Music composer vs high school music director

The differences between music composers 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 music composer and a high school music director. Additionally, a high school music director has an average salary of $56,794, which is higher than the $54,646 average annual salary of a music composer.

The top three skills for a music composer include audio engineering, video games and music theory. The most important skills for a high school music director are fine arts, music theory, and curriculum development.

Music composer vs high school music director overview

	Music Composer	High School Music Director
Yearly salary	$54,646	$56,794
Hourly rate	$26.27	$27.30
Growth rate	5%	5%
Number of jobs	3,788	29,139
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 67%	Bachelor's Degree, 70%
Average age	44	44
Years of experience	6	6

Music composer vs high school music director salary

Music composers and high school music directors have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Music Composer	High School Music Director
Average salary	$54,646	$56,794
Salary range	Between $28,000 And $106,000	Between $39,000 And $81,000
Highest paying City	New York, NY	-
Highest paying state	Alaska	-
Best paying company	Microsoft	-
Best paying industry	Media	-

Differences between music composer and high school music director education

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

	Music Composer	High School Music Director
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 67%	Bachelor's Degree, 70%
Most common major	Music	Music
Most common college	Stanford University	University of Pennsylvania

Music composer vs high school music director demographics

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

	Music Composer	High School Music Director
Average age	44	44
Gender ratio	Male, 86.8% Female, 13.2%	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 music composer and high school music director duties and responsibilities

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

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.

Music composer vs high school music director skills

Common music composer skills

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

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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Music Composer vs High School Music Director

Updated January 8, 2025

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