Table 1Transition record

music directortochoirmaster/choirmistress

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

From music director

37%

Overlap1

To choirmaster/choirmistress

9 Skills carried over

13 Required, not held

66.9 Difficulty2

Career overlap Distant match

37%

Learning distance Substantial retraining

66.9/ 100

adjacentmoderatesubstantialcareer change

1 Share of the choirmaster/choirmistress role’s weighted skill requirement already met by the music director 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.

Why

Why this move works

A choirmaster/choirmistress role treats 9 of its required skills as things a music director already does. These are the ones it depends on most.

develop musical ideas
manage musical staff
musical genres
musical theory
plan musical performances
position musicians

What stands in the way is 13 required skills the profile does not yet cover. Table 3 groups them; Table 4 says which to take first.

Table 2

Table 2 · What you already bring

Of the 9 skills that carry over, these are the ones fewest other occupations ask for. A choirmaster/choirmistress role needs them, and most people applying for one will not have them already. This is the part of a music director background worth leading with.

Skill the target role also needs Area

already held position musicians management skills
already held strive for excellence in musical performance communication, collaboration and creativity
already held manage musical staff management skills
already held develop musical ideas communication, collaboration and creativity
already held plan musical performances management skills
already held supervise music groups management skills

All 9 carried skills, including the 9 the choirmaster/choirmistress role treats as required.

Table 3

Table 3 · What you would need to learn

The 20 missing skills fall into 8 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 5 required, 2 supplementary

required, not held select vocalists required
required, not held coordinate performance tours required
required, not held engage composers required
required, not held select musical performers required
required, not held manage fundraising activities required

optional, not held organise cultural events optional
optional, not held develop cultural activities optional

02 communication, collaboration and creativity 4 required, 2 supplementary

required, not held collaborate with music librarians required
required, not held communicate performance aspects required
required, not held work with composers required
required, not held work with soloists required

optional, not held collaborate with choreographers optional
optional, not held participate as a performer in the creative process optional

03 arts and humanities 1 required, 1 supplementary

required, not held music literature required

optional, not held art-historical values optional

04 assisting and caring 1 required

required, not held conduct guest soloists required

05 education 1 required

required, not held subject of music coaching required

06 information skills 1 required

required, not held study musical scores required

2 further areas in the appendix

Table 4

Table 4 · Where to start

The 3 entries a choirmaster/choirmistress 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 9 skills that carry over

Skill Type

already held develop musical ideas skill
already held manage musical staff skill
already held musical genres knowledge
already held musical theory knowledge
already held plan musical performances skill
already held position musicians skill
already held read musical score skill
already held strive for excellence in musical performance skill
already held supervise music groups skill

The 2 learning areas not shown above

Skill to acquire Tier

07 business, administration and law 1 supplementary

optional, not held business management principles optional

08 social sciences, journalism and information 1 supplementary

optional, not held cultural projects optional

7 supplementary skills, helpful but not required

Skill to acquire Tier

optional, not held collaborate with choreographers optional
optional, not held art-historical values optional
optional, not held cultural projects optional
optional, not held organise cultural events optional
optional, not held participate as a performer in the creative process optional
optional, not held business management principles optional
optional, not held develop cultural activities optional

27 held skills the choirmaster/choirmistress role does not ask for

Skill Type

not needed by the target role attend music recording sessions skill
not needed by the target role compose music skill
not needed by the target role conduct musical ensembles skill
not needed by the target role connect music fragments skill
not needed by the target role coordinate music components of the work skill
not needed by the target role coordinate music with scenes skill
not needed by the target role create musical forms skill
not needed by the target role demand excellence from performers skill
not needed by the target role evaluate musical ideas skill
not needed by the target role film music techniques knowledge
not needed by the target role film production process knowledge
not needed by the target role guide analysis of a recorded performance skill
not needed by the target role improvise music skill
not needed by the target role musical instruments knowledge
not needed by the target role musical notation knowledge
not needed by the target role orchestrate music skill
not needed by the target role organise compositions skill
not needed by the target role organise musical events skill
not needed by the target role participate in music studio recordings skill
not needed by the target role promote music skill
not needed by the target role record music skill
not needed by the target role rewrite musical scores skill
not needed by the target role set up basic recording skill
not needed by the target role study music skill
not needed by the target role transcribe ideas into musical notation skill
not needed by the target role work out orchestral sketches skill
not needed by the target role write musical scores 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 music literature required
required, not held subject of music coaching required
optional, not held art-historical values optional
optional, not held cultural projects optional
optional, not held business management principles optional

Index

Other moves recorded from music director

Full index of moves from music director

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.