Table 1Transition record

composertomusic director

A composer already meets 37% of what the music director role asks for. The move turns on 13 required skills not yet in the profile.

From composer

37%

Overlap1

To music director

13 Skills carried over

13 Required, not held

67.2 Difficulty2

adjacent 0–30

moderate 30–55

substantial 55–75

career change 75–100

this move, 67.2

This move: 67.2 of 100 · substantial

1 Share of the music director role’s weighted skill requirement already met by the composer profile. Required skills count in full, supplementary skills at 0.35. Directional: the figure for the reverse move differs. 2 Combines what is missing with how specialised it is, so a gap of general skills scores easier than the same number of narrow ones.

Table 2

Table 2 · What you already bring

Of the 13 skills that carry over, these are the ones fewest other occupations ask for. A music director role needs them, and most people applying for one will not have them already. This is the part of a composer background worth leading with.

Skill the target role also needs Area

already held work out orchestral sketches communication, collaboration and creativity
already held evaluate musical ideas communication, collaboration and creativity
already held organise compositions communication, collaboration and creativity
already held film music techniques arts and humanities
already held develop musical ideas communication, collaboration and creativity
already held rewrite musical scores communication, collaboration and creativity

All 13 carried skills, including the 8 the music director role treats as required.

Table 3

Table 3 · What you would need to learn

The 23 missing skills fall into 4 areas of the ESCO skill hierarchy, numbered below in the order worth working in: the areas carrying the most required skills come first, and inside each one the required skills sit above the supplementary ones.

Skill to acquire Tier

01 management skills 6 required, 1 supplementary

required, not held coordinate music components of the work required
required, not held guide analysis of a recorded performance required
required, not held manage musical staff required
required, not held organise musical events required
required, not held plan musical performances required
required, not held position musicians required

optional, not held demand excellence from performers optional

02 communication, collaboration and creativity 4 required, 6 supplementary

required, not held attend music recording sessions required
required, not held coordinate music with scenes required
required, not held orchestrate music required
required, not held strive for excellence in musical performance required

optional, not held compose music optional
optional, not held connect music fragments optional
optional, not held improvise music optional
optional, not held participate in music studio recordings optional
optional, not held promote music optional
optional, not held conduct musical ensembles optional

03 arts and humanities 3 required, 2 supplementary

required, not held musical instruments required
required, not held musical theory required
required, not held musical genres required

optional, not held film production process optional
optional, not held musical notation optional

04 working with machinery and specialised equipment 1 supplementary

optional, not held set up basic recording optional

Table 4

Table 4 · Where to start

The 3 entries a music director role is least likely to hire without. The ordering is computed from the skill data, not from what pays.

Each entry opens a course search for that skill. Career Overlap earns nothing from these links.

Appendix

Appendix · The rest of the record

All 13 skills that carry over

Skill Type

already held develop musical ideas skill
already held evaluate musical ideas skill
already held organise compositions skill
already held read musical score skill
already held rewrite musical scores skill
already held supervise music groups skill
already held transcribe ideas into musical notation skill
already held work out orchestral sketches skill
already held create musical forms skill
already held film music techniques knowledge
already held record music skill
already held study music skill
already held write musical scores skill

10 supplementary skills, helpful but not required

Skill to acquire Tier

optional, not held compose music optional
optional, not held connect music fragments optional
optional, not held demand excellence from performers optional
optional, not held film production process optional
optional, not held improvise music optional
optional, not held participate in music studio recordings optional
optional, not held promote music optional
optional, not held set up basic recording optional
optional, not held conduct musical ensembles optional
optional, not held musical notation optional

11 held skills the music director role does not ask for

Skill Type

not needed by the target role complete final musical scores skill
not needed by the target role create musical structures skill
not needed by the target role define creative components skill
not needed by the target role describe artistic experience skill
not needed by the target role develop an artistic framework skill
not needed by the target role edit recorded sound skill
not needed by the target role music literature knowledge
not needed by the target role play musical instruments skill
not needed by the target role select elements for a composition skill
not needed by the target role transpose music skill
not needed by the target role use digital instruments skill

5 gaps that are knowledge rather than practice

Knowledge gaps usually close through study. Practical skill gaps usually need something you can point at.

Skill to acquire Tier

required, not held musical instruments required
required, not held musical theory required
required, not held musical genres required
optional, not held film production process optional
optional, not held musical notation optional

Index

Other moves recorded from composer

Full index of moves from composer

Note

How this record was compiled

Both occupations are taken from ESCO, which lists the skills and knowledge each occupation is expected to have and marks every one required or optional. Nothing here is a prediction about hiring, and nothing here knows that a particular employer wants a particular certificate. Treat Table 3 as a starting point for your own research rather than a syllabus. The full method states what these figures can and cannot tell you.