Typical Career Progression
| |
Position |
Remuneration |
Experience |
Education |
| Start Position |
Musician |
$40,000-$60,000 |
From an early age to performing musician |
Degree in progress |
| 1st Promotion |
Section Leader |
$70,000-$85,000 |
|
Degree |
| 2nd Promotion |
Assistant Artistic Director |
$70,000-$100,000 |
|
Degree |
| 2nd Promotion |
Assistant Music Director |
$60,000-$90,000 |
15+ years |
Degree |
| 3rd Promotion |
Music Director |
$100,000-$150,000 |
15+ years |
|
| 4th Promotion |
Artistic Director |
$150,000+ |
20 years |
More Business than Technical skills |
**The above table should be used as a guide only
Typical accountabilities and responsibilities
| Musician |
Member of an orchestra. |
| Section Leader |
Leader of an orchestra section – strings, brass, woodwind, percussion. |
| Assistant Artistic Director |
Assists the Artistic Director on both the commercial, business and music activities. Helps negotiate new artists and auditions musicians and completes basic activities for key sponsor negotiations. |
| Assistant Music Director |
Assists the Music Director in musician selection, arrangement development, rehearsals and musician auditions. |
| Music Director |
In charge of musical quality; selecting musicians, developing arrangements, working closely with composers and directors, and supervising rehearsals with the musicians and vocalists in the performance. |
| Artistic Director |
Chooses concert programs, soloists and conductors; liaises with guest artists and decides on fees; auditions new musicians; develops partnerships with other performance arts organisations; arranges concert sponsors/partners. |
**The above table should be used as a guide only
Career Path & Employment opportunities
You can choose to work within the area of education, finding employment in secondary schools or a university. Or you may choose to focus on ensembles, orchestras or theatre productions. Music Directors can also be found in the television and film industry.
Since being an Artistic Director is a diverse occupation, you will usually have a number of options open to you. You can become a director of a musical; a composer; a conductor or an arranger. At any stage, you can leave an orchestra or a symphony to work in the theatre or the school system. With your skills and abilities, you may decide to play or sing in a performance yourself.
About the Author
Jo Beaumont
Artistic Director - Orchestra Victoria
Orchestra Victoria is dedicated to making music for all Victorians and achieves this by presenting Community Program concerts in the local venues of regional and suburban centres across the state. Performances feature an exciting range of orchestral and chamber music repertoire with outstanding Orchestra Victoria musicians and guest artists as soloists.
Did you know that a violin contains about 70 seperate pieces of wood?