MEDIA: PRINT, RADIO, AND TELEVISION - Music Director

JOB OVERVIEW

Music directors are, in basic terms, musical contractors. They are responsible for making the visiting guest artist comfortable, for any re-recorded music, and if there is a theme to be written, they either contract it out, or write it themselves. They are charged with overseeing all source music, walk-on and walk-off music, and the musical segments. “If it is an awards show,” says Harry Stinson, “you've got millions of artists on the show that all have musical needs. They may bring their own band, or they may supplement their band with the show band. You hire all the musicians, get all the charts together and rehearse them alone, and then with the artists.”

PREREQUISITES

Strong musicianship and the ability to compose music and write charts.

SPECIAL SKILLS

To succeed, you should be able to manage and direct other players, and have a friendly and outgoing personality. “My ear for music and my voice are probably my biggest assets,” says Harry Stinson. “Singing teaches you a lot about music. You can tell when a song is too fast if you personally can't sing it, and you write with the right feel if you understand about spitting out the lyrics too fast.”

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