What skills should a Music Directors and Composer put on a resume?

O*NET rates Active Listening, Speaking, Critical Thinking, Judgment and Decision Making, and Reading Comprehension among the most important skills for this occupation. Name the ones that are genuinely yours and show where you used them. A resume that lists skills you do not have is weaker than one that lists fewer.

What software should a Music Directors and Composer list?

Software recorded for this occupation includes Anvil Studio, Apple Final Cut Pro, Apple MainStage, Arobas Music Guitar Pro, and Arpege Music Pizzicato. Applicant tracking systems match on the exact product name, so write the tool as the posting writes it rather than describing it in general terms.

What other job titles cover Music Directors and Composer work?

O*NET records 39 titles for this occupation, including Choir Director, Conductor, Music Composer, and Music Director. Searching only your own job title hides most of the openings you could apply to.

What qualifications does a Music Directors and Composer need?

In O*NET's survey of people doing this job, 28% reported their level of education as "Master's Degree". That is what current postholders reported, not a requirement any single employer sets.

Will this resume pass an ATS for a Music Directors and Composer role?

No tool outside an employer can tell you how that employer's system is configured, including ours. What you can control is that the resume parses cleanly, names the work in the words the posting uses, and does not claim anything you cannot back up.

Music Directors and Composer resume example

A resume for a Music Directors and Composer needs to show the work itself: conduct, direct, plan, and lead instrumental or vocal performances by musical artists or groups, such as orchestras, bands, choirs, and glee clubs; or create original works of music. Day to day that means work like this: use gestures to shape the music being played, communicating desired tempo, phrasing, tone, color, pitch, volume, and other performance aspects; direct groups at rehearsals and live or recorded performances to achieve desired effects such as tonal and harmonic balance dynamics, rhythm, and tempo. Recruiters and applicant tracking systems both read for the tasks and tools this role actually involves, so the strongest resume names them in your own experience rather than describing the job in the abstract. Below are the tasks O*NET records for this occupation, the software and tools it uses, the titles it is advertised under, and the skills worth naming if they are genuinely yours.

Also advertised as

The same job is posted under many titles. Searching only your own job title hides most of the openings you could apply to.

Choir Director
Conductor
Music Composer
Music Director
Arranger
Composer
Music Producer
Orchestra Director
Songwriter
Artistic Director
Band Director
Band Leader
Band Master
Children's Choir Director
Choir Leader
Choirmaster
Choral Director
Chorus Master

O*NET records 39 titles for this occupation in total.

What this work actually involves

Tasks recorded for this occupation, in O*NET's words. If your experience covers one of these, it belongs on your resume in your own words.

Use gestures to shape the music being played, communicating desired tempo, phrasing, tone, color, pitch, volume, and other performance aspects.
Direct groups at rehearsals and live or recorded performances to achieve desired effects such as tonal and harmonic balance dynamics, rhythm, and tempo.
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.
Consider such factors as ensemble size and abilities, availability of scores, and the need for musical variety, to select music to be performed.
Determine voices, instruments, harmonic structures, rhythms, tempos, and tone balances required to achieve the effects desired in a musical composition.
Experiment with different sounds, and types and pieces of music, using synthesizers and computers as necessary to test and evaluate ideas.
Transcribe ideas for musical compositions into musical notation, using instruments, pen and paper, or computers.
Audition and select performers for musical presentations.
Plan and schedule rehearsals and performances, and arrange details such as locations, accompanists, and instrumentalists.
Write musical scores for orchestras, bands, choral groups, or individual instrumentalists or vocalists, using knowledge of music theory and of instrumental and vocal capabilities.
Position members within groups to obtain balance among instrumental or vocal sections.

30 tasks are recorded in total; these are the most central.

Example bullets for this role

Built from this occupation's own tasks. The brackets stay empty on purpose: we will not invent a number for you, and a fabricated metric is the fastest way to lose an interview you had already won.

Use gestures to shape the music being played, communicating desired tempo, phrasing, tone, color, pitch, volume, and other performance aspects, for [who or what it served], at [what volume].
Direct groups at rehearsals and live or recorded performances to achieve desired effects such as tonal and harmonic balance dynamics, rhythm, and tempo, for [who or what it served], at [what volume].
Study scores to learn the music in detail, and to develop interpretations, for [who or what it served], at [what volume].
Apply elements of music theory to create musical and tonal structures, including harmonies and melodies, for [who or what it served], at [what volume].

Software used in this role

Recorded for this occupation by O*NET. An applicant tracking system matches the exact product name, so write the tool the way the posting writes it.

Anvil Studio
Apple Final Cut Pro
Apple MainStage
Arobas Music Guitar Pro
Arpege Music Pizzicato
Audacity
Audio Chaos Soundscape Generator
Audiveris
Avid Pro Tools
Avid Technology Sibelius
Azemus FS
Basic Music Composer
Cakewalk SONAR
Canorus

86 software entries are recorded in total.

Tools and equipment

The physical equipment this occupation is recorded as using. Worth naming when a posting asks for it by name.

Acoustic guitars
Audio interfaces
Audio tape recorders
Bass guitars
Computer laser printers
Condenser microphones
Conducting batons
Copy machines
Desktop computers
Digital audio workstations
Drum sets
Electronic organs

Skills an ATS reads for

Worth naming only if they are genuinely yours. Keyword overlap is one input to a resume's score, not a verdict.

Anvil Studio
Apple Final Cut Pro

What this job rates as most important

O*NET rates every skill for importance to this occupation. These are the highest rated, in order.

01Active Listening
02Speaking
03Critical Thinking
04Judgment and Decision Making
05Reading Comprehension
06Active Learning
07Coordination
08Writing
09Monitoring
10Persuasion

Knowledge areas

The subject knowledge this occupation draws on, rated by importance.

Fine Arts
English Language
Education and Training
Computers and Electronics
Customer and Personal Service
Philosophy and Theology

What qualifications people in this job have

From O*NET's survey of people doing this work. This is what postholders reported, not a requirement any single employer sets.

28%Master's Degree
24%Bachelor's Degree
21%Doctoral Degree

What level this role is pitched at

O*NET places this occupation in “Considerable Preparation Needed”. Most of these occupations require a four-year bachelor's degree, but some do not.

A considerable amount of work-related skill, knowledge, or experience is needed for these occupations. For example, an accountant must complete four years of college and work for several years in accounting to be considered qualified.

Common questions

What does a Music Directors and Composer do?: Conduct, direct, plan, and lead instrumental or vocal performances by musical artists or groups, such as orchestras, bands, choirs, and glee clubs; or create original works of music. Day to day that includes work like use gestures to shape the music being played, communicating desired tempo, phrasing, tone, color, pitch, volume, and other performance aspects and Direct groups at rehearsals and live or recorded performances to achieve desired effects such as tonal and harmonic balance dynamics, rhythm, and tempo.
What skills should a Music Directors and Composer put on a resume?: O*NET rates Active Listening, Speaking, Critical Thinking, Judgment and Decision Making, and Reading Comprehension among the most important skills for this occupation. Name the ones that are genuinely yours and show where you used them. A resume that lists skills you do not have is weaker than one that lists fewer.
What software should a Music Directors and Composer list?: Software recorded for this occupation includes Anvil Studio, Apple Final Cut Pro, Apple MainStage, Arobas Music Guitar Pro, and Arpege Music Pizzicato. Applicant tracking systems match on the exact product name, so write the tool as the posting writes it rather than describing it in general terms.
What other job titles cover Music Directors and Composer work?: O*NET records 39 titles for this occupation, including Choir Director, Conductor, Music Composer, and Music Director. Searching only your own job title hides most of the openings you could apply to.
What qualifications does a Music Directors and Composer need?: In O*NET's survey of people doing this job, 28% reported their level of education as "Master's Degree". That is what current postholders reported, not a requirement any single employer sets.
Will this resume pass an ATS for a Music Directors and Composer role?: No tool outside an employer can tell you how that employer's system is configured, including ours. What you can control is that the resume parses cleanly, names the work in the words the posting uses, and does not claim anything you cannot back up.

Related roles

Occupations O*NET records as closest to this one, and worth looking at if this search is not moving.

What this page cannot tell you

No tool outside an employer can tell you how that employer’s ATS is configured, including ours.
This page makes no claim about pay, demand or how many people hold this job. O*NET does not publish that here and we will not estimate it.
Keyword overlap is one input to a resume’s score, not a verdict on you. A resume that names skills you do not have is worse than one that names fewer.

If this is the job you are aiming at, the guide to tailoring a resume covers how to aim one posting properly, and building and exporting a resume here is free.

Occupation data from the O*NET 29.1 Database by the U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration (USDOL/ETA), used under CC BY 4.0. O*NET is a trademark of USDOL/ETA. SpartanResume is not endorsed by USDOL/ETA.