Visual and performing arts

How to become a music composer

Official title: Music composer

Also called: Composer, Music arranger, Orchestrator, Lyric writer, Songwriter, Melodist, Media composer

Music composers write and arrange original works of music for orchestras, musicians, musical groups and instrumental performances.

Main tasks

Write sheet music
Compose music pieces
Work with musicians and artists
Record and produce music
Prepare and perform music
Study musical compositions
Record and produce music
Arrange music for performance

How to become one

You need experience to become a musical composer and a qualification may be useful. You usually need NCEA Level 3 or University Entrance to do the study or training for this job. Required: experience in music composition or performance. Other requirements: a New Zealand Certificate in Music (Level 4); a New Zealand Diploma in Music (Level 5 or 6); a bachelor's degree in music; a Master of Music; an Artist Diploma; to be a member of a professional organisation like New Zealand Choral Foundation.

See the full Tahatū profile

Ways in

Certificates and diplomas: Intermediate certificates in music. TEC links this job to study in performing arts. Qualifications: NZ Cert in Music, NZ Cert in DJ and Music Production. Usually 1 year. Graduates of these qualifications earn a median $40,000 a year one year after study and $53,000 five years after; 33% are employed one year after (TEC, from Stats NZ IDI data).

Pay · Past change · AI and this job

Median pay: $67,000 a year, a TEC estimate before tax.
Upper: $124,000 a year
TEC shows pay for this job by the hour: median $32.21 an hour.
TEC's pay figures are estimates only. TEC says they must not be used to set pay, in pay negotiations or in visa applications.
Change in the number of people doing this job between the 2018 and 2023 Censuses: Steady (TEC). This is past change, not a forecast.
People employed in the group Music Professionals: 1,398 at the 2018 Census and 1,731 at the 2023 Census (+23.8%). Past change, not a forecast.
Generative AI can do relatively little of this work, by the ILO's global estimate.

Who does this work

About 130 people did this job at the 2023 Census (TEC).
In the group Music Professionals, 35% of workers are female (sex at birth, 2023 Census).
Where people in the group Music Professionals work (2023 Census): Auckland 38.9%, Wellington 17.5%, and Canterbury 14%.

Questions people ask

How do I become a music composer?

How much does a music composer earn in New Zealand?

The Tertiary Education Commission estimates median pay at $67,000 a year, before tax.

Has the number of people working as a music composer grown in New Zealand?

It has held steady: TEC records the number of people doing this job as steady between the 2018 and 2023 Censuses. This is past change, not a forecast.

Will AI change the work of a music composer?

Generative AI can do relatively little of this work, by the ILO's global estimate.

Sources

Tertiary Education Commission (Tahatu Career Navigator): Tahatu career ideas: descriptions, tasks, pay estimates, people employed, employment change 2018 to 2023, entry requirements, registration, interest scores (Site scrape 2026-10 (816 career ideas, sitemap lastmod 2026-10-01)), CC BY 4.0, retrieved 4 October 2026
Stats NZ (via Figure.NZ): Census totals by topic for individuals 2013, 2018, 2023 (CEN23_TBT_004): employed by occupation, ANZSCO V1.3, summed to unit group (2023 Census (CEN23_TBT_004)), CC BY 4.0 (Stats NZ), CC BY 3.0 NZ (Figure.NZ), retrieved 4 October 2026
Stats NZ (via Figure.NZ): Census 2023: employed by regional council, occupation (ANZSCO V1.3 unit group) and sex at birth (2023 Census), CC BY 4.0 (Stats NZ), CC BY 3.0 NZ (Figure.NZ), retrieved 4 October 2026
International Labour Organization, Generative AI and Jobs: A Refined Global Index of Occupational Exposure (ILO Working Paper 140, Gmyrek et al.) (ILO Working Paper 140, May 2025, Annex Table A1), CC BY 4.0, retrieved 4 October 2026

This content is sourced from the Tertiary Education Commission through the Tahatū Career Navigator website (www.tahatu.govt.nz) and used under the CC BY 4.0 licence. All or some of the information has been modified by Peernovo. TEC has not approved, endorsed or tested these modifications. TEC will not be held accountable for any errors within this content.

Qualification information from NZQA, used under CC BY 3.0 NZ.

This work is based on/includes Stats NZ's data which are licensed by Stats NZ for reuse under the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International licence. Census data via Figure.NZ.

Includes information from O*NET OnLine by the U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration (USDOL/ETA), used under the CC BY 4.0 license. O*NET is a trademark of USDOL/ETA. USDOL/ETA has not approved, endorsed, or tested these modifications.

Sources: Tertiary Education Commission, Tahatū Career Navigator (career ideas, pay estimates, entry requirements and study options, CC BY 4.0, modified by Peernovo); Stats NZ, 2023 Census (via Figure.NZ) and the National Occupation List (CC BY 4.0); NZQA qualification information (CC BY 3.0 NZ); O*NET interest scores (CC BY 4.0); ILO global generative AI exposure index (CC BY 4.0). Links between career ideas and ANZSCO groups, degree fields and broad job groups are Peernovo's.

These results are not official statistics. They have been created for research purposes from the Integrated Data Infrastructure (IDI), which is carefully managed by Stats NZ.

Graduate outcomes: these results are not official statistics. They have been created for research purposes from the Integrated Data Infrastructure (IDI), which is carefully managed by Stats NZ.

Updated 4 October 2026