Arranger

An arranger rewrites (or “rearranges”) an existing piece of music to fit a new musical purpose. Sometimes this is for a different ensemble or instrumentation. For example, an orchestrator is someone who arranges music for orchestras. They may take a piece originally written for piano and rewrite it to fit the needs of a full orchestra. 

Arrangers can be hired by an ensemble, musician, or studio or they can work as a freelance arranger. Often, a music arranger will work as a composer and performer, arranging and composing works for their own ensemble. 

Arranging music takes a lot of understanding and experience. Arrangers need to have strong music theory and music history backgrounds. They also need to understand the needs and practices of a variety of different ensembles. For this reason, arrangers often obtain at least a Bachelor’s in composition or another musical field. Many will also pursue a master’s or doctoral degree as well.