What does an orchestra director do?
Orchestra director responsibilities
Here are examples of responsibilities from real orchestra director resumes:
- Prepare concerts and participate in UIL concert and sight-reading competition.
- Collaborate with drama teacher to compose music/libretto for musical theater setting of Cinderella.
- Collaborate with drama teacher to compose music/libretto for musical theater setting of Cinderella.
Orchestra director skills and personality traits
We calculated that 27% of Orchestra Directors are proficient in Student Achievement, All-State, and Fine Arts. They’re also known for soft skills such as Discipline, Interpersonal skills, and Leadership.
We break down the percentage of Orchestra Directors that have these skills listed on their resume here:
- Student Achievement, 27%
Utilize available technology to asses student achievement, improve classroom efficiency, and maintain student records.
- All-State, 14%
Prepared high school students for music festival, vocal competitions, All-State Festival and United in Song.
- Fine Arts, 9%
Served as Fine Arts Team Leader for the largest inner-city school districts in Oklahoma.
- Music Theory, 6%
Prepared students for regional and state music auditions Music Theory Accomplishments Developed the string orchestra program.
- Music Education, 5%
Provided broad based assistance in varying aspects of the music education curriculum.
- General Music, 5%
String Ensemble* Beginning Band Director* General Music
Most orchestra directors use their skills in "student achievement," "all-state," and "fine arts" to do their jobs. You can find more detail on essential orchestra director responsibilities here:
Discipline. The most essential soft skill for an orchestra director to carry out their responsibilities is discipline. This skill is important for the role because "talent is not enough for most music directors and composers to find employment in this field." Additionally, an orchestra director resume shows how their duties depend on discipline: "teach music theory, develop ear training, and inspire disciplined practice of instrument. "
Interpersonal skills. Another essential skill to perform orchestra director duties is interpersonal skills. Orchestra directors responsibilities require that "music directors and composers need to work with agents, musicians, and recording studio personnel." Orchestra 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. This is an important skill for orchestra directors to perform their duties. For an example of how orchestra director responsibilities depend on this skill, consider that "music directors and composers must guide musicians and singers by preparing musical arrangements and helping them achieve the best possible sound." This excerpt from a resume also shows how vital it is to everyday roles and responsibilities of an orchestra director: "used leadership skills to run the school's comprehensive band program. ".
Musical talent. For certain orchestra director responsibilities to be completed, the job requires competence in "musical talent." The day-to-day duties of an orchestra director rely on this skill, as "to become a music director or composer, one must have musical talent." For example, this snippet was taken directly from a resume about how this skill applies to what orchestra directors do: "work within a budget to maintain musical equipment and supplies. "
Promotional skills. Another common skill required for orchestra director responsibilities is "promotional skills." This skill comes up in the duties of orchestra 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 orchestra director resume shows how this skill is central to what an orchestra director does: "designed a promotional video directed at recruiting potential students into the band program. "
The three companies that hire the most orchestra directors are:
- Toledo Public Schools1 orchestra directors jobs
- district1 orchestra directors jobs
- Heritage Academy
1 orchestra directors jobs
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Compare different orchestra directors
Orchestra director vs. Music composer
These skill sets are where the common ground ends though. The responsibilities of an orchestra director are more likely to require skills like "student achievement," "all-state," "fine arts," and "music education." On the other hand, a job as a music composer requires skills like "audio engineering," "video games," "r," and "sound design." As you can see, what employees do in each career varies considerably.
Music composers earn the highest salaries when working in the media industry, with an average yearly salary of $54,744. On the other hand, orchestra directors are paid more in the retail industry with an average salary of $54,914.On average, music composers reach lower levels of education than orchestra directors. Music composers are 6.6% less likely to earn a Master's Degree and 3.1% less likely to graduate with a Doctoral Degree.Orchestra director vs. Band leader
While some skills are similar in these professions, other skills aren't so similar. For example, resumes show us that orchestra director responsibilities requires skills like "student achievement," "all-state," "fine arts," and "music theory." But a band leader might use other skills in their typical duties, such as, "live performances," "event planning," "travel arrangements," and "nyc."
In general, band leaders achieve lower levels of education than orchestra directors. They're 13.7% less likely to obtain a Master's Degree while being 3.1% less likely to earn a Doctoral Degree.Orchestra director vs. Chaperon
There are many key differences between these two careers, including some of the skills required to perform responsibilities within each role. For example, an orchestra director is likely to be skilled in "student achievement," "all-state," "fine arts," and "music theory," while a typical chaperon is skilled in "cpr," "developmental disabilities," "incident reports," and "esl."
Most chaperons achieve a lower degree level compared to orchestra directors. For example, they're 10.4% less likely to graduate with a Master's Degree, and 2.5% less likely to earn a Doctoral Degree.Orchestra director vs. Director of instrumental music
Types of orchestra director
Updated January 8, 2025
