Harmony Program Teaching Artist

Job Description

About Harmony Program:
At the Harmony Program, music changes lives every day. Through collective music-making, children from under-served communities explore new avenues and realize their full potential.

For 15 years, the Harmony Program has distinguished itself by serving children in need, reaching them within their own communities, providing them with instruments and intensive, high quality musical training, and helping to develop in them the life skills that support their healthy development -- musically, academically, and socially. The Harmony Program also recruits and trains accomplished musicians as its teaching artists and provides them with formal professional development training, observation and evaluation, access to a network of their peers, and competitive compensation for their services, with the goal of instilling in them a long-term commitment to community outreach and education.

The Harmony Program is inspired by Venezuela's national youth orchestra system, "El Sistema." Committed to improving society through music, El Sistema has gained international acclaim for the breadth of its reach, the quality of its musicians, and the power of its positive influence on the young lives it touches. In the spirit of El Sistema, the Harmony Program emphasizes the influence of music-making on social development, encourages learning through ensemble playing, fosters a supportive community for program participants and families, and requires of all involved a high degree of commitment to daily music study.

Jobs, duties, and responsibilities:
● Lead weekly group music classes and/or ensemble rehearsals for elementary and middle school students
● Prepare lesson plans that align with our curriculum and promote social and musical growth
● Teach in an engaging and holistic manner that prioritizes social-emotional learning and reflects Harmony

Program’s creative youth development culture
● Utilize classroom management skills to create a safe, energetic, inclusive and positive learning
environment
● Manage classroom logistics, including taking regular attendance, monitoring instrument maintenance, and facilitating student transitions
● Provide regular communication of student behavioral, musical, and social challenges to Harmony Program administration
● Conduct regular and timely assessments of students’ musical progress and social development
● Attend all required professional development workshops
● Participate in select organization-wide events, including performances and meetings, as necessary

Additional Information:

Harmony Program Teaching Artists are needed at each of the following locations in New York City:
- Icahn Charter Schools
Teaching Artists at Icahn Charter Schools in the Bronx work two to five days a week during in-school hours (8:30am-3:30pm), from September through mid-to-late June. Summer opportunities may also be available.

- New York City Public Schools, Community Based Organizations, and other school locations
Teaching Artists work during the school day (8:30 am - 3:30 pm) or in the after school hours (2:15 pm - 6:30 pm), beginning in October and ending in mid-to-late June. Summer opportunities may also be available. These sites are located throughout Manhattan, Brooklyn, the Bronx, and Queens.

Harmony Program Youth Orchestra:
Teaching artists rehearse with the students on Saturdays in Manhattan from 9:30 a.m. - 2:30 p.m. from September – June, and on Saturdays in Manhattan and the Bronx. Opportunities may also exist to teach private lessons and coach chamber music at mutually agreed times between families and Teaching Artists.

Qualifications
● Minimum of 2 years teaching experience, with youth and young adults
● Demonstrated ability to work effectively with students of all cultural and socioeconomic backgrounds
● Degree in music or music education, preferred
● Expertise in one or more of the following areas: strings, winds, brass, percussion instruments, recorder, choral/vocal instruction, and/or general music
● Energetic teaching style with strong classroom-management skills
● Ability to work mornings and/or afternoons. Occasional evenings only, for performances.
● Bilingual English/Spanish, English/ Mandarin, or English/ Creole French preferred.
● Strong work ethic and professional style that is flexible, organized, reliable, collaborative, and creative
● Clear background check and fingerprint clearance for work in DOE and the Icahn Charter School System
● Must be authorized to work legally in the United States

What does the Harmony Program offer Teaching Artists?
An established curriculum, ongoing (paid) training, and a supportive community of Teaching Artists provide the foundation for our Teaching Artists to grow and succeed.
The Harmony Program provides over 75 hours of paid Teaching Artist Training designed to support and enhance the professional development of emerging and advanced teaching artists to expand their teaching practice and connect them to a growing community of artists. Harmony Program Teaching Artists are required to complete 16 hours of training of which 7 hours must be completed before entering the classroom. In addition to these required workshops, teaching artists convene during the year with Harmony Program administration and mentors to share their experiences in the classroom, evaluate and reflect on their progress, and explore leading industry topics with experts in a variety of related fields.