Director of instrumental music vs high school music director

The differences between directors of instrumental music and high school music directors can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. It typically takes 4-6 years to become both a director of instrumental music and a high school music director. Additionally, a high school music director has an average salary of $56,794, which is higher than the $51,722 average annual salary of a director of instrumental music.

The top three skills for a director of instrumental music include music theory, jazz ensemble and music program. The most important skills for a high school music director are fine arts, music theory, and curriculum development.

Director of instrumental music vs high school music director overview

	Director Of Instrumental Music	High School Music Director
Yearly salary	$51,722	$56,794
Hourly rate	$24.87	$27.30
Growth rate	5%	5%
Number of jobs	7,388	29,139
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 70%	Bachelor's Degree, 70%
Average age	44	44
Years of experience	6	6

Director of instrumental music vs high school music director salary

Directors of instrumental music and high school music directors have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Director Of Instrumental Music	High School Music Director
Average salary	$51,722	$56,794
Salary range	Between $28,000 And $93,000	Between $39,000 And $81,000
Highest paying City	-	-
Highest paying state	-	-
Best paying company	-	-
Best paying industry	-	-

Differences between director of instrumental music and high school music director education

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

	Director Of Instrumental Music	High School Music Director
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 70%	Bachelor's Degree, 70%
Most common major	Music	Music
Most common college	University of Pennsylvania	University of Pennsylvania

Director of instrumental music vs high school music director demographics

Here are the differences between directors of instrumental music' and high school music directors' demographics:

	Director Of Instrumental Music	High School Music Director
Average age	44	44
Gender ratio	Male, 79.5% Female, 20.5%	Male, 59.0% Female, 41.0%
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 director of instrumental music and high school music director duties and responsibilities

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.

High school music director example responsibilities.

Achieve staff competence with 4 staff members, encouraging the growth and development of one staff member into a leadership position.
Establish and maintain relationships with colleges, community organizations, and other schools to coordinate educational services.
Establish and maintain relationships with colleges, community organizations, and other schools to coordinate educational services.

Director of instrumental music vs high school music director skills

Common director of instrumental music skills

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

Common high school music director skills

Fine Arts, 22%
Music Theory, 12%
Curriculum Development, 10%
K-12, 9%
All-State, 7%
Chorus, 6%

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Director Of Instrumental Music
Director Of Instrumental Music vs High School Music Director

Updated January 8, 2025

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