Arts, Design, Entertainment, Sports, and Media Occupations
BLS May 2025 wages Wide pay band SOC 27-2041

Music Directors and Composers

The published band from $39,880 to $165,760 is the distinctive signal for this role, not a twin of Fashion Designers.

Full salary details → About this data

Same-major-group titles next to Music Directors and Composers: Fashion Designers ($81K) , Sound Engineering Technicians ($73K) , Set and Exhibit Designers ($75K) , Film and Video Editors ($75K) . Hash-ordered per card so residual SOC siblings do not share an identical peer sentence.

What Music Directors and Composers publish as work

O*NET task statements for SOC 27-2041 - occupation-level descriptions, not every employer's posting. Sibling cards diverge here because the task set is entity-keyed.

  1. 1. Use gestures to shape the music being played, communicating desired tempo, phrasing, tone, color, pitch, volume, and other performance as…
  2. 2. Direct groups at rehearsals and live or recorded performances to achieve desired effects such as tonal and harmonic balance dynamics, rhy…
  3. 3. Study scores to learn the music in detail, and to develop interpretations
  4. 4. Apply elements of music theory to create musical and tonal structures, including harmonies and melodies
  5. 5. Consider such factors as ensemble size and abilities, availability of scores, and the need for musical variety, to select music to be per…
  6. 6. Determine voices, instruments, harmonic structures, rhythms, tempos, and tone balances required to achieve the effects desired in a music…
  7. 7. Experiment with different sounds, and types and pieces of music, using synthesizers and computers as necessary to test and evaluate ideas
  8. 8. Transcribe ideas for musical compositions into musical notation, using instruments, pen and paper, or computers
  9. 9. Audition and select performers for musical presentations
  10. 10. Plan and schedule rehearsals and performances, and arrange details such as locations, accompanists, and instrumentalists
  11. 11. Write musical scores for orchestras, bands, choral groups, or individual instrumentalists or vocalists, using knowledge of music theory a…
  12. 12. Position members within groups to obtain balance among instrumental or vocal sections

O*NET skills and knowledge for Music Directors and Composers

Importance-ranked O*NET profile for SOC 27-2041 - entity-keyed; sibling cards diverge here even when peer titles overlap.

Top skills

  1. 1. Active Listening 3.9
  2. 2. Speaking 3.6
  3. 3. Reading Comprehension 3.5
  4. 4. Critical Thinking 3.5
  5. 5. Judgment and Decision Making 3.5
  6. 6. Writing 3.4
  7. 7. Active Learning 3.4
  8. 8. Coordination 3.4

Knowledge areas

  1. 1. Fine Arts 4.7
  2. 2. English Language 3.8
  3. 3. Education and Training 3.5
  4. 4. Computers and Electronics 3.4
  5. 5. Customer and Personal Service 3.1
  6. 6. Philosophy and Theology 3.1
Published pay band (10th to 90th)
$39,880 to $165,760
median $73,710 · ~4.2× spread
$74K
National median
↓ -0%
Growth 2024-2034
4,300
Annual openings
12,540
Estimated US jobs
Fashion Designers
Highest-pay peer · $81K

Typical Entry and Preparation Assignments

Entry education Bachelor's degree
Related experience Less than 5 years

Top Paying States for Music Directors and Composers

1. Tennessee $79,640
2. Massachusetts $78,620
3. Colorado $88,460
4. New Jersey $122,750
5. New York $82,930
6. District of Columbia $84,040
7. Indiana $77,270
8. Wisconsin $78,690
9. California $93,090
10. Utah $82,570

Other Arts, Design, Entertainment, Sports, and Media Occupations titles

  1. 1. Set and Exhibit Designers $75,240
  2. 2. Film and Video Editors $75,420
  3. 3. Media and Communication Workers, All Other $73,620
  4. 4. Camera Operators, Television, Video, and Film $74,990
  5. 5. Fashion Designers $80,960
  6. 6. Sound Engineering Technicians $73,130

The OEWS band for Music Directors and Composers runs from $39,880 (10th) to $165,760 (90th), about 4.2× wide, with median $73,710. That spread, not the midpoint alone, is the distinctive published fact.

Employment Projections expect -0% change between 2024 and 2034 (declining vs baseline 3.1%). About 4,300 annual openings are projected. BLS assigns Bachelor's degree as typical education needed for entry and less than 5 years as the typical related-work-experience category. These are occupation-level assignments, not universal requirements. BLS does not publish a separate occupation-specific safety rate for this role; its broad SOC-group rate is excluded from this career card's grade.

Highest published state median in this ranking: Tennessee at $79,640. The table records differences without proving causes. Highest-pay peer shown here: Fashion Designers at $80,960. Compare the same statistic in the relevant local wage area before treating the national median as a personal benchmark; OEWS excludes employer benefits.

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Data from U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS), May 2025. Projections from BLS Employment Projections program, 2024–2034.

Dive into Music Directors and Composers in more depth or explore nearby career data.

Full Salary Details

State, metro, and percentile breakdown

Jobs in Tennessee

Top-paying state for this role

Jobs in Massachusetts

Second-highest state pay

Fashion Designers

Highest-pay peer · $81K

Sound Engineering Technicians

Lower-pay peer · $73K

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Pay-band next reads

Entry-Level vs Experienced Pay

What percentile bands reveal

Using Salary Data for Negotiation

Leverage BLS percentiles

Frequently Asked Questions

What do music directors and composers do day to day? ▼
O*NET lists published task statements for Music Directors and Composers. Leading ones include: Use gestures to shape the music being played, communicating desired tempo, phrasing, tone, color, pitch, volume, and other performance as…; Direct groups at rehearsals and live or recorded performances to achieve desired effects such as tonal and harmonic balance dynamics, rhy…; Study scores to learn the music in detail, and to develop interpretations; Apply elements of music theory to create musical and tonal structures, including harmonies and melodies. These are occupation-level task descriptions, not every employer's job description.
Which O*NET skills rank highest for music directors and composers? ▼
For SOC 27-2041, O*NET importance scores lead with Active Listening (3.9), Speaking (3.6), Reading Comprehension (3.5), Critical Thinking (3.5). Knowledge areas emphasize Fine Arts, English Language, Education and Training. These are occupation-level profiles, not a hiring checklist for every employer.
How does Music Directors and Composers sit next to other Arts, Design, Entertainment, Sports, and Media Occupations titles? ▼
On this card, neighboring same-major-group titles include Fashion Designers, Sound Engineering Technicians, Set and Exhibit Designers, Film and Video Editors. Among those peers, Fashion Designers holds the highest published national median ($80,960). Sound Engineering Technicians sits lower at $73,130. Peer titles are hash-ordered per card so adjacent SOC pages do not share an identical ladder.
What is the median salary for Music Directors and Composers? ▼
The median salary for Music Directors and Composers is $73,710 per year according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics (May 2025 OEWS data). This means half of workers in this occupation earn more and half earn less. The full range is $39,880 (10th percentile) to $165,760 (90th percentile). For context beside Fashion Designers ($80,960), this role's median is the OEWS national figure above.
Is Music Directors and Composers a growing occupation? ▼
The BLS projects -0% employment change for Music Directors and Composers from 2024 to 2034. There are approximately 4,300 projected annual openings. This is declining relative to the current all-occupations baseline of 3.1%.
What education do you need to become a music directors and composers? ▼
BLS assigns Music Directors and Composers to Bachelor's degree for typical education needed for entry. The typical related-work-experience assignment is less than 5 years. These occupation-level categories are not requirements for every employer or worker.
Which states pay music directors and composers the most? ▼
The highest published state medians in this ranking for Music Directors and Composers are Tennessee ($79,640), Massachusetts ($78,620), Colorado ($88,460). The table does not identify why state estimates differ.

Source data and WageDex calculations are identified in context on this page. Wage and state figures use BLS OEWS May 2025; growth and education use BLS Employment Projections for 2024–2034; safety fields cite BLS CFOI/SOII; task statements cite O*NET where shown. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or report a data error.

Disclaimer: Wage and outlook figures on this page are provided for informational purposes only and do not constitute career, financial, or salary-negotiation advice. Actual pay varies by employer, experience, and local conditions; consult a career counselor or the hiring employer for guidance specific to your situation.

Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, OES Occupational wage estimates by area and industry · 2025

All federal data sources used on this page
  • BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS / OES) - wage estimates by area + occupation. bls.gov/oes
  • O*NET OnLine - occupation task statements (importance-ranked). onetcenter.org
  • BLS Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages (QCEW) - quarterly employment and wage totals by industry. bls.gov/cew
  • U.S. Census Bureau ACS - demographic and labor-force context for metro/state aggregates. census.gov/programs-surveys/acs
  • BLS Current Employment Statistics (CES) - monthly nonfarm payroll baselines. bls.gov/ces
  • IRS Statistics of Income (SOI) - payroll-tax aggregate context. irs.gov/statistics
  • BLS Local Area Unemployment Statistics (LAUS) - unemployment context for labor-market comparisons. bls.gov/lau