Explore jobs
Find specific jobs
Explore careers
Explore professions
Best companies
Explore companies
The differences between choir directors and directors of music can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. While it typically takes 2-4 years to become a choir director, becoming a director of music takes usually requires 4-6 years. Additionally, a choir director has an average salary of $51,590, which is higher than the $48,096 average annual salary of a director of music.
The top three skills for a choir director include music program, singers and easter. The most important skills for a director of music are music program, music theory, and general music.
| Choir Director | Director Of Music | |
| Yearly salary | $51,590 | $48,096 |
| Hourly rate | $24.80 | $23.12 |
| Growth rate | 5% | 5% |
| Number of jobs | 4,799 | 7,394 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 69% | Bachelor's Degree, 69% |
| Average age | 48 | 44 |
| Years of experience | 4 | 6 |
A choir director leads and oversees the daily activities of choirs, especially during musical performances. They are responsible for coordinating rehearsals, establishing schedules and budgets, setting objectives and rules, and selecting resources, including musical pieces. They utilize their musical and leadership skills to facilitate auditions, find potential members, delegate responsibilities or parts for the performances, and direct each member to achieve every musical performance's desired sound. Additionally, a choir director empowers members to enhance their skills and reach goals.
A music director is responsible for leading the musical aspects of a theatre production, monitoring the performance of musical groups to ensure the audience's satisfaction, as well as smooth show transitions. Music directors evaluate the production's concept and select the best music pieces. They must have excellent knowledge of the music industry, especially on training music groups to establish the desired quality performance result. A music director must have excellent communication and organizational skills, cooperating with the whole production team to create a fun, engaging show.
Choir directors and directors of music have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Choir Director | Director Of Music | |
| Average salary | $51,590 | $48,096 |
| Salary range | Between $28,000 And $93,000 | Between $27,000 And $84,000 |
| Highest paying City | Los Angeles, CA | Phoenix, AZ |
| Highest paying state | Idaho | Arizona |
| Best paying company | Boston Children's Hospital | York Prep School |
| Best paying industry | Education | Media |
There are a few differences between a choir director and a director of music in terms of educational background:
| Choir Director | Director Of Music | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 69% | Bachelor's Degree, 69% |
| Most common major | Music | Music |
| Most common college | University of Pennsylvania | Stanford University |
Here are the differences between choir directors' and directors of music' demographics:
| Choir Director | Director Of Music | |
| Average age | 48 | 44 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 43.3% Female, 56.7% | Male, 64.3% Female, 35.7% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 7.2% Unknown, 3.6% Hispanic or Latino, 10.3% Asian, 2.8% White, 75.8% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.3% | 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 | 17% | 30% |