Band Director - Part Time (Grades 5 through 8)

A Part-Time Faculty Position (16% FTE), Early Mornings Four Days Per Week from Mid-September to Early June

NPES is seeking an accomplished, dynamic, and culturally literate school Band Director for a Beginning Band (5th & 6th Grades) and Advanced Band (7th & 8th Grades), each meets twice weekly before school from 7:35-8:20 a.m., from mid-September to early June. In addition to directing these two groups (to which students opt-in), the Band Director collaborates with the full-time NPES Music Teacher, part-time Choral Director, and other colleagues to prepare students to perform in various assemblies and shows during the academic year, including fall, winter, and spring concerts, graduation, and periodic assemblies. The Band Director is a member of the school’s Co-Curricular Team, including educators in Music, Visual Art, Library/Media/Design-Thinking, Spanish Language & Cultures, and Physical Education.

This is a part-time non-benefits eligible faculty position in a vibrant and engaging independent school with a deep commitment to the arts, to diversity, equity, and inclusion, and to building and sustaining a strong sense of belonging and community. All told, the position includes about 225 hours of work per school year–including band instruction, prep time, collaboration, performances, and designated faculty meetings–an average of 6.5 hours per week over the course of a school year.

Instructional Responsibilities

• Design, plan, and implement a culturally-diverse band curriculum that empowers students to express themselves authentically and creatively; that builds skills in playing and performance; and that assists students in exploring and developing their own identities while developing curiosity and knowledge about the identities of others (a curriculum that offers both mirrors and windows for all)
• Create and maintain a welcoming, interesting, affirming, and safe classroom environment for all students, one in which listening, patience, sharing, and respect are valued and practiced
• Differentiate instruction so all students can learn and grow in their appreciation of collaborative band performance and in their individual musical skills
• Establish and maintain respectful, authentic, and positive relationships with band students
• Align teaching practices with NPES’ Core Educational Beliefs
• Improve student playing, engendering pride in participation and a growth mindset
• Prepare students to perform at various school gatherings, and direct and accompany their performances
• Interact with colleagues and parents in a positive, professional, and timely manner, communicating effectively in-person and in writing

Responsibilities Beyond Instruction

• Promote the benefits of participating in NPES’ band programs to students and families
• Seek out opportunities to connect choral content with curricula school-wide
• Collaborate effectively with faculty colleagues and administrators in planning and staging performances
• Communicate periodically with parents, colleagues, and school administration about band programming
• Seek out local opportunities to perform (retirement communities, community centers, etc.)
• Attend the weekly Co-Curricular Team meeting and one all-school faculty meeting per month (including the opening meetings in August and the closing meetings in June)

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s or other degree in Music, Band, Performance, Music Education, Fine Arts, or a related field
• Proficiency in playing to accompany bands when needed
• Experience teaching students’ music, preferably in an elementary school setting.
• Exemplary teaching skills focused with intentionality on preparation, process, purpose, adaptability, and a growth mindset
• An understanding of the developmental needs of elementary school students at various stages (intellectually and social-emotionally) and the ability to structure and maintain a healthy, respectful, and positive classroom community
• Experience in and a commitment to including all learners in music instruction regardless of ability or differences in how one learns
• A commitment to and the cultural competence necessary to contribute with intention to an affirming, inclusive, equitable, and just community for all
• A growth mindset (seeing mistakes as opportunities for growth), an open-minded, and a belief that learning, while it involves struggle and the need for resilience, should also be a joyful experience
• Ability to work collaboratively with fine arts colleagues and other teachers to support and extend the objectives of the curriculum and to celebrate students’ creative self-expression
• Available for and interest in early-morning before-school work

About North Park Elementary School

North Park Elementary School is an independent school accredited by the Independent Schools Association of the Central States (ISACS) located in Chicago's North Center-Ravenswood community. North Park serves 239 students in Preschool through 8th Grade Our students grow in the context of a positive, authentic, and committed independent school community of educators who know and appreciate them, peers who care for and support them, and parents and caregivers who engage meaningfully in our community. We are dedicated to raising confident, self-reliant individuals in partnership with families, instilling a sense of curiosity, a passion for learning, and a commitment to impacting the broader community in positive ways. North Park seeks to nurture curiosity, spark creativity, and sustain a vibrant, inclusive, community that supports all students, helping them become the best version of themselves. North Park believes that diversity is a critical source of strength for all. For more on the school’s commitment to diversity, equity, and inclusion, visit https://www.npeschool.org/about-us/dei/

Connections working at North Park Elementary School