Occupation Profile

Music Directors and Composers

(SOC Code : 27-2041)

in California

Conduct, direct, plan, and lead instrumental or vocal performances by musical groups, such as orchestras, choirs, and glee clubs. Include arrangers, composers, choral directors, and orchestrators.

Employers are usually looking for candidates with a Work experience, plus bachelor's or higher degree .

Occupational Wages

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Area	Year	Period	Hourly Mean	Hourly by Percentile
				25th	Median	75th
California	2012	1st Qtr	$32.64	$21.31	$29.75	$37.71

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Occupational Projections of Employment (also called "Outlook" or "Demand")

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Area	Estimated Year-Projected Year	Employment		Employment Change		Annual Avg Openings
		Estimated	Projected	Number	Percent
California	2010 - 2020	6,800	7,100	300	4.4	200

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Job Openings from JobCentral National Labor Exchange

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Enter a Zip Code Find a Zip code in California

Within miles of Zip Code.

Industries Employing This Occupation (click on Industry Title to View Employers List)

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Industry Title

Number of Employers in State of California

Percent of Total
Employment for Occupation in State of California

Religious Organizations

25,283

43.4%

Elementary and Secondary Schools

17,985

10.3%

About Staffing Patterns

Training Programs (click on title for more information)

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Program Title

Conducting

Music Management.

Music Performance, General

Music Theory and Composition

Music, Other

About Training & Apprenticeships

About This Occupation (from O*NET - The Occupation Information Network)

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Top Tasks (Specific duties and responsibilities of this job.)

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 in order to achieve desired effects such as tonal and harmonic balance dynamics, rhythm, and tempo.

Plan and schedule rehearsals and performances, and arrange details such as locations, accompanists, and instrumentalists.

Consider such factors as ensemble size and abilities, availability of scores, and the need for musical variety, in order to select music to be performed.

Study scores to learn the music in detail, and to develop interpretations.

Position members within groups to obtain balance among instrumental or vocal sections.

Confer with clergy to select music for church services.

Transcribe musical compositions and melodic lines to adapt them to a particular group, or to create a particular musical style.

Audition and select performers for musical presentations.

Meet with soloists and concertmasters to discuss and prepare for performances.

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Top Skills used in this Job

Instructing - Teaching others how to do something.

Judgment and Decision Making - Considering the relative costs and benefits of potential actions to choose the most appropriate one.

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.

Critical Thinking - Using logic and reasoning to identify the strengths and weaknesses of alternative solutions, conclusions or approaches to problems.

Coordination - Adjusting actions in relation to others` actions.

Social Perceptiveness - Being aware of others` reactions and understanding why they react as they do.

Reading Comprehension - Understanding written sentences and paragraphs in work related documents.

Writing - Communicating effectively in writing as appropriate for the needs of the audience.

Complex Problem Solving - Identifying complex problems and reviewing related information to develop and evaluate options and implement solutions.

Monitoring - Monitoring/Assessing performance of yourself, other individuals, or organizations to make improvements or take corrective action.

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Top Abilities (Attributes of the person that influence performance in this job.)

Hearing Sensitivity - The ability to detect or tell the differences between sounds that vary in pitch and loudness.

Oral Expression - The ability to communicate information and ideas in speaking so others will understand.

Fluency of Ideas - The ability to come up with a number of ideas about a topic (the number of ideas is important, not their quality, correctness, or creativity).

Hearing Sensitivity - The ability to detect or tell the differences between sounds that vary in pitch and loudness.

Originality - The ability to come up with unusual or clever ideas about a given topic or situation, or to develop creative ways to solve a problem.

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Top Work Values (Aspects of this job that create satisfaction.)

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

Relationships - Occupations that satisfy this work value allow employees to provide service to others and work with co-workers in a friendly non-competitive environment.

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Top Interests (The types of activities someone in this job would like.)

Artistic - Artistic occupations frequently involve working with forms, designs and patterns. They often require self-expression and the work can be done without following a clear set of rules.

Enterprising - Enterprising occupations frequently involve starting up and carrying out projects. These occupations can involve leading people and making many decisions. Sometimes they require risk taking and often deal with business.

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