Career profile Composer

Table of Contents

• What does a Composer do?
• What is a typical salary for a Composer?
• What personality traits are common among Composers?
  • Career Interests
  • Values
  • Psychological Demands
• What education and training do Composers need?
  • Typical educational degrees
  • Required knowledge and expertise
  • Important abilities
  • Critical skills

What does a Composer do?

Composers 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.

What kind of tasks does a Composer perform regularly?

Composers are often responsible for overseeing or executing some or all of the following tasks:

• 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.
• Perform administrative tasks such as applying for grants, developing budgets, negotiating contracts, and designing and printing programs and other promotional materials.
• Fill in details of orchestral sketches, such as adding vocal parts to scores.
• Confer with producers and directors to define the nature and placement of film or television music.
• Meet with soloists and concertmasters to discuss and prepare for performances.
• Write music for commercial mediums, including advertising jingles or film soundtracks.
• Explore and develop musical ideas based on sources such as imagination or sounds in the environment.
• Transpose music from one voice or instrument to another to accommodate particular musicians.
• Rewrite original musical scores in different musical styles by changing rhythms, harmonies, or tempos.
• Arrange music composed by others, changing the music to achieve desired effects.
• Assign and review staff work in such areas as scoring, arranging, and copying music, and vocal coaching.
• Study films or scripts to determine how musical scores can be used to create desired effects or moods.
• Transcribe musical compositions and melodic lines to adapt them to a particular group, or to create a particular musical style.
• Collaborate with other colleagues, such as copyists, to complete final scores.
• Create original musical forms, or write within circumscribed musical forms such as sonatas, symphonies, or operas.
• Copy parts from scores for individual performers.

The above responsibilities are specific to Composers. More generally, Composers are involved in several broader types of activities:

What is a Composer salary?

What personality traits are common among Composers?

Interests

Career interests describe a person's preferences for different types of working environments and activities. When a person's interest match the demands of an occupation, people are usually more engaged and satisfied in that role.

Compared to most occupations, those who work as a Composer are usually higher in their Artistic and Enterprising interests.

Composers typically have very strong Artistic interests. Artistic occupations frequently involve working with forms, designs and patterns. They often require self-expression and the work can be done without following a clear set of rules.

Also, Composers typically have moderate Enterprising interests. Enterprising occupations frequently involve starting up and carrying out projects. These occupations can involve leading people and making many decisions. Sometimes they require risk taking and often deal with business.

Values

People differ in their values, or what is most important to them for building job satisfaction and fulfillment.

Compared to most people, those working as a Composer tend to value Achievement, Independence, and Recognition.

Most importantly, Composers very strongly value Achievement. Occupations that satisfy this work value are results oriented and allow employees to use their strongest abilities, giving them a feeling of accomplishment.

Second, Composers strongly value Independence. Occupations that satisfy this work value allow employees to work on their own and make decisions.

Lastly, Composers strongly value Recognition. Occupations that satisfy this work value offer advancement, potential for leadership, and are often considered prestigious.

Psychological Demands

Each occupation brings its own set of psychological demands, which describe the characteristics necessary to perform the job well.

In order to perform their job successfully, people who work as Composers must consistently demonstrate qualities such as dependability, cooperation, and attention to detail.

Below, you'll find a list of qualities typically required of Composers, ranked by importance:

What education and training do Composers need?

Many Composers will have a four-year bachelor's degree, but some do not.

Composers usually need several years of work-related experience, on-the-job training, and/or vocational training.

Educational degrees among Composers

• 1.4% did not complete high school or secondary school
• 7.9% completed high school or secondary school
• 15.3% completed some college coursework
• 4.3% earned a Associate's degree
• 41.4% earned a Bachelor's degree
• 24.8% earned a Master's degree
• 4.9% earned a doctorate or professional degree

Knowledge and expertise required by Composers

Important Abilities needed by Composers

Composers must develop a particular set of abilities to perform their job well. Abilities are individual capacities that influence a person's information processing, sensory perception, motor coordination, and physical strength or endurance. Individuals may naturally have certain abilities without explicit training, but most abilities can be sharpened somewhat through practice.

For example, Composers need abilities such as hearing sensitivity, originality, and oral comprehension in order to perform their job at a high level. The list below shows several important abilities for Composers, ranked by their relative importance.

Critical Skills needed by Composers

Skills are developed capacities that enable people to function effectively in real-world settings. Unlike abilities, skills are typically easier to build through practice and experience. Skills influence effectiveness in areas such as learning, working with others, design, troubleshooting, and more.

Composers frequently use skills like active listening, critical thinking, and speaking to perform their job effectively. The list below shows several critical skills for Composers, ranked by their relative importance.

What is the source of this information?

The information provided on this page is adapted from data and descriptions published by the U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration under the CC BY 4.0 license. TraitLab has modified some information for ease of use and reading, and the U.S. Department of Labor, Employment, and Training Administration has not approved, endorsed, or tested these modifications.

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