Many of these roles exist in musical theater, opera, tv/film and across the recording industry – sometimes with slight variations in titles and responsibilities. This page will focus on the universal qualities and clarify the responsibilities in theater while noting exceptions for other media. Regardless of title, what is represented in these roles are the steps required to move from idea/creation to final musical production.

A Music Department consists of the people primarily focused on creating the musical world of a production. Any combination of Composers, Music Directors, Music Supervisors, Arrangers, Copyists, Music Assistants, Keyboard Programmers, Orchestrators and Instrumentalists (depending on the scale of production) work with Directors, Choreographers, and Sound Departments (designers and technicians) to build a cohesive sonic palette.

The Music Department can potentially (if necessary) be scaled all the way down to one solitary person but the world of creating music is quite dynamic and it is at its core a collaborative art form. With the right people in the right positions a production will benefit from having a diversity of opinions, backgrounds and levels of experience.

The COMPOSER creates original music in a production - ranging from short incidental music for film to specific scenes to songs to an entire score for a musical. Sometimes referred to as SONGWRITER.

The ARRANGER re-imagines pre-existing musical material; often focusing on transitions, underscoring and additional music. Specialist roles include: VOCAL ARRANGER writes for a specific combination of voices; DANCE ARRANGER, in close conversation with the Choreographer, creates music aligned with the movement of a production; TRACK PRODUCER generates digital realizations of the score that may be used for rehearsal purposes and/or final production.

Rehearsals are usually accompanied by a pianist working from a Piano-Vocal Score [though it can be any other accompanying instrument(s)]. The ORCHESTRATOR expands the rehearsal score for the specific combination or musicians in the final production.

The MUSIC DIRECTOR is in charge of all music-related aspects of a show: collaborating with the Director and Choreographer to create a cohesive musical world, teaching actors and musicians the music; often serves as the conductor/band leader for performances.

The MUSIC SUPERVISOR manages the entire Music Department: in conversation with the Producer(s) and Director hires the Music Director, Orchestrator(s) and Arranger(s). Most often they do not perform in the show. This title has also been used for those assisting Composers and Songwriters with the transcription of music notation.

In TV, film and commercials the MUSIC SUPERVISOR serves as the head of the music department while also being responsible for selecting and licensing pre-existing music for the production.

A relatively new position in Musical Theatre, Music Dramaturgy is more common in opera. Much as a dramaturg contextualizes the world of the play through the text (working directly with the Playwright if available) the MUSIC DRAMATURG creates connections between the score, performers, and the audience (working directly with the Composer if available).

The MUSIC COORDINATOR, also known as the Music Contractor, assists in hiring the musicians for a specific production in conversation with the Composer (if available), Music Director, Music Supervisor and Producer. In addition to hiring the musicians, the Music Coordinator handles all orchestra-related business, including the scheduling of all rehearsals and recordings, union payrolls, instrument procurement, etc. The Music Coordinator works very closely with all members of the creative and production teams to ensure a smooth fit of the orchestra within the entire rehearsal and production process. (playbill.com)

A MUSIC COPYIST edits, organizes, and distributes the finished score from the Orchestrator to the Cast, Orchestra, Creative Team, and Production Team. Music Copyists accomplish their task using notation software such as Finale, MuseScore, or Sibelius. They are responsible for every detail in the presentation of the final copy of the score and must consider how its appearance will affect the person using it. (playbill.com)

TRANSCRIPTION involves creating music notation from audio files. In conversation with the Composer(s), Arranger(s) or other members of the Music Department, the level of transcription can be anywhere from simple melodic material and/or chord chart to an exact notation of each each and every part of a given audio file or other sonic presentation.

While many Copyists are excellent at Transcription services these are often different positions; transcription services often assist the Composer(s), Orchestrator(s) and Copyist(s) to communicate musical ideas and collaborate more smoothly and efficiently.

The MUSIC ASSISTANT supports the Music Department with administrative tasks such as taking notes and managing organizational tools - spreadsheets/documents - to track changes, part breakdowns and rehearsal progress. The MUSIC ASSISTANT facilitates communication with other departments and collaborators, most importantly Stage Management. They will print and distribute updated pages to cast, band/orchestra, and the production team. Fluency in music notation software (Finale, Sibelius, or both) is very important as this role also maintains the rehearsal Piano/Vocal score during development. Depending on the size of a production it is not uncommon to see more than one MUSIC ASSISTANT.

**There are many potential additional roles in a Music Department; this page focuses on services provided by Nehemiah and subtle differences he finds interesting. For more detailed information please see ASMAC: The Musical Theatre Music Team, Playbill.com: Broadway Community Project, Careers.Broadway, and/or MusicalWriters.com