According to people in this career, the main tasks are...
| Task | Importance |
|---|---|
| Use gestures to shape the music being played, communicating desired tempo, phrasing, tone, color, pitch, volume, and other performance aspects. | 95% |
| Direct groups at rehearsals and live or recorded performances to achieve desired effects such as tonal and harmonic balance dynamics, rhythm, and tempo. | 93% |
| Study scores to learn the music in detail, and to develop interpretations. | 92% |
| Apply elements of music theory to create musical and tonal structures, including harmonies and melodies. | 90% |
| Consider such factors as ensemble size and abilities, availability of scores, and the need for musical variety, to select music to be performed. | 90% |
| Determine voices, instruments, harmonic structures, rhythms, tempos, and tone balances required to achieve the effects desired in a musical composition. | 87% |
| Experiment with different sounds, and types and pieces of music, using synthesizers and computers as necessary to test and evaluate ideas. | 85% |
| Transcribe ideas for musical compositions into musical notation, using instruments, pen and paper, or computers. | 83% |
| Audition and select performers for musical presentations. | 83% |
| Plan and schedule rehearsals and performances, and arrange details such as locations, accompanists, and instrumentalists. | 82% |
| Write musical scores for orchestras, bands, choral groups, or individual instrumentalists or vocalists, using knowledge of music theory and of instrumental and vocal capabilities. | 80% |
| Position members within groups to obtain balance among instrumental or vocal sections. | 78% |
| Perform administrative tasks such as applying for grants, developing budgets, negotiating contracts, and designing and printing programs and other promotional materials. | 77% |
| Confer with producers and directors to define the nature and placement of film or television music. | 77% |
| Meet with soloists and concertmasters to discuss and prepare for performances. | 76% |
| Fill in details of orchestral sketches, such as adding vocal parts to scores. | 76% |
| Explore and develop musical ideas based on sources such as imagination or sounds in the environment. | 75% |
| Write music for commercial mediums, including advertising jingles or film soundtracks. | 75% |
| Transpose music from one voice or instrument to another to accommodate particular musicians. | 75% |
| Rewrite original musical scores in different musical styles by changing rhythms, harmonies, or tempos. | 73% |
| Arrange music composed by others, changing the music to achieve desired effects. | 70% |
| Assign and review staff work in such areas as scoring, arranging, and copying music, and vocal coaching. | 70% |
| Coordinate and organize tours, or hire touring companies to arrange concert dates, venues, accommodations, and transportation for longer tours. | 70% |
| Study films or scripts to determine how musical scores can be used to create desired effects or moods. | 69% |
| Transcribe musical compositions and melodic lines to adapt them to a particular group, or to create a particular musical style. | 69% |
| Create original musical forms, or write within circumscribed musical forms such as sonatas, symphonies, or operas. | 68% |
| Collaborate with other colleagues, such as copyists, to complete final scores. | 68% |
| Copy parts from scores for individual performers. | 65% |
