So you dream of being a pop star? You have something with a lot of sequins picked out to wear when you receive your first Grammy or something a little more outrageous for the MTV awards. Maybe you took piano lessons when you were a kid. Or played in the high school marching band. For sure, you can't get through the day without listening to the radio, playing your favorite CDs, or tuning in to VH1.

You dream of being on stage with colored lights and adoring fans cheering. The spotlight lands on you and you play the most incredible solo riff anybody ever heard. You hear your own music on the car radio, you have piles of money, you travel the world and go to the coolest places. What could be better than that? Are you just dreaming? Or is it really possible?

You may think you don't have enough talent. You can't write like Sting or sing like Leann Rimes and you don't look like Ricky Martin. All you have is a love of music. Your only audience is the reflection in your mirror as you play your instrument of choice: the air guitar. Believe it or not, that's what it takes - a love of music combined with the dedication to do everything in your power to make music your life. Talent is great, but only if it's used. Ambition and determination will get you farther than all the talent in the world if it's not developed and put to work. As Billy Joel once pointed out, "Most stars are not musical geniuses. They're just adequate."

The great thing about a career in popular music is that it doesn't require great musical genes or the kind of luck that wins the lottery. You don't need a formal education and there are no special requirements. What it does take is work and patience. You can make it in the music business - if you stick to it. In this game, the last one standing wins. Remember the old joke: "How do you get to Carnegie Hall? Practice, practice, practice." For musicians of all kinds, there are opportunities everywhere. When you think of being a musician, what comes to mind? Probably playing in a packed concert hall or doing a 10-state road tour. But most working musicians aren't stars. And the most successful ones may never be seen on a stage.

Musicians play musical instruments and/or sing. They play songs they write themselves and the music of other artists. They may perform on stage solo or as a member of a band. They perform live in concert halls, but also in clubs, coffee houses, casinos, shopping malls, dance halls, college campuses, house concerts, festivals, fairs, weddings, and corporate parties. Whenever and wherever people want to have fun, be entertained, or have a musical background that sets the tone for an event, musicians are there playing.