Choral director vs music composer

The differences between choral directors and music composers can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. It typically takes 4-6 years to become both a choral director and a music composer. Additionally, a choral director has an average salary of $54,709, which is higher than the $54,646 average annual salary of a music composer.

The top three skills for a choral director include classroom management, fine arts and music education. The most important skills for a music composer are audio engineering, video games, and music theory.

Choral director vs music composer overview

	Choral Director	Music Composer
Yearly salary	$54,709	$54,646
Hourly rate	$26.30	$26.27
Growth rate	5%	5%
Number of jobs	4,783	3,788
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 72%	Bachelor's Degree, 67%
Average age	44	44
Years of experience	6	6

Choral director vs music composer salary

Choral directors and music composers have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Choral Director	Music Composer
Average salary	$54,709	$54,646
Salary range	Between $29,000 And $100,000	Between $28,000 And $106,000
Highest paying City	New York, NY	New York, NY
Highest paying state	Alaska	Alaska
Best paying company	DePauw University	Microsoft
Best paying industry	Education	Media

Differences between choral director and music composer education

There are a few differences between a choral director and a music composer in terms of educational background:

	Choral Director	Music Composer
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 72%	Bachelor's Degree, 67%
Most common major	Music	Music
Most common college	University of Pennsylvania	Stanford University

Choral director vs music composer demographics

Here are the differences between choral directors' and music composers' demographics:

	Choral Director	Music Composer
Average age	44	44
Gender ratio	Male, 47.1% Female, 52.9%	Male, 86.8% Female, 13.2%
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 choral director and music composer duties and responsibilities

Choral director example responsibilities.

Manage entire music program, schedule ministers, concerts, and prayer services.
Produce and direct a full Broadway Jr. production of Annie.
Continue to serve as a UIL choral adjudicator across the state.
Collaborate with drama teacher to compose music/libretto for musical theater setting of Cinderella.
Accompany all the choirs on the piano and organ for services, concerts, and special events.
Produce and direct a full Broadway Jr. production of Annie.

Music composer example responsibilities.

Work with others to manage DJs and volunteers, as well as plan on campus events.
Compose music for film, television, trailers, documentaries, commercials, internet media, and games.
Create original compositions and content for documentaries and local television commercials.
Collaborate with parish staff and liturgy committee about events and fundraiser

Choral director vs music composer skills

Common choral director skills

Classroom Management, 18%
Fine Arts, 9%
Music Education, 9%
Music Theory, 8%
Choral Music, 7%
Student Learning, 6%

Common music composer skills

Audio Engineering, 23%
Video Games, 15%
Music Theory, 14%
Sound Design, 10%
Pro Tools, 7%
Sound Effects, 7%

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Choral Director vs Music Composer

Updated January 8, 2025

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