OrchKids Education & Ensenble Coordinator

Job Description

Job Description

THE BALTIMORE SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA and ORCHKIDSFor over a century, the BSO has been recognized as one of America’s leading orchestras and one of Maryland’s most significant cultural institutions. As the largest cultural institution in Maryland, the BSO is internationally recognized and locally admired for its innovation, performances and recordings, and educational community initiatives including OrchKids.

OrchKids uses music as a vehicle for students to develop 21st century skills (creativity, collaboration, leadership, etc.) that are transferable to all areas of their lives. Marin Alsop, Music Director Laureate of the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra and OrchKids Founding Director, shaped OrchKids into the cornerstone of the BSO’s community engagement efforts across the city with her artistic leadership and direction. OrchKids was founded in 2008 with 30 students at one elementary school with seed funding from Marin Alsop and Founding Donors Rheda Becker and Robert E. Meyerhoff.

OrchKids now works with eight schools in Baltimore City, serving over 1,800 children from Pre-K through 12th grade during and after school.

In collaboration with several community partners OrchKids provides music education, instruments, academic assistance, meals, mental health resources, connection to social services, as well as performance and mentorship opportunities at no cost to students and families. OrchKids is an acknowledged leader in the El Sistema movement throughout the world.

JOB SUMMARY
The OrchKids Education and Ensemble Coordinator plays a critical role in supporting curricular and ensemble initiatives for OrchKids students. The Education Coordinator works closely with the Director of Education to ensure pedagogical and artistic quality and is responsible for critical oversight of the ensemble programs. This position also serves as a liaison on behalf of the program’s Teaching Artists, supporting their teaching practices as well as teaching resource needs, from resource procurement (books, sheet music, etc.) to substitute teaching and coordination of the substitute teacher list. Working closely with the OrchKids Ensemble Directors, the Education Coordinator is a key figure in contributing to both short-term and long-term strategic plans for ensembles, including library oversight and management, maintenance of music copies and part copying preparation. In collaboration with the OrchKids Education Team, the Education Coordinator is a critical liaison for community partnerships communication, teacher professional development, and student assessment processes. The position is a part of the Education Team at OrchKids but regularly interacts/collaborates with all OrchKids team members.

ENSEMBLE COORDINATION

• Weekly sheet music and ensemble supply set-up needs at sites
• Attend monthly ensemble leaders meetings
• Assist in planning intensive ensemble rehearsals, and student seating auditions, and ensemble schedule, in collaboration with the Director of Education and Associate Director of Ensembles and Chamber Music
• Oversee sheet music preparation, photocopying, student folder preparation for new repertoire each semester
• Digital and physical library maintenance
• Creation of and regular maintenance of ensemble stage plots using Vizeo software
• Logistics and communication support between program site staff, teaching artists, and education team members as needed

TEACHER SUPPORT

• Coordinating and communicating with substitute teaching artist list for all instrumental teacher substitute requests
• Stepping in as a substitute music instructor or supervising students in music-based activities in the occasion that no other substitute can be found
• Support the logistics of teacher observations and feedback sessions in collaboration with Director of Education
• Assist with teaching artist professional development training (supporting logistics for and attending all training sessions)

PARTNERSHIP MANAGEMENT

• Communication with strategic institutional partnerships that involve OrchKids educational initiatives
• Oversee internship and volunteer opportunities and recruitment with institutional partnerships

CURRICULUM DEVELOPMENT & ASSESSMENTS

• In collaboration with the Education Team, regularly review the OrchKids teaching tools, curriculum and resources to ensure effective systems for teaching artists and students
• With the Director of Education, support the implementation of OrchKids’ in-house assessment system, OrchOlympics, for all instrumental students

QUALIFICATIONS AND CAPABILITIES

• Background and/or a Bachelor's Degree in musical performance or music education
• Adept computer skills and familiarity with common organizational tools (microsoft suite, student data management, etc.)
• Interpersonal skills
• Detailed and highly organizational skills
• Ability to self-direct, build systems of organization, and coordinate tasks to complete a project or scope of work
• Managing information and schedules with teaching artists
• Communication skills
• Prompt response and flexible problem solving in real-time/immediate needs
• Teamwork and collaboration
• Planning ahead, anticipating needs
• Passion for and experience in the field of music education, tools, systems, and pedagogy

COMPENSATION AND BENEFITS

• Health insurance: two options to choose from; all at low cost to the employee
• Dental, Life, and Long-Term Disability Insurance, paid entirely by the BSO
• Generous paid time off, including personal, holidays, and sick leave
• 403(b) plan
• Health Savings Account, employer contributes portion
• Flexible Spending Accounts, including Medical and Dependent Care
• Employee Assistance Program
• Free and/or discounted tickets to BSO concerts

JOB EXPECTATIONS

• 40 hours/week
• While after school program is in session (End of September through Early May), work hours are typically 9-5pm Monday, Thursday, and Friday, with 11am-7pm Tuesday and Wednesday; outside of the after school program season, typical work hours are 9am-5pm
• Critical part of the OrchKids education department and active participant in all matters related to educational initiatives, teacher meetings and trainings
• Participant in all weekly team meetings and quarterly strategic planning meetings, curriculum meetings, professional development meetings, and other meetings as needed
• Regularly support and with all program teams, ensemble directors, and teaching artists

The statements contained in this job description reflect general details as necessary to describe the principal functions of this job, the level of knowledge and skill typically required and the scope of responsibility. It should not be considered an all-inclusive listing of work requirements. Individuals may perform other duties as assigned, including work in other functional areas to cover absences of relief, to equalize peak work periods, or otherwise to balance the workload.

OUR CULTURE AS AN EQUAL OPPORTUNITY EMPLOYER

The Baltimore Symphony Orchestra and OrchKids use the BSO mission and shared values (Appendices) to govern decisions, actions, and behaviors. These values guide how we conduct our work and professional relationships: Creativity, Respect, Excellence, Education/Engagement, and Diversity. We are focused on a people-first culture for our patrons and our entire BSO family.

The BSO is proud to be an Equal Opportunity Employer. We evaluate qualified applicants without regard to race, color, religion, sex (including pregnancy and gender identity), national origin, political affiliation, sexual orientation, marital status, differing physical abilities, genetic information, age, parental status, military service, and other non-merit factors.

OrchKids provides Baltimore youth with equitable access to community-based, high-quality music instruction and programming that teaches musical and social skills transferable to all areas of their lives.

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APPENDIX II: BSO SHARED VALUES

In October 2021, the BSO Board of Directors approved the following shared values, or “BSO Creed”:

C REATIVITY

• We believe the BSO is first and foremost an artistic institution that is dedicated to the finest creative musical expression.
• We seek to facilitate opportunities for creative approaches that allow musicians, staff, board, and partners to collaborate to serve our mission.
• We strive to inform all decisions with our commitment to innovation and continuous improvement.

R ESPECT

• We believe the BSO should value, appreciate, and treat all individuals - patrons, staff, musicians, guest artists, and volunteers with compassion, respect, and dignity.
• We seek to create a welcoming, safe, and enjoyable environment for all.
• We strive to embrace all human differences and commit to caring and civility towards all with whom we work and serve.

E XCELLENCE

• We believe it is an honor to present great music to stir and nurture the soul.
• We seek to attract, develop, and retain the best talent in all musicians, staff, board, and volunteers. Everyone who works at the BSO has an important role to play in our success.
• We strive to act with uncompromising integrity and transparency.

E NGAGEMENT / EDUCATION

• We believe deep connections to the diverse communities we serve are essential to our mission.
• We seek to inspire and educate with powerful and meaningful musical experiences for audiences of all ages.
• We strive to nurture the talents of musicians of all ages with accessible educational initiatives and programs.
• We strive to create a culture where musicians, staff, board, and volunteers communicate, collaborate, understand, and appreciate each other’s work.

D IVERSITY

• We believe diversity, equity, inclusion, and belonging – with respect to race, gender, and personal identity – are cultural and strategic imperatives.
• We seek to create a culture of excellence that ensures access and inclusion of diverse voices in all that we do.
• We strive to use the universal language of music to bring people together and embrace our multicultural society