Education Director

Seattle Music Partners is looking for an experienced and dynamic instrumental music instructor to
teach in an urban school environment and lead an established team in implementing curriculum
for an innovative after-school program that works with underserved youth.

Background:

SMP is a growing non-profit that provides free, after-school music lessons to underserved
elementary and middle school students in Seattle's Central District. We have an 10-year history, a
positive reputation in the community and have thrived primarily through the efforts of volunteers.

Our mission is to help underserved children learn to play instruments and read music. To attain
this goal, we recruit and train high school, college and community musicians as volunteer music
tutors and mentors. Through our weekly program at our partner schools, tutors lead individual
music lessons and play with students in music ensembles. We also provide instruments when
needed.

Students showcase their skills by performing in several recitals each year. In addition, SMP is
dedicated to partnering with school staff to bring music enrichment programs into the schools,
including hosting quality musicians and arranging for field trips to music performances.

We believe that providing a child with the opportunity to build a foundation of musical skills,
coupled with the strength of a mentoring relationship, helps foster self-confidence and an overall
engagement in learning.

SMP currently works in partnership with four public schools in Seattle’s Central District that have
high 'free and reduced fee' lunch profiles. For example, close to 77% of the elementary school
population we worked with this past year receive free or reduced fee lunch benefits, compared to
a district average of 41%. Our students come from a variety of ethnic groups (90+% of whom are
nonwhite) and from varied family and economic circumstances (including homeless families,
single parent homes and guardianships).

This year, we provided more than 85 students with weekly lessons on flute, clarinet, saxophone,
trumpet, trombone, violin, viola, cello, bass, piano, guitar and percussion. We also worked with
more than 100 volunteers from more than 25 high schools, colleges, and community ensembles
(who contributed in excess of 4,000 hours of service).

Role:

Since SMP has a very small staff, the Education Director will have a significant impact, playing a
role in most SMP activities. We have recently reorganized our team’s roles and responsibilities
and are expanding to include an Education Director position whose focus will be primarily on
increasing the depth of our student curriculum and the impact our program has on participants.
We seek an Education Director who can help lead our efforts and be a part of that growth.

SMP seeks someone who has exceptional organizational skills, is responsible, personable,
enjoys working with children and young adults, has direct experience teaching both general music
concepts and instrumental music technique and has experience working with an economically
and ethnically diverse student population - a keen sense of cultural sensitivity is a must. The
Education Director should be very comfortable in a large after-school classroom environment, be
able to set the tone for a positive, learning environment and appropriately and consistently deal
with any discipline issues. We seek someone who works well in a fast-paced environment,
enjoys working with multiple constituencies (students, volunteers, families, school staff, e.g.) and
who is kind, patient, enthusiastic and able to smile in a sometimes frenetic session environment.

Responsibilities:

The Education Director, with the Executive Director, Program Director and Program Coordinator,
will oversee the after-school instrumental music instruction of students from 4th through 8th grades
in Seattle’s Central District. Our Education Director will:

Plan, develop and oversee the student curriculum for the entire after-school program at all 4 sites
Work closely with the Program Director to coordinate the student curriculum with the volunteer
curriculum; help provide appropriate and ongoing training to volunteer tutors and create materials
for students and tutors (e.g. games and activities) to increase program effectiveness

Provide direct and indirect instruction on woodwind, brass, string and percussion instruments
Lead group general music sessions, with an understanding of differentiated instruction

Plan the ensemble schedule/curriculum and lead ensemble rehearsals at all sites with students

Plan and supervise student music performances both in the schools and in the community

Develop and further strengthen partnerships with University of Washington World Series, Ladies
Musical Club, Cornish College of the Arts and others; plan performances by visiting artists
Work with staff to establish and implement, in a positive and supportive manner, consistent
classroom policies and procedures to promote positive student behavior and conduct
Plan and promote other student music education opportunities, as appropriate (Ex: 5th grade field
trip to middle school, field trips to outside performances, etc); work with staff at partner schools to
bring additional music enrichment into the school day (lunch-time ensembles, coordinating music
into teachers’ lesson plans, for example).

Evaluate and support student performance and progress; develop appropriate assessment tools
for same

Help organize parent meetings; help prepare materials that encourage family support and
learning; participate in ongoing dialogue with family members about student challenges and
achievement

Be an active participant at all after-school sessions; help with set up, snack, volunteer briefings,
announcements, teaching, lesson observation, tear down, etc

Attend and participate in all required staff meetings and other SMP non-teaching activities

Communicate and coordinate with contracted music specialists regarding their responsibilities as
observers, teachers, ensemble leaders, etc.
Communicate regularly with school district music teachers and classroom teachers to help
support students’ music education
Assist with instrument inventory and repair
The Education Director must be on-time to all meetings, prompt in meeting articulated deadlines,
demonstrate excellent written and verbal communication skills, effective presentation skills and
the ability to facilitate group discussions. The Education Director also needs to be able to work
well with a small staff as part of a collaborative, team-based environment.
As job descriptions cannot be exhaustive, the Education Director may be required to undertake
other duties that are broadly in line with the above key responsibilities.

Requirements:

Bachelor’s Degree

Strong music and education background

Teaching certificate and / or music degree(s)

3 - 5 years experience teaching music

Evidence of successful teaching within music education; the ability to demonstrate instructional-
level proficiency in several instrument families; the ability to lead group general music classes
(familiarity with Orff, Kodaly or other teaching methods is a plus)

Ability to teach students who are at different abilities

Experience teaching in a culturally, racially and economically diverse student population in an

urban school system

Demonstrated ability to teach music in ways that promote self-discovery, creativity, discipline and
critical thinking

Clear understanding of curriculum, methods of instruction and child development

Intermediate (or advanced) knowledge of Microsoft Office and Google Document programs.

Car required

How To Apply:

Interested candidates should submit a detailed cover letter and resume to

info@seattlemusicpartners.org, Attention: Executive Director. Please put “Education Director
Inquiry” in re line.

For further information about Seattle Music Partners, we encourage you to visit our web site at
www.seattlemusicpartners.org.