billkeis.com

Musical Director Hat

After years of being the keyboardist/musical director for many different artists, I’ve developed a job description.  Below is a brief summary.

Overall my job is to help create a professional, viable product both for live performances and recorded music that will be well thought of and be a high standard, as close to other successful performers as possible, within a reasonable budget.  Also, to help make things run smoothly so we all can make music and have fun!

My duties are: 

• help choose songs and/or co-write new ones
• write arrangements/charts
• rehearse with the artist
• write the set list
• choose personnel in band who are great musicians and nice guys
• hire & fire musicians
• give gig details to the musicians
• rehearse the band
• determine appropriate band pay and inform the artist
• play the gigs and direct the band during the gigs
• find soundman & roadies as needed
• deal with the technical details of sound equipment
• create stage plot and input list, give to sound crew in advance
• create a band of happy musicians by granting them beingness to do their thing, so they won’t have any unexpressed resentment
• police the lines within the band to keep the band morale high
• handle communication between the artist and the band
• give & receive info with the artist management re: schedules, band bios, etc
• in general flow power to the artist
• produce the recordings
• do any correction cycles with the band and/or the artist to correct outnesses in the live performances and recordings