Band leader vs director of instrumental music

The differences between band leaders and directors of instrumental music can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. It typically takes 4-6 years to become both a band leader and a director of instrumental music. Additionally, a band leader has an average salary of $55,494, which is higher than the $51,722 average annual salary of a director of instrumental music.

The top three skills for a band leader include live performances, event planning and travel arrangements. The most important skills for a director of instrumental music are music theory, jazz ensemble, and music program.

Band leader vs director of instrumental music overview

	Band Leader	Director Of Instrumental Music
Yearly salary	$55,494	$51,722
Hourly rate	$26.68	$24.87
Growth rate	5%	5%
Number of jobs	29,066	7,388
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 70%	Bachelor's Degree, 70%
Average age	44	44
Years of experience	6	6

Band leader vs director of instrumental music salary

Band leaders and directors of instrumental music have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Band Leader	Director Of Instrumental Music
Average salary	$55,494	$51,722
Salary range	Between $31,000 And $98,000	Between $28,000 And $93,000
Highest paying City	-	-
Highest paying state	-	-
Best paying company	-	-
Best paying industry	-	-

Differences between band leader and director of instrumental music education

There are a few differences between a band leader and a director of instrumental music in terms of educational background:

	Band Leader	Director Of Instrumental Music
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 70%	Bachelor's Degree, 70%
Most common major	Music	Music
Most common college	Stanford University	University of Pennsylvania

Band leader vs director of instrumental music demographics

Here are the differences between band leaders' and directors of instrumental music' demographics:

	Band Leader	Director Of Instrumental Music
Average age	44	44
Gender ratio	Male, 74.8% Female, 25.2%	Male, 79.5% Female, 20.5%
Race ratio	Black or African American, 5.6% Unknown, 4.7% Hispanic or Latino, 9.5% Asian, 5.3% White, 74.7% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.2%	Black or African American, 5.6% Unknown, 4.7% Hispanic or Latino, 9.5% Asian, 5.3% White, 74.7% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.2%
LGBT Percentage	30%	30%

Differences between band leader and director of instrumental music duties and responsibilities

Band leader example responsibilities.

Perform diagnostics, lead audits, kaizen events, value stream mapping, PDCA teams and employee involvement.
Serve in consecutive positions of increase responsibility requiring strong interpersonal skills, extensive administrative, maintenance, and logistics backgrounds.
Serve in consecutive positions of increase responsibility requiring strong interpersonal skills, extensive administrative, maintenance, and logistics backgrounds.

Director of instrumental music example responsibilities.

Achieve staff competence with 4 staff members, encouraging the growth and development of one staff member into a leadership position.
Provide expert instruction to brass instrumentalists on musicianship and marching techniques.
Develop and implement leadership training and discipleship program for student leaders.

Band leader vs director of instrumental music skills

Common band leader skills

Live Performances, 27%
Event Planning, 19%
Travel Arrangements, 11%
Corporate Events, 6%
Private Events, 6%
Private Parties, 5%

Common director of instrumental music skills

Music Theory, 17%
Jazz Ensemble, 15%
Music Program, 9%
General Music, 8%
Music Curriculum, 8%
Concert Band, 6%

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Band Leader vs Director Of Instrumental Music

Updated January 8, 2025

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