Music Directors & Composers

music rhythm artistic performance score instrument idea technical skill sounds music director

Choir Director, Conductor, Music Composer, Music Director

What they do:
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.
On the job, you would:
  • 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.

Knowledge

Arts and Humanities

  • music, dance, visual arts, drama, or sculpture
  • English language

Education and Training

  • teaching and course design

Engineering and Technology

  • computers and electronics

Business

  • customer service

Skills

Basic Skills

  • listening to others, not interrupting, and asking good questions
  • talking to others

People and Technology Systems

  • thinking about the pros and cons of different options and picking the best one
  • measuring how well a system is working and how to improve it

Problem Solving

  • noticing a problem and figuring out the best way to solve it

Abilities

Verbal

  • read and understand what is written
  • communicate by speaking

Ideas and Logic

  • come up with lots of ideas
  • create new and original ideas

Hearing and Speech

  • tell the difference between sounds
  • pay attention to one sound while there are other distracting sounds

Memory

  • remember words, numbers, pictures, or steps

Personality

People interested in this work like activities that include creating, designing, and making your own rules.

They do well at jobs that need:

  • Dependability
  • Integrity
  • Attention to Detail
  • Initiative
  • Cooperation
  • Independence

Technology

You might use software like this on the job:

Presentation software

  • MediaShout
  • Microsoft PowerPoint Hot Technology

Music or sound editing software

  • Audacity
  • ZynAddSubFX

Spreadsheet software

  • Microsoft Excel Hot Technology

Education

Education: (rated 4 of 5)
master's degree or
bachelor's degree
usually needed

Get started on your career:

Find Training
Apprenticeship.gov

Job Outlook

Below Average
New job opportunities are less likely in the future.
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