dream career where I can run my own teaching business, run my own concert series, and coach incredible cellists from all over the world — and I completely credit that to my work with her. The Thriving Musician is the best investment I could have ever made in my career.
The 21st century just asks us to be so dynamic and well-rounded and scrappy, and none of us have any training in that from our music education. Yes, it's a big investment upfront — but it pays for itself very quickly. Without it, there would have been a lot of heartache, a lot of struggle, and a lot of not being sure what to do.
- Nora Willauer, cellist & educator
Before working with Sarah, my biggest frustration was that I wasn't prioritizing my own needs as an artist and was letting opportunities dictate my path. Now, I feel empowered to take charge of my career in a way that I didn't before.”
Before working with Sarah, my biggest frustration was that I wasn't prioritizing my own needs as an artist and was letting opportunities dictate my path. I wasn't being proactive about pursuing my own desires artistically.
Now, I feel empowered to take charge of my career in a way that I didn't before. I have the confidence and tools to move forward and make progress. And the accountability of the group was crucial in keeping me motivated. I wanted to show up for the group, which was a huge benefit.
The investment was well worth it because it’s not just a six-month investment - it’s something I can use for the rest of my life.
- Shane Shanahan, percussionist, founding member of Silkroad Ensemble
I used to be stuck in the hustle, constantly overworking… after being in the program, I’ve found more balance, sustainability, and permission to let my career unfold organically in the best way.”
This program helped me realize that my life doesn’t have to be a nonstop grind. I’ve found more balance, more sustainability, and permission to let my career unfold organically.
Alongside the deeper personal growth, I also came out with a whole notebook full of practical tools—advertising, websites, finances, pricing, and asking for what I’m worth!
Also, I hadn’t considered how many inspiring, supportive friendships I would gain from this group. The community aspect has been invaluable.
- Diana Ladio, touring 5-string violinist & educator