Strings by Heart Foundation

Is Looking For A

Beats by Heart Program Director

Company
Strings by Heart Foundation
Location
Remote
Category
Administration, Management
Position
Program Director
Beats by Heart Program Director
(10-20 hours/week, with the potential to grow into full time)
Strings By Heart offers a variety of free music education programs based in Harlem. Our Beats By Heart program teaches middle school students music production and composition regardless of financial ability. This program also prioritizes bringing in visiting artists to provide both instruction and representative examples of the wide variety of applications of a career in music. With an emphasis on the life skills that music teaches and the enjoyment it brings, our students participate in monthly workshops on Saturdays. Since we are in our inaugural year, the Program Director position will require a high level of interest in the values of our program and motivation to see it succeed. It will also require high flexibility in developing tasks and workflows, especially during our first year. We are partnering with public schools to offer these classes to their students. We will start with one school and will add additional schools throughout the year as we are able.
Proposed Salary
$35/hr for Program Responsibilities.
$75/hr for Teaching.
Responsibilities
Be main point person for Beats by Heart and host school communication
  • Responsible for keeping the school advised of any updates, changes in schedule or regular programing.
Manage the Beats By Heart program
  • Develop a Beats By Heart curriculum, with support from Ezinma and the Nonprofit Manager. We want students to be able to grow their music skills through this program, and we also want students to be able to step in and out of these classes as they are able. This will require creativity and thoughtfulness in lesson planning.
  • Develop take home projects and goals for students to work on in their own time.
  • Create a schedule for all Beats By Heart classes, events, performances, etc. that supports our goals and the education of students.
  • All classes will take place in the building of our public school partners on Saturdays.
  • All students will have iPads.
  • Support in finding and developing relationships with local or visiting artists to bring in as guest teachers, speakers, and/or performers. Manage scheduling and coordinating with artists, ensure artists have everything they need to teach and perform.
  • Support community outreach to local partners, businesses, and Strings By Heart friends for performances and events.
  • Support in obtaining student and family feedback.
  • Attend and support all Saturday classes, track attendance, and when not teaching, support visiting artists in class management. Responsible for any necessary set up and take down of our space.
  • Support in dealing with difficult behaviors from students, developing and implementing behavior policies, such as reaching out to families and investigating the causes of behaviors, communicating policy next steps, etc.
  • Support in developing class performance ideas.
  • Ongoing communication with Ezinma and the Nonprofit Manager about the program, its students, schedules, artists, and performances.
Teaching
  • Group Classes (10-20 Students)
    • Teach classes when visiting artists are not scheduled.
Flexibility and creativity in supporting a developing program. This is our program’s first year, and we know there will be changes and needs that we haven’t anticipated. Whoever takes on this position will need to be open to taking on unexpected challenges and invested in creatively developing the program to be the best it can be.
Qualifications
Excellent musicianship and composition skills.
Proficiency with ableton, garage band, and other music production programs.
3+ years experience teaching music to children, preferred teaching music production.
Highly preferred experience with trauma informed teaching, teaching underserved and economically disadvantaged communities.
Interest in engaging students in the learning process and making lessons fun.
Interest in making Beats By Heart a supportive environment for our students and their families.
Interest and skills in improvisation.
Interest in fusion of styles of music.
Interest in supporting social change at the individual and community levels.
Strong interest in our values: belief in the power of music education to change lives and help develop personal skills that increase confidence and sense of self in all aspects of life.

Interested?

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