The Yellow Board

Full time show designers

Posted by Arranger on 11/30/2022, 11:57 am

Curious to see if anyone here has ever made the transition from being a band director to a full time arranger/drill writer/show designer/etc.

What was that like for you?

At what point did you decide that it was the right time to quit band directing to be a full time designer?

What are some things that you were unprepared for/wish you would have known before making the transition?

I love teaching band, but my dream job is to be a full time arranger/composer. My number of clients is increasing every year and it's looking like it might be feasible to make the transition sometime in the near future. But the idea of not having a secure job scares me. Wondering if anyone has some insight on what to expect.

Thanks!

Re: Full time show designers

Posted by Luke McMillan on 12/1/2022, 10:29 am, in reply to "Full time show designers"

I made the transition to full-time after being a band director for 11 years. Shoot me an email, I'd be happy to share a call with you to share my experience. https://lukemcmillanmusic.com/contact

Re: Full time show designers

Posted by Recently Retired on 12/1/2022, 8:00 am, in reply to "Full time show designers"

I am now a full time composer/arranger. I did some work while still teaching, but finished my career so I could get my health insurance and full retirement (TRS). I am glad that I waited.

Once you leave the profession, you have to worry about health insurance and building a retirement fund. With me, because I waited, I had the TRS retirement, as well as royalties from publishers and clients. This worked out good for me.

Whatever you do, keep health insurance and your future retirement in mind. Good luck!

Re: Full time show designers

Posted by Retirement on 12/6/2022, 3:55 pm, in reply to "Re: Full time show designers"

You should be building a retirement fund separate from TRS from early in your career regardless post getting out of debt whether you teach to your full retirement or not. TRS has always been "bonus" retirement for my family with a full plan outside of that. TRS won't grow with inflation later. Other investments will. Plan ahead.

Plus, TRS will still be there whenever you hit the magic number, it just won't be as much but theoretically if you are already doing other things like Roth/IRA/Mutual Funds then you just up that and continue on your merry way. If you have a spouse that can add you to their insurance then you are golden once your client list is big enough to provide the income you desire.

Re: Full time show designers

Posted by Recently Retired on 12/8/2022, 10:51 pm, in reply to "Re: Full time show designers"

Totally agree.

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