TITLE: Teaching Artist
STATUS: Part-time, non-exempt employment position
COMPENSATION: $50/hr for teaching, and $25/hr for planning/administrative work
FLEXIBLE HOURS: Teaching jobs/ residencies are offered to Teaching Artists based upon availability.

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SUMMARY:
The Lexington Philharmonic (LexPhil) is seeking vibrant and imaginative musicians and sound artists from diverse backgrounds, regardless of formal training or genre, to join its teaching artist team. Collaborating closely with the Learning & Partnership Programs Manager, and community partners, LexPhil Teaching Artists will design and lead school residences across Central Kentucky. These initiatives aim to provide inclusive opportunities for program participants to explore and express their unique experiences, values, and perspectives through artistic creation, whether independently or in collaboration.

TEACHING ARTIST DEFINITION:
A teaching artist is a professional who combines artistic talent with educational expertise to guide individuals in creating and appreciating art. At LexPhil, we have teaching artists who are highly skilled practitioners capable of seamlessly blending the roles of artist, educator, and facilitator to inspire others through meaningful art-making and immersive art experiences.

PRIMARY DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES:

Program Creation and Facilitation

• Devise and facilitate meaningful and responsive programming that provides learning, creating, and performing experiences for school participants and is informed by stakeholder needs and wants.

• Collaborate with community, school and/or LexPhil staff on identifying and preparing work for public events.

• For learning programs, provide and promote quality arts experiences that create spaces for inquiry and making, develop communication skills in multiple modalities, utilize project-based and problem-solving learning to strengthen critical thinking capacity, and cultivate social-emotional skills.

• Maintain and utilize methods of feedback, assessment, and evaluation for all programs.

Documentation:

• Complete and submit all required curriculum documents (lesson plans, learning arc, participation data, photo release forms, etc.) and other paperwork using LexPhil templates and planning tools.

• Collect examples of student work (e.g. photos, videos, and recordings).

Professional Development:

• Participate in LexPhil’s annual Teaching Artist training.

• Participate in a total of 6 hours of professional development.

• Actively contribute to the community of learning by sharing expertise and knowledge.

This job scope is not intended to imply that these are the only duties to be performed by the individual in this position. Other job-related duties and responsibilities may be assigned.

INCLUSION, DIVERSITY, EQUITY, & ACCESSIBILITY (IDEA)
IDEA values are an essential part of the Lexington Philharmonic’s work. All staff members, including teaching artists, are responsible for upholding these values and advancing LexPhil’s work to more fully embrace and reflect them in the organization's work. Specifically, teaching artists are expected to:

• Commit to advancing IDEA values through social justice and racial equity arts programs;

• Utilize a curricular framework of Universal Design for Learning, Culturally Responsive and Sustaining Pedagogy, Social and Emotional Learning, and Trauma-Informed Education;

• Evaluate programs for accessibility and inclusion barriers and work to remedy potential barriers;

• Engage in professional development regarding IDEA.

EXPERIENCE & QUALIFICATIONS:

• Expertise in a music/sound discipline exhibited through an educational degree, training, and/or professional accomplishment.

• Experience teaching and facilitating arts programming with people of all ages in schools, community centers, senior centers, and/or other community-based settings.

• A proven commitment to inclusion, diversity, equity, and accessibility, as well as an understanding of how these values contribute to program success and sustainability.

COMPETENCIES:

• Proficiency in guiding instruction and learning across diverse areas, including:

  • Composition (both traditional and non-traditional approaches)

  • Notation (covering text/event scores, graphic scores, and game pieces)

  • Improvisation (both individual and collective)

  • Music technology (utilizing digital audio workstations, notation software, synthesizers, amplification, and recording)

  • Various musical genres

• Skill in seamlessly integrating activities from other artistic disciplines such as theater, movement/dance, literary, and visual arts.

• Familiarity with contemporary teaching and learning methodologies and the ability to apply them effectively.

• Capacity to establish and nurture meaningful relationships with diverse stakeholders, including participants, educators, families, artists, school/government officials, and community members.

• Dedication to collaborative work, demonstrating flexibility, openness to new ideas and knowledge, and proactive, direct, and sensitive communication.

• Punctuality in completing tasks within designated timelines, along with proactive communication regarding any challenges that may impact the completion of duties.

REQUIREMENTS:

• Live and work in Lexington and/or have a connection to the people, places, and cultures of Central Kentucky.

• Teaching artists may be required to undergo background checks and fingerprinting.

TO APPLY:
Please email the following requested materials with “Teaching Artist” in the subject line to Mary Elizabeth Henton–maryelizabeth@lexphil.org

1. Letter of Interest - Please submit a letter of interest that describes your qualifications and interest in this position. Submission of an audio and/or video recording is optional.

2. Resume/CV

3. Work Samples - Please submit three (3) to five (5) work samples that demonstrate your experience as a teaching artist. This may include: lesson plans, examples of student work, culminating projects/events, your own artistic work, etc. You may attach them to the email, share them via Google Drive, or submit a document that has links to YouTube, SoundCloud, Vimeo, etc. Make sure all necessary permissions are set correctly so that the submitted work samples may be viewed.

4. Professional References - Please provide the names, email addresses and phone numbers of two professional references.

All applications will be confidential and references will not be contacted without the candidate’s consent.

Rolling Deadline

We recognize that creative individuals often bring unconventional backgrounds and experiences. If you believe you would thrive in our environment, we encourage you to contact us! We welcome hearing from you.

The Lexington Philharmonic is not just an Equal Opportunity Employer but a place that actively promotes diversity and inclusion. We staunchly prohibit discrimination and harassment of any kind. All employment decisions are based on organizational need, merit and individual qualifications, without regard to race, religion, national or ethnic origin, gender, gender identity, sexual orientation or expression, age or disability. We wholeheartedly celebrate diversity and are unwaveringly committed to creating an inclusive environment of mutual respect for employees and participants.

ABOUT LEXPHIL
The Lexington Philharmonic (LexPhil) is a dynamic, evolving orchestra in Lexington, Kentucky. Founded in 1961, LexPhil is Central Kentucky’s most prominent professional music organization, serving a diverse population in central and eastern Kentucky. The Lexington Philharmonic believes in the transformative power of live orchestral music. Through its core values, LexPhil will foster excellence and innovation in the performance and presentation of great music, enrich the lives of our diverse citizenry, educate current and future audiences, and bring distinction to our community through the orchestra’s work.

LexPhil’s internship program aims to find areas of mutual interest to the intern and organization and work with each intern to meet their personal professional development goals!

Interns complete most of their work during business hours (9am - 5pm); schedule to be agreed upon between the intern and their LexPhil supervisor. Interns should also be available for some evening and weekend work to participate in the concerts and events produced within the time of their internship.

LexPhil staff is currently working on a hybrid schedule - in person at LexPhil offices (161 N. Mill St) on Tuesdays & Thursdays and work-from-home on Monday, Wednesday, and Friday. Each member of our staff is fully vaccinated and committed to providing a safe working environment. There is flexibility to conduct internships in person, remote, or hybrid. In person components are required for concerts and events.

All internships are unpaid. Applications are accepted on a rolling basis.
Internships usually available in the Spring, Summer, and Fall semesters.

ARTISTIC/PRODUCTION INTERNSHIP:

The Artistic/Production Intern works with the artistic & production team through project-based learning to assist with productions, guest artist care, education events and complete daily administrative tasks as necessary. Primary projects the artistic/production intern can work on include: helping liaise with artists, assist in artistic & production preparations for concerts, assist backstage at concerts, and others projects as proposed by the intern.

To Apply: Email manager@lexphil.org with a resume and letter of interest.

MARKETING & DEVELOPMENT INTERNSHIP:

The Marketing & Development Intern works with the marketing and development department through project-based learning to gain real world experience in areas of interest to both the intern and LexPhil marketing and development department. Past interns have contributed to projects including: building a brand identity handbook, creating effective audience evaluation tools, building social media campaigns, website design and maintenance, donor database improvements, and others.

To Apply: Email marketing@lexphil.org with a resume and letter of interest.

EDUCATION INTERNSHIP:

The Education Intern works with the LexPhil education team through project based learning to build education programming, assist with education events, and complete daily administrative tasks as necessary. Primary projects the education intern may work on include: building and creating games and activities for education concerts, researching and building the Music Builds Education Guide, working with our instrument petting zoo, assisting with planning in-school concerts and events, and other projects as proposed by the intern. Creativity is a must!

To Apply: Email education@lexphil.org with a resume and letter of interest.