Home / Career Explorer / Arts, Design, and Entertainment

Music Directors and Composers

	Median Wage (USD, 2024)	Projected Job Openings (2024-2034)	Projected Growth (2024-2034)
National Statistics	$63670	4300	-0.3%
State Statistics	-	-	-
City Statistics	-	-	-

Statistics

National

State

City

State

City

$63670

Median Wage (USD, 2024)

4300

Projected Job Openings (2024-2034)

-0.3%

Projected Growth (2024-2034)

Conduct, direct, plan, and lead instrumental or vocal performances by musical artists or groups, such as orchestras, bands, choirs, and glee clubs; or create original works of music.

Experience Requirements Overview

Job Zone Four: Considerable Preparation Needed
A considerable amount of work-related skill, knowledge, or experience is needed for these occupations. For example, an accountant must complete four years of college and work for several years in accounting to be considered qualified.
Most of these occupations require a four-year bachelor's degree, but some do not.
Employees in these occupations usually need several years of work-related experience, on-the-job training, and/or vocational training.

Education, Training and Experience

Required Level of Education: Master's Degree

Related Work Experience: Over 4 years, up to and including 6 years

On-Site or In-Plant Training: N.A.

On-the-Job Training: Over 1 month, up to and including 3 months

Detailed Work Activities

Coordinate musical rehearsals or performances.
Study details of musical compositions.
Create musical compositions, arrangements or scores.
Determine presentation subjects or content.
Audition or interview potential performers or staff members.
Select staff, team members, or performers.
Design layout of art or product exhibits, displays, or promotional materials.
Negotiate for services.
Direct fundraising or financing activities.
Collaborate with others to determine technical details of productions.
Collaborate with others to prepare or perform artistic productions.
Coordinate artistic activities.
Study scripts to determine project requirements.
Coordinate logistics for productions or events.
Operate audio recording equipment.
Stay informed about current developments in field of specialization.

Work Values

Achievement

Occupations that satisfy this work value are results oriented and allow employees to use their strongest abilities, giving them a feeling of accomplishment. Corresponding needs are Ability Utilization and Achievement.

Working Conditions

Recognition

Relationships

Support

Independence

Tasks

Use gestures to shape the music being played, communicating desired tempo, phrasing, tone, color, pitch, volume, and other performance aspects.
Direct groups at rehearsals and live or recorded performances to achieve desired effects such as tonal and harmonic balance dynamics, rhythm, and tempo.
Study scores to learn the music in detail, and to develop interpretations.
Apply elements of music theory to create musical and tonal structures, including harmonies and melodies.
Consider such factors as ensemble size and abilities, availability of scores, and the need for musical variety, to select music to be performed.
Determine voices, instruments, harmonic structures, rhythms, tempos, and tone balances required to achieve the effects desired in a musical composition.
Experiment with different sounds, and types and pieces of music, using synthesizers and computers as necessary to test and evaluate ideas.
Transcribe ideas for musical compositions into musical notation, using instruments, pen and paper, or computers.
Audition and select performers for musical presentations.
Plan and schedule rehearsals and performances, and arrange details such as locations, accompanists, and instrumentalists.
Write musical scores for orchestras, bands, choral groups, or individual instrumentalists or vocalists, using knowledge of music theory and of instrumental and vocal capabilities.
Position members within groups to obtain balance among instrumental or vocal sections.
Perform administrative tasks such as applying for grants, developing budgets, negotiating contracts, and designing and printing programs and other promotional materials.
Confer with producers and directors to define the nature and placement of film or television music.
Meet with soloists and concertmasters to discuss and prepare for performances.
Fill in details of orchestral sketches, such as adding vocal parts to scores.
Explore and develop musical ideas based on sources such as imagination or sounds in the environment.
Write music for commercial mediums, including advertising jingles or film soundtracks.
Transpose music from one voice or instrument to another to accommodate particular musicians.
Rewrite original musical scores in different musical styles by changing rhythms, harmonies, or tempos.
Arrange music composed by others, changing the music to achieve desired effects.
Assign and review staff work in such areas as scoring, arranging, and copying music, and vocal coaching.
Study films or scripts to determine how musical scores can be used to create desired effects or moods.
Transcribe musical compositions and melodic lines to adapt them to a particular group, or to create a particular musical style.
Create original musical forms, or write within circumscribed musical forms such as sonatas, symphonies, or operas.
Collaborate with other colleagues, such as copyists, to complete final scores.
Copy parts from scores for individual performers.
Coordinate and organize tours, or hire touring companies to arrange concert dates, venues, accommodations, and transportation for longer tours.
Produce recordings of music.
Stay abreast of the latest trends in music and music technology.

Work Styles

Innovation

A tendency to be inventive, to be imaginative, and to adopt new perspectives on ways to accomplish work.

Innovation

Achievement Orientation

Intellectual Curiosity

Tolerance for Ambiguity

Initiative

Adaptability

Self-Confidence

Perseverance

Leadership Orientation

Humility

Sincerity

Empathy

Cooperation

Optimism

Social Orientation

Cautiousness

Attention to Detail

Dependability

Integrity

Stress Tolerance

Self-Control

Data Source: This page includes information from the O*NET 30.0 Database by the U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration (USDOL/ETA). Used under the CC BY 4.0 license. O*NET® is a trademark of USDOL/ETA. This page includes Employment Projections program, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics program, U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.

Session has been expired