What does a choral director do?
Choral director responsibilities
Here are examples of responsibilities from real choral director resumes:
- 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.
Choral director skills and personality traits
We calculated that 18% of Choral Directors are proficient in Classroom Management, Fine Arts, and Music Education. They’re also known for soft skills such as Discipline, Interpersonal skills, and Leadership.
We break down the percentage of Choral Directors that have these skills listed on their resume here:
- Classroom Management, 18%
Develop standard based lesson plans Assess students based on implemented lesson plans Manage student behavior with classroom management plan
- Fine Arts, 9%
Worked as the leader in collaborating with the Music, Fine Arts, Dance and Drama departments and individual student performances.
- Music Education, 9%
Frequent workshop presenter at regional, national, and international music education conferences.
- Music Theory, 8%
Instructed students in music theory, history, harmony, score and sight-reading, composition and music appreciation.
- Choral Music, 7%
Featured tenor soloist/Choral Music Director/Vocal Instructor
- Student Learning, 6%
Implement management techniques and strategies that ensure optimal student learning and success in content.
"classroom management," "fine arts," and "music education" are among the most common skills that choral directors use at work. You can find even more choral director responsibilities below, including:
Discipline. One of the key soft skills for a choral director to have is discipline. You can see how this relates to what choral directors do because "talent is not enough for most music directors and composers to find employment in this field." Additionally, a choral director resume shows how choral directors use discipline: "teach music theory, develop ear training, and inspire disciplined practice of instrument. "
Interpersonal skills. Another essential skill to perform choral director duties is interpersonal skills. Choral directors responsibilities require that "music directors and composers need to work with agents, musicians, and recording studio personnel." Choral directors also use interpersonal skills in their role according to a real resume snippet: "demonstrate strong rehearsal strategies, classroom management skills, and interpersonal skills. "
Leadership. Another skill that relates to the job responsibilities of choral directors is leadership. This skill is critical to many everyday choral director duties, as "music directors and composers must guide musicians and singers by preparing musical arrangements and helping them achieve the best possible sound." This example from a resume shows how this skill is used: "provided instruction and supervision for grades 9-12 provided leadership for choral program i.e. "
Musical talent. choral director responsibilities often require "musical talent." The duties that rely on this skill are shown by the fact that "to become a music director or composer, one must have musical talent." This resume example shows what choral directors do with musical talent on a typical day: "concert choir director madrigal ensemble director ap music theory program director musical theatre student preparation prepare students for cmea state adjudications"
Promotional skills. Another common skill required for choral director responsibilities is "promotional skills." This skill comes up in the duties of choral directors all the time, as "music directors and composers need to promote their performances through local communities, word of mouth, and social media platforms." An excerpt from a real choral director resume shows how this skill is central to what a choral director does: "designed a promotional video directed at recruiting potential students into the band program. "
The three companies that hire the most choral directors are:
- Xavier University1 choral directors jobs
- Eastern Oklahoma State College
1 choral directors jobs
- West Essex Regional School District1 choral directors jobs
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Compare different choral directors
Choral director vs. Band leader
A Minister of Music coordinates, rehearses, and directs all choirs of a church, as appropriate. They assist the pastor in planning the congregational services of the church.
While similarities exist, there are also some differences between choral directors and band leader. For instance, choral director responsibilities require skills such as "classroom management," "fine arts," "music education," and "music theory." Whereas a band leader is skilled in "live performances," "event planning," "travel arrangements," and "nyc." This is part of what separates the two careers.
On average, band leaders reach lower levels of education than choral directors. Band leaders are 15.4% less likely to earn a Master's Degree and 0.2% less likely to graduate with a Doctoral Degree.Choral director vs. Music composer
In addition to the difference in salary, there are some other key differences worth noting. For example, choral director responsibilities are more likely to require skills like "classroom management," "fine arts," "music education," and "choral music." Meanwhile, a music composer has duties that require skills in areas such as "audio engineering," "video games," "r," and "sound design." These differences highlight just how different the day-to-day in each role looks.
Music composers may earn a lower salary than choral directors, but music composers earn the most pay in the media industry with an average salary of $54,744. On the other hand, choral directors receive higher pay in the education industry, where they earn an average salary of $46,168.music composers earn lower levels of education than choral directors in general. They're 8.3% less likely to graduate with a Master's Degree and 0.2% less likely to earn a Doctoral Degree.Choral director vs. Minister of music
The required skills of the two careers differ considerably. For example, choral directors are more likely to have skills like "classroom management," "music education," "music theory," and "choral music." But a minister of music is more likely to have skills like "church services," "baptist," "select music," and "powerpoint."
Ministers of music earn the highest salary when working in the manufacturing industry, where they receive an average salary of $50,075. Comparatively, choral directors have the highest earning potential in the education industry, with an average salary of $46,168.When it comes to education, ministers of music tend to earn similar degree levels compared to choral directors. In fact, they're 3.6% less likely to earn a Master's Degree, and 0.2% less likely to graduate with a Doctoral Degree.Choral director vs. Chaperon
Types of choral director
Updated January 8, 2025
