Are you also one of those who loves to listen to and enjoy music a lot? If yes, then at some point you may definitely think “can I also make songs?”. Well, the answer is very simple- yes you can. But you’ll have to learn all the music technicalities. In this article, we’ll discuss how to become a Music Director.
So, if you are an aspiring Music Director then follow this article to get the comprehensive guide to becoming a music director.
What Does Musical Director Do?
The person in charge of the musical elements of a performance, production, or organization is known as the music director.
Music directors supervise all musical elements of a musical theatre or opera production, including casting performers, hiring the orchestra, rehearsing singers and orchestra members, and leading the orchestra during a performance. They work closely with other members of the show’s creative team.
The music’s quality is their responsibility, therefore make sure it is played with the appropriate pace, volume, rhythm, and pitch. They frequently play many instruments and are themselves, musicians.
Job Duties and Tasks of Music Director
1) Work together with music librarians to make sure that scores are accessible.
2) Use composers’ services to go over various approaches to their work.
3) Carry out administrative duties including writing grant proposals, creating budgets, settling disputes, and creating and producing promotional materials and other programs.
4) Lead teams throughout practice sessions, live performances, or recorded performances to produce desired results such as tonal and harmonic balance, dynamics, rhythm, and tempo.
5) Schedule and plan practices and concerts, and set up specifics like venue, instrumentalists, and accompanists.
6) Arrange group members so that vocal or instrumental passages are balanced.
7) Examine scores to have a thorough understanding of the music and to create interpretations.
8) Make musical expressions with your hands to convey the desired pace, phrasing, tone, color, pitch, volume, and other performance elements.
How to Become a Music Director?
It is ideal to enroll in the Arts stream after completing the 10th grade if you want to become a music director. Since Music is a creative field, you can become a great music director by just learning music theory or completing any popular course.
The only thing that can make you the best music director in the world is experience. And, we all know that experience doesn’t come with knowledge, it comes with time, practice, and patience. So, apart from learning theory or enrolling in courses, you must practice as much as you can, whatever you are learning.
Now, let’s talk about courses or music-related degrees. Remember, degrees can’t help you to make a good piece of music. It’s your talent or skills and creativity to produce good music. It doesn’t mean degrees are useless, I mean to say they will just act as ice on the cake.
Certification courses
- Jazz Composing and Arranging
- Film Scoring Technology
- Creative Recording and Music Production Techniques
- Certificate in Sound Technology
- Music Diploma in Vocals, Guitar, Drums, and Bass
- Certificate in Music and Technology
- Music Industry Certificate
- Certificate in Music Production
Educational Requirements to Become a Music Director in India
The following diploma programs are available to you when you finish the tenth grade. So, you can choose any one:
- Diploma Prabhakar Sangeet
- Diploma Sangit Visharad
- Diploma Sangeet Vit
You can enroll in music-related courses after completing your 12th-grade education to improve your musical foundation. Music is a very practice- and dedication-intensive profession. A specialty can be chosen based on your interests. There are around 1300 different types of music.
Undergraduate Courses to become a Music Director in India (3 Years)
- Bachelor of Arts in Music
- Bachelor of Performing Arts in Music
- Bachelor in Music
- B.A. (Hons) Hindustani Music
- B.A. (Hons) Percussion Music
- B.A. (Hons) Music
- B.A. (Hons) Carnatic Music
- Bachelor of Fine Arts in Music
Some Top Colleges in India for Music
- Mumbai Music Institute, Mumbai
- Delhi School of Music, Delhi
- University of Mumbai, Mumbai
- Bangalore University, Bangalore
- Calcutta School of Music, Kolkata
- Ramjas College, Delhi
- Swarnabhoomi Academy of Music, Chennai
- SRI SA RI GA Music Academy, Chennai
- Shankar Mahadevan Academy, Mumbai
- KM College of Music & Technology, Chennai
What Skills do You Need to Be a Music Director?
Just like every job you must have to be good at basic skills like Communication, Writing, and Reading. Apart from the basic skills, you’ll require some additional skills which are also very important like Active Listening, Time Management, Complex Problem Solving, Judgment and Decision Making, etc.
Since this field involves teamwork, so you’ll have to coordinate with your team members, which means adjusting actions in relation to others’ actions.
Monitoring and analyzing your own performance as well as that of other people or organizations in order to make improvements or implement corrective measures.
Most Frequently Asked Questions
Ans: The average yearly pay for a music director in India is 3.0 lakhs, with salaries ranging from 0.2 lakhs to 11.9 lakhs. Salary estimates are based on 40 salaries that music directors have provided.
Ans: In this era of the internet, contacting any famous personality has become easier than ever. Although, you can’t contact them over a voice call until you have their phone number. But there are many other ways to contact them, simply follow the music directors on all the social media sites and start messaging. And, if you can get their business email, then try there also.
Ans: Music directors work with a variety of musical groups, including school bands, church choirs, young musicians, and performance groups. They may also work on radio or television programs.