Music Director: what does that term even mean? Recently, it's become synonymous with "Conductor", and it's often been superseded by "Music Supervisor" (which is itself quite that vague term, but to me means being Music Director, but not conducting. I know other people use the term differently). Here's my simple definition: the Music Director gives direction to the music. Okay, that's a tautology. But I've always operated from the assumption that the main job of the MD is to have a point of view. It's not just about clean vocal cut-offs and setting tempos. Yeah, that's important. But it's really about shaping the entirety of the music into a complete, theatrical, story-telling whole.

Here's another way of looking at it:  a Director's work exists regardless of whether they are physically present in the theater. The same is true of a Choreographer, or a Designer. It's the shaping that matters. The execution is up to the Production Stage Manager, and the Dance Captain, and in the case of the Music Director, the Conductor. Or to restate that last part in modern terms, in the case of the Music Supervisor, the Music Director.

To add to the confusion, in the TV/film world, a "Music Supervisor" is something entirely unrelated. And the DGA (Directors Guild of America) no longer allows Music Directors to use the term "Music Director" for fear that audiences will think that the Music Director is the same person as the Director. Silly people. They need to go watch every Hollywood musical ever made pre-2000. They all had a "Music Director" and a "Director". No one was confused.

Nowadays, there are a lot of alternate titles out there, and a complete lack of clarity (I mean, my official title on Schmigadoon is "Vocal and Orchestral Performance Supervisor". That's a ridiculous mouthful. But my contract, at least, says "Music Director"). Some folks take the title "Music Producer", but that muddies the waters as well. (I consider the term "Music Producer" to be specific to the recording process, not the music-directorial process, but in a world without clarity I suppose it's as good a title as any).

To make it even weirder, the DGA will still allow the term "Music Director" for live television, with the result that the only people eligible for an Emmy in Music Direction are those that are conducting live TV.

What a world, what a world.