Music Directors and Composers
Arts, Audio/Video Technology and CommunicationsO*NET 27-2041.00United States
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.
- Median annual earnings
- $64,930
- Projected change
- +8.2%
- Typical education
- Master's or Professional degree
- Employment
- 53.73K jobs
50th percentile, United States
2025 to 2035
30.1% of the workforce
Growing to 58.12K by 2035
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The work
What music directors and composers do
Tasks reported for this occupation, ordered by how often they come up in the role.
- 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.
Pay and outlook
What the job pays and where it is heading
Annual earnings range
Reported earnings by percentile, United States
- 10th percentile
- $31,143
- 25th percentile
- $44,253
- 50th percentile
- $64,930
- 75th percentile
- $98,254
- 90th percentile
- $163,174
The gold marker shows the median. Half earn more than $64,930 and half earn less.
Employment outlook
2025 to 2035 projection
+8.2%faster than average
202553,730 jobs
2035 projected58,123 jobs
4,393 more positions over the decade, before replacement hiring.
Preparation
Education levels
What people currently working in the career hold. These are not entry requirements.
- Master's or Professional degree
- 30.1%
- Bachelor's degree
- 26.2%
- Doctoral degree or more
- 20.6%
- High school diploma or less
- 8.9%
- Associate degree
- 7.9%
- Some college
- 6.2%
Skills
Skills employers ask for
Technical skills appearing most often in job postings for this occupation.
How the work gets done
Core competencies
Broad capabilities associated with strong performance in this occupation.
- Active Listening
- Giving full attention to what other people are saying, taking time to understand the points being made, asking questions as appropriate, and not interrupting at inappropriate times.
- Speaking
- Talking to others to convey information effectively.
- Critical Thinking
- Using logic and reasoning to identify the strengths and weaknesses of alternative solutions, conclusions, or approaches to problems.
- Reading Comprehension
- Understanding written sentences and paragraphs in work-related documents.
- Judgment and Decision Making
- Considering the relative costs and benefits of potential actions to choose the most appropriate one.
- Coordination
- Adjusting actions in relation to others' actions.
- Writing
- Communicating effectively in writing as appropriate for the needs of the audience.
- Active Learning
- Understanding the implications of new information for both current and future problem-solving and decision-making.
- Monitoring
- Monitoring/Assessing performance of yourself, other individuals, or organizations to make improvements or take corrective action.
- Persuasion
- Persuading others to change their minds or behavior.
- Social Perceptiveness
- Being aware of others' reactions and understanding why they react as they do.
- Management of Personnel Resources
- Motivating, developing, and directing people as they work, identifying the best people for the job.
- Time Management
- Managing one's own time and the time of others.
- Complex Problem Solving
- Identifying complex problems and reviewing related information to develop and evaluate options and implement solutions.
- Negotiation
- Bringing others together and trying to reconcile differences.
- Systems Evaluation
- Identifying measures or indicators of system performance and the actions needed to improve or correct performance, relative to the goals of the system.
- Instructing
- Teaching others how to do something.
- Systems Analysis
- Determining how a system should work and how changes in conditions, operations, and the environment will affect outcomes.
- Learning Strategies
- Selecting and using training/instructional methods and procedures appropriate for the situation when learning or teaching new things.
- Service Orientation
- Actively looking for ways to help people.
In the market
Job titles and employers
Recent job postings in United StatesCommon job titles
- 01Band Directors508 postings
- 02Music Directors340 postings
- 03Choir Directors243 postings
- 04High School Band Directors212 postings
- 05Directors of Music Arts172 postings
- 06Marching Band Directors146 postings
- 07Musical Directors132 postings
- 08Directors of Music Ministries128 postings
- 09High School Directors96 postings
- 10Middle School Band Directors94 postings
- 11Forward Deployed Engineers92 postings
- 12Worship Leaders87 postings
- 13Directors of Leadership79 postings
- 14Orchestra Directors79 postings
- 15Middle School Directors76 postings
- 16Church Music Directors72 postings
- 17Music Video Directors65 postings
- 18Music Directors/Organists58 postings
- 19Drama Directors53 postings
- 20Assistant Professors of Music45 postings
Top employers
- 01ChurchStaffing118 postings
- 02KPMG97 postings
- 03Edjoin.Org49 postings
- 04The Salvation Army47 postings
- 05Music Ministry36 postings
- 06Services en nuage Genesys36 postings
- 07Catholic Diocese Of Cleveland Foundation21 postings
- 08Norton Healthcare21 postings
- 09The Fine Arts Department (ministry Of Culture), Thailand21 postings
- 10Archdiocese Of St. Louis19 postings
- 11High School19 postings
- 12Ladgov Corporation18 postings
- 13Boulder Valley School District17 postings
- 14Glenbard West High School17 postings
- 15Hillsborough County Public Schools17 postings
- 16Alabama Department Of Education16 postings
- 17Fort Bend Independent School District15 postings
- 18The United Methodist Church15 postings
- 19Christian Career Center13 postings
- 20Oklahoma State School Boards Association13 postings
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