About This Career

Conducts, directs, plans, and leads instrumental or vocal performances by musical artists or groups, such as orchestras, bands, choirs, and glee clubs; or creates original works of music.

This career is part of the Arts, Audio-Video Technology and Communications cluster Performing Arts pathway.

A person in this career:

• Uses gestures to shape the music being played, communicating desired tempo, phrasing, tone, color, pitch, volume, and other performance aspects.
• Directs groups at rehearsals and live or recorded performances to achieve desired effects such as tonal and harmonic balance dynamics, rhythm, and tempo.
• Studies scores to learn the music in detail, and to develop interpretations.
• Applies elements of music theory to create musical and tonal structures, including harmonies and melodies.
• Considers such factors as ensemble size and abilities, availability of scores, and the need for musical variety, to select music to be performed.
• Determines voices, instruments, harmonic structures, rhythms, tempos, and tone balances required to achieve the effects desired in a musical composition.
• Experiments with different sounds, and types and pieces of music, using synthesizers and computers as necessary to test and evaluate ideas.
• Transcribes ideas for musical compositions into musical notation, using instruments, pen and paper, or computers.
• Auditions and selects performers for musical presentations.
• Plans and schedules rehearsals and performances, and arranges details such as locations, accompanists, and instrumentalists.

Working Conditions and Physical Demands

People who do this job report that:

• You would often handle loads up to 10 lbs., sometimes up to 20 lbs. You might do a lot of walking or standing, or you might sit but use your arms and legs to control machines, equipment or tools.
• Work in this occupation requires being inside most of the time

Working in this career involves (physical activities):

• Picking out a particular sound in the presence of other sounds
• Detecting sounds and hearing the differences between sounds of different pitch and loudness
• Seeing clearly up close
• Speaking clearly enough to be able to be understood by others
• Identifying and understanding the speech of another person

Work Hours and Travel

• Irregular hours
• Overnight travel
• Weekend work