An orchestrator writes scores and instrumental parts for an orchestra based on a composer’s drafts (or sketches).

What Does an Orchestrator Do?

After an orchestrator arranges the composer’s piece of music, the score is either performed live by an orchestra, band, or individual performer, or recorded for film, TV, or video games.

An orchestrator may also transpose music originally written for one voice type or instrument to be performed by another voice type or instrument.

The primary goal of an orchestrator is to fulfill the artistic vision of the composer and to assign and finish all the parts to be played by multiple instruments.

They are the ones who turn an idea into reality, according to Jeremy Levy, an orchestrator/arranger/composer whose work can be heard in dozens of movies, TV programs, and video games.

A Day In the Life of an Orchestrator

Levy said he usually works from 7:30 a.m. to 6 p.m.

“I’ll keep working after dinner if I’m on a time crunch,” he said. “Otherwise, I try to spend time with my wife after dinner. Weekends are often needed to work during crunch time. A lot of times, recording sessions are on Mondays, so I’ll need to work Sunday if that’s the case.”

He said his typical day involves:

• Orchestrating cues (an individual piece of music within a film)
• Managing a small team of assistants
• Working in a digital audio workstation (DAW) — his preference is Cubase
• Using music notation software — his preference is Finale

Orchestrator vs. Conductor

An orchestrator translates what the composer has written so an orchestra can play it.

A conductor leads the orchestra in the performance. The conductor is the person standing in front of an orchestra at the symphony, a ballet, or a Broadway musical.

The average annual salary for orchestrators is about $50,596, and the salary can range from $19,000 to $118,000 or more¹.

How Does an Orchestrator Make Money?

Going rates for orchestrators will vary based on the type of production, its budget, and whether or not it’s a union or non-union job.

Union jobs pay a little less because health benefits are paid by the employer and you would get secondary market residuals. Freelance contracts don’t have those benefits, so the earnings will be higher.

Orchestrators are paid in two ways:

1. A flat fee for the entire project (the lead orchestrator gets paid, then has to pay anyone working for them on the project)
2. By the page (four bars of music, higher rate based on how many staves are in the score)

As with any professional career, those at the very top earn significantly more money than the average. There are no “big breaks,” but rather a series of smaller opportunities strategically leveraged over a long time.

Hey, what do you think about trying our new Music Career HelperMusic Career Helper really quick? It’s totally free and could help get your career moving fast! Give it a try. It’s totally free and you have nothing to lose.

For those with the right skills and connections, there will always be a steady stream of work as an orchestrator.

There is a strong need for capable orchestrators in film and TV, as well as in stage and concert productions around the world.

From 2023 to 2033, this career is expected to grow by about 3%, which is about the average growth for all careers².

Although orchestrators work as part of a team with other composers and arrangers, they spend a good deal of time working on their own.

Their work schedule is dependent on the project and its deadline, but Levy says he tries to work “normal-ish” hours, often working from his home studio in his condo.

The best way to start your career as a music orchestrator is to start your own writing projects, Levy said.

“I started a big band to feature my writing when I first came to town,” he said. “You’ll meet a lot of people, and it shows you have the gumption to follow through on work.”

Here are the things you can do as an aspiring orchestrator…

Internship/Shadow

To get a better feel for what an orchestrator does and if you want to pursue this career, contact orchestrators in your area to see if you can shadow them for a time. It could even lead to an internship/apprenticeship.

Assistant Orchestrator

Most people start as assistants before being hired as full-on orchestrators. Those just getting started in the industry often must work other part-time jobs or cobble together several projects at a time to make a living.

Orchestrator

Advancement would then come in terms of getting hired as an orchestrator for more prestigious projects with higher budgets, or by becoming the regular orchestrator for a television show or some other project that would provide a steady source of income.

Join Organizations

Levy recommends joining these groups:

• The Society of Composers and Lyricists (SCL)
• The American Society of Music Arrangers & Composers (ASMAC)
• The Academy of Scoring Arts

You may also want to join the American Federation of Musicians, the union that offers extra benefits.

To succeed as an orchestrator, here are the skills you’ll need to develop…

Orchestra Knowledge

You have to know how an orchestra operates. Or else you won’t be able to arrange their parts.

“[You must have] in-depth knowledge of the orchestra and all the instruments, as well as deep harmonic knowledge,” Levy said.

Read and Write Sheet Music

This one may seem obvious, but reading and writing on sheet music needs to be second nature to you. You must be fluent in it.

“Being able to look at a score and find issues just by sight is incredibly helpful,” Levy said.

Problem-Solving

When you get a draft or sketch from a composer, part of your job is fixing issues with the composition and figuring out how to assign the different instruments their parts.

This means you’ll need to be good at solving problems.

“Being able to quickly work out solutions is…helpful,” Levy said.

Know Your Music Production Software

You’ll be using a DAW and sheet-writing software, and you need to be an expert on your chosen programs.

This will allow your process to flow.

Levy said it’s important to be “incredibly versatile in all aspects of music production software.”

Good Communication

You will be working with composers, your team of assistants, and conductors. So you have to be a good communicator and be good with people.

“Unless you’re orchestrating your own score, you will be working with a composer, so you need to learn how to manage his or her stresses and responsibilities with your own,” he said.

Time Management

Because you may be self-employed and also on hard deadlines, you will have to manage your time well.

“Everyone is on a time crunch,” Levy said. “So it is important to respect that and stay organized. Time management is one of the most important aspects of a successful orchestrator.”

You will need a strong knowledge of music theory, music composition, and music notation. You can definitely learn these things on your own, but a college degree in music can help you greatly.

Music Orchestrator Degree

Earning a music degree that teaches you the skills of an orchestrator will give you a headstart on aspiring orchestrators who are self-taught.

Levy has a master’s degree in Jazz Composition from the University of Miami.

“It was incredibly helpful in teaching me the wide range of skills needed to find a career in music,” he said.

“At school, I also learned how to be a recording and mixing engineer — two very helpful additional skills. Besides formal education, in-depth knowledge of orchestral scores is very helpful. Being familiar with a wide range of musical styles helps quite a bit, too.”

While there’s a lot you can learn on their own, many music degrees have a focus on composing, arranging, and creating orchestrations.

Most aspiring orchestrators attend a music program to prepare themselves with an arsenal of skills, learn the music business aspects, and build a professional network that will allow them to transition to the professional world of music.

If you like the idea of becoming an orchestrator, the person who turns a composer’s sketch or MIDI mockup into something real players can sight-read, you’re in the right lane. Orchestration is half music, half problem-solving, and a little bit “please don’t make the session fall apart.” Start small, get fast, and build trust. That’s the game.

1. Get fluent in notation, rhythm, and transposition.
   You can be creative later. First, make reading and writing music automatic. Learn how to write clean rhythms, label dynamics, and transpose on sight (Bb clarinet, F horn, Eb alto sax). A simple weekly drill: take an 8-bar melody and write it for three transposing instruments, then play it back on piano or in your notation app. When you’re new, this is where you’ll save the most time, and time is the real currency on orchestration gigs.
   
   
2. Study how orchestral instruments actually behave.
   Range charts are not enough. Learn what is comfortable, what is flashy, and what is a fast way to make players roll their eyes. The shortcut is working with humans: ask local band or orchestra players to read a page of your writing and tell you what feels awkward. Keep a “player notes” doc with discoveries like “this passage needs breathing room” or “that articulation reads weird at tempo.” If you can write parts that feel good in the hands, you become hireable.
   “I am really attributing the things that I am writing to how a voice would approach.” Terence “T” Odonkor, associate orchestrator.
   
   
3. Learn the modern film and game workflow from MIDI to parts.
   In media scoring, you will often receive a DAW session, not a clean piano score. Practice converting messy MIDI into readable notation: quantize carefully, clean up note lengths, decide what is “real” vs. “mockup magic,” then create parts players can read at tempo. Build a personal checklist: bar numbers, cues, rehearsal marks, page turns, and instrument swaps. This is where beginners level up fast because it’s real-world work, not theory homework.
   
   
4. Pick one notation program and get scary fast at it.
   Choose Dorico, Sibelius, or Finale, then commit long enough to stop fighting the software. Learn part extraction, transposition, cue notes, condensing, and clean page layout. Make templates for your “default orchestra” so you are not reinventing the wheel every project. Also learn a few speed tricks (key commands, macros, stream deck, whatever). Your goal is boring and powerful: fewer clicks, fewer errors, faster delivery.
   “We are writing music for other people to play.” Rolf Gustavson, orchestrator.
   
   
5. Run short orchestration sprints with real deadlines.
   Give yourself the kind of time pressure you will face on gigs, but in a controlled way. Pick a 30 to 60 second cue, set a 48-hour deadline, and deliver a full score plus parts. Then do one revision pass the next day, because revisions are the job. If you can stay organized, keep your cool, and still proofread, you’re building the muscle that actually gets you paid.
   
   
6. Build a mini-portfolio that shows “before and after.”
   Clients hire what they can see. Put together 3 to 5 examples that include the original sketch (or your own short piano reduction), your finished orchestration, and a solid mockup. Keep it simple and clean. Add a one-page “deliverables” note so people know you understand the workflow.
   
   
7. Use music prep jobs as your first paid on-ramp.
   A lot of working orchestrators started by doing the adjacent work nobody brags about: part cleanup, proofreading, extracting parts, and fixing formatting. That is not “less than.” It is how you get trusted. If you can land a small copyist gig, or help a local composer prep parts for a session, you’re suddenly in the room where orchestration jobs get handed out.
   
   
8. Hunt for composers with deadlines, not just “a vibe.”
   Your first gigs usually come from indie film, student films, theater writers, and game teams who need music yesterday. Look in local film programs, community theater scenes, and online creator spaces where people post real needs. Reddit can be surprisingly practical (start with r/filmscoring and r/composer). On Discord, try The Composers Network and United Composers Collective. Post a short clip, ask one specific question (range check, page turns, engraving), and be useful in other threads. That’s how people remember you.
   
   
9. Charge like a professional, even on small projects.
   Don’t guess. Define a rate and a scope. Common starter structures are per page, per finished minute, or per cue. Put in writing what counts as a revision, what the turnaround time is, and what files you deliver. Ask for at least a small deposit on indie work. Being easy to work with is huge, but being clear is what keeps you from getting crushed by endless “tiny changes.”
   
   
10. Show up where orchestrators get hired.
    In the U.S., relationships matter a lot. Join at least one professional community, attend events, and talk to people like a normal human. Keep a simple pitch ready: one sentence on what you do, one sentence on what you’ve done, and a link to your portfolio. Offer help, not hype. The orchestrator who gets called back is the one who makes the composer’s life easier and never creates drama.