Teaching Artist - Sonic Spark Ensembles, Sonic Spark Lab, and Compose Yourself!

Part-time, Non-Exempt

Reports To: Director of Education and Education Coordinator
Position Type: Part-time, Non-Exempt

‍POSITION SUMMARY
American Composers Orchestra (located in New York City) seeks part-time Teaching Artists to join our roster of creatively driven instrumentalists and composers. Teaching Artists will work directly with elementary, middle, and high school students across New York City to facilitate music-making experiences rooted in creativity, exploration, and self-expression. 

We are looking for artists who move fluidly across disciplines such as composers, instrumentalists, improvisers, vocalists, producers, songwriters, and beyond, who are excited to bring their full artistic practice into the classroom. 

‍Teaching Artists must be based in the New York City metropolitan area and able to travel to partner sites across Manhattan, Brooklyn, Queens, and the Bronx. Some programs may take place in surrounding areas, including New Jersey, so comfort with occasional extended travel is important.

We’re committed to building a team of committed passionate educators who are able to participate in the growth and depth of our impact in schools over many years. In order to do this, we are looking for candidates who can regularly participate in paid professional development and faculty meetings throughout the academic year. 

‍Responsibilities:

  • Lead engaging, student-centered music classes in school and community settings
  • Facilitate student-led composition, improvisation, performance, and listening based activities
  • Remain responsive and inclusive to the students cultural and social backgrounds
  • Foster inclusive and affirming classroom environments
  • Support students in developing artistic, social, and academic skills
  • Prepare students for performance and community sharing
  • Develop and submit lesson plans in alignment with ACO curricula
  • Attend all planning meetings with ACO staff and school partners
  • Participate consistently in Professional Development 
  • Track student progress and contribute to evaluation efforts

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‍Qualifications:

  • Prior experience working with young people in an educational or community setting
  • Active creative practice in music performance or composition
  • Some experience in classroom management (preferable in the New York City public school system)
  • Comfort working across genres and musical traditions
  • Strong communication, organizational, and interpersonal skills 
  • Ability to adapt to varied classroom environments and respond to student need in real time
  • Must love working with children
  • Availability during the academic school year with an expectation of multi-year commitment 


We strongly encourage applications from artists of historically marginalized communities and those underrepresented in orchestral and arts education spaces.

‍HOURS & COMPENSATION 
Hours dependent on client availability, but a commitment to at least one in-school or after-school class per week for the school year. Compensation is $90-230 per session depending on the number of classes served. Lesson planning, meetings, and PD are also compensated. 

Applications will be reviewed on a rolling basis. While we are grateful for every application, we are only able to follow up with candidates selected for an interview. We encourage you to reapply in future cycles as your work evolves.