Music Director
(Female, Age 30) from long beach, CA
This is a REAL-LIFE job profile written by a Female aged 30 who works as a Music Director in long beach, CA. We have removed all names and personal information in order to protect privacy. This professional kindly spent a bit of their time to complete one of our job profile surveys so that prospective job seekers like you could read their insights. Please excuse any punctuation or grammatical errors in this profile.
At a Glance
Current Job
Basic data on your current job
| Job Title | Music Director |
|---|---|
| Salary | $25,000 |
| Other Compensation | None Set |
| Hours/Week | |
| Company Size | (not answered) |
| Location | long beach, CA |
| Years Experience | 5 years |
Career Ratings
Opinions on your CAREER overall (i.e. not just your current job)
| Years in Career | 0 |
|---|---|
| Education | (not answered) |
| Income Rating | 0 / 10 |
| Interest Rating | 0 / 10 |
| Work-Life Rating | 0 / 10 |
| Fulfilment Rating | 0 / 10 |
Current job Q&A
Describe the type of organization you work for.
I work for the Long Beach Ice Dogs hockey team, as the music director. The Ice DOgs are an AA hockey team in the ECHL league.
Describe your job role and responsibilities.
I set up the cabling for the music and PA, as well as arena-side goal power, scoreboard power etc. I play entire songs from house open to puck drop, with PA’s as needed. I then play portions of songs, commercials, etc during stoppage of play. Intermission music, commercials, games, for 2 intermissions. House close music.
Please list an additional benefits (beyond compensation) that you receive.
Fed every game; catering. No health/medical etc.
Do you feel you are under/over or well/fairly compensated at your current position?
Extremely overcompensated for what may be the easiest and most fun job ever.
Does your job entail you working with others on a daily basis? Is this something you like/dislike about your job? Please explain.
I work with lots of people on a daily basis; from professional PA announcers (announce for the Ducks, Kings/Angels) to interns (they are the worst part- they don’t get paid so they don’t work very hard)
Do you work collaboratively with supervisors/managers?
Yes
Do you work collaboratively with your co-workers?
Yes
Describe your work location (e.g., office, home, theatre, in the field) and what you like/dislike about working in it.
I don’t know what to put here.
Please rate each of the following aspects of your current job on a scale of 1-10 (10 being the highest/best):
Income: 8
Benefits: 7
Hours: 5
Co-Workers: 2
Supervisors: 3
Job Title: 6
Level of Responsibility: 4
The Actual Work: 1
Table of Contents
How you got your job
How did you get your current job?
Dumb luck; was working for the company already, guy before me quit, I was in the right place at the right time and had been trained the year before.
What was the application process?
Breathing.
Did you have to interview for your current job? If yes, what did the interview process entail?
Not a bit. I try to keep on good terms with the team owners, since they are the ones that have say in my job; for the most part as long as they don’t notice me screwing up, that’s all they ask for.
If you can remember, what questions were you asked during the interview?
“So.. what are you doing every weekend for the next 8 months?”
Do you feel your employer properly prepared you for your job? Explain.
Not really, but it’s a very fluid environment.
Was there training for your current position? If yes, what did it entail?
Lots of training. It helps I did concert production for 10 years; I have a LARGE mental musical library. The most important part of the job is knowing how to get a crowd going, especially when your team is losing (which they do, a lot.) Timing is EVERYTHING.
Do you feel your educational background prepared you for your job? Explain.
Not a bit! 🙂
If applicable, do you feel your internship experience helped you prepare for your job?
N/a
If someone wanted to go about getting a job similar to yours, what would you recommend for him or her to do?
Honestly, I fell into it. I happened to be sitting next to the production manager when the guy who had the job before me called in to quit, and I had been trained in it the year before. A basic knowledge of hockey is kinda must, and some ability to deal with music (what music for what type of emotion?) and a wide knowledge of music as well. Sound experience is a plus but really not necessary.
What skills do you think a person should have if they want to pursue a position like yours?
Technical skills; most of the music is computer-driven. The ability to work extremely well under pressure and on the fly. The ability to improvise. Calm under pressure or emergency.
Do you feel that you need a certain level of education or training to be successful in your job?
Not necessarily, the guy who did it before me was working on his bacjelor’s degree at the time. You have to be somewhat smart, but not necessarily book-smart.
What advice would you give to someone who was about to start work in your position/ line of work?
Develop a thick skin! You can’t possibly make everyone happy all the time; develop priorities on who to make happy and dismiss everyone else.
Long-term career plans
Is your current employment part of your overall career plan? Why or why not?
It’s a good side job because of its hours, but not really a permanent career plan for me- not in Los Angeles!
What are your current career goals?
Graduate with a master’s degree in Geology, move somewhere else. Get a job with a museum.
Is there anything else you would like to share about your career?
Best job EVER. I hope to maybe move to an AHL or NHL team 🙂
Prior work history
Please list your most recent jobs prior to this current job:
| Title | Length | Salary | Description | |
| Prior Job 1 | TA | 3 years | 1300/mo | Teaching Assistant: I teach 4 general geology labs a semester. |
| Prior Job 2 | Lighting Technician | 2000-present | 19.00/hr | Fix and maintain lighting fixtures, hang and focus lights, specialty events. |
Educational background
Please list your educational background:
High School GPA:2.3
| GPA | School | Degree | |
| College (Undergraduate) or Technical/Vocational |
2.1 | CSULB | Theatre Production-Lighting |
| Graduate or Professional (Masters or Doctorate) |
3.6 | California State University, Long Beach | Geology; Master’s |
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