Deadline: January 17, 2025

Teaching Artist, Cello

Reports to: Director, Education and Community Engagement

Position Summary:

The Cello Teaching Artist is a key member of the Education and Community Engagement Team (ECE) as a part of the Teaching Artist Program. The Teaching Artist Program enhances, supports, and enriches middle and high school string programs in public schools through a rich and direct connection with The Florida Orchestra (TFO). What sets our Teaching Artists apart is the high caliber of musicianship and expertise they offer classrooms. The Teaching Artist position is divided into two sectors: Artistic/Performance and Education/Teaching.

• Artistic/Performance: Teaching artists perform as a substitute musician for a minimum set service count as well as any additional chamber, educational performances, or presentations.
• Education/Teaching: Teaching artists visit orchestra classroom weekly throughout Pinellas County, working closely with both music program directors and student musicians.

The Cello Teaching Artist will join and collaborate closely with the Violin and Viola Teaching Artists to serve over 60+ schools in the area. Additionally, the cello teaching artist will collaborate as a creative thought partner to the current teaching artists as well as departmental leadership.

Skills and Background

Education:

• Bachelor's degree in music performance or similar.
• Minimum of 2 years’ experience in an instructional setting of any type, variety in context is preferred.
• Highly organized, self-driven, and able to meet deadlines.
• Ability to populate and manage schedules independently.
• A strong communicator with refined skills to communicate effectively with various constituents, educational personnel, and young people.
• Ability to communicate clearly about the overall goals, objectives, and strategies of the program as well as the Education & Community Department.
• Must be able to prioritize tasks and responsibilities to maximize time spent in compliance with contractual framework.

Performance:

• Must be able to pass and place in top slots on TFO’s substitute audition for placement on the substitute
• list. Please note, substitute audition requirements are listed in the application process section below.
• Strong background and experience in performance within several types of ensembles- chamber, orchestral, etc.

Responsibilities and duties include, but are not limited to:

• Manage and coordinate school visit schedule with Teaching Artist team and School Program Directors.
• Log and track requested metrics and reporting.
• Provide pedagogical tools and resources for orchestra teachers across Pinellas County to enhance their instructional strategies.
• Offer in-class support for orchestra programs, including performance clinics, demonstrations, sectionals, teacher private lessons, and general classroom instruction.
• Collaborate with teachers, administrators, and colleagues to coordinate scheduling for class visits and events.
• Perform regularly as a substitute musician with The Florida Orchestra.
• Collaborate and curate educational chamber performances and presentations with ECE team.
• Comfortable in the classroom, flexible.

Additional Responsibilities

Responsibilities within Pinellas County Schools (PCS):

• Develop and sustain relationships with PCS orchestra teachers in alignment program goals and objectives.
• Attend PCS events as agreed between Teaching Artists and PCS. These events may include mutually agreed upon performance, coaching, or instructional engagements.
• Maintain regular communication with TFO and PCS about activities and schedule.
• Written or other visual documentation (pictures/video) of schedule and/or activities may be requested of Teaching Artist.
• Provide consistent feedback to TFO about the Teaching Artist program.
• Teaching Artist may be asked to participate in donor events or meetings to be mutually agreed upon with TFO in advance

TFO Performance Responsibilities:

• Performances will include work as a substitute musician with the full orchestra on select Masterworks,
• Coffee, and/or Pops concerts, as well as educational or
• community chamber performances located in, but not limited to, schools, hospitals, retirement communities, museums, libraries, zoos, and other cultural institutions.
• Performances with the full orchestra as a substitute musician will be offered at
• at the discretion of the Personnel Manager and Director of Artistic Operations.
• Educational or community chamber performances are offered at the discretion of the
• Education and Community Engagement Director.
• Teaching Artist shall be offered performance opportunities commensurate with their placement on the
• official substitute list of their section.
• Teaching Artist is expected to accept performing work offered by TFO within reason.
• Teaching Artist will participate in planning and assigned projects to prepare for the upcoming school year.

Please note, per TFO’s collective bargaining agreement, TFO Cello teaching artist may dismissed for failure to meet performance standards at the discretion of the Music Director, Orchestra Committee, and/or Section Principal. Should this occur, Teaching Artist will be dismissed from TFO.

Application Process

Interested candidates should:

• Submit a resume or cv, cover letter addressing relevant experience, themes covered in the job description, and three professional references to [email protected].
  • Please include "Teaching Artist, Cello" in the subject line.
• Submit and pass a substitute audition, following the guidelines below:
  • Candidates should also submit a video recording containing:
    • One (1) movement of a concerto or solo work.
    • Three to four (3-4) standard orchestral excerpts
    • (Optional) one (1) excerpt on an auxiliary instrument, if desired.
  • The candidate should always remain clearly in the video frame and should not edit their recording in any fashion. Separate takes for each new piece of music are permissible, but there should be no video cuts or edits within a single work.
  • The submission should be uploaded to a cloud storage service of the candidate’s choice (E.G. Dropbox, Google Drive, etc.). YouTube submissions will not be considered.
• Participate in an interview with ECE and Pinellas County Education Leadership- this can be virtual or in person.

Applications will be accepted until January 17, 2025. Review of applications and interview invitations will begin at once and on a rolling basis. All inquiries and discussions are considered strictly confidential. If an offer is extended after a successful application process, this position will begin shortly after an offer is made and accepted.

The job description does not constitute an employment agreement and is subject to change by The Florida Orchestra based on the changing needs and requirements of the job, department, or organization. Duties, responsibilities, and skills are also subject to change.

The Florida Orchestra is a registered 501(c)3 non-profit an equal opportunity employer and does not discriminate on the basis of race, sex, age, religion, national origin or any other basis prohibited by applicable law.

The Florida Orchestra is a registered 501(c)3 non-profit and equal opportunity employer.

Salary: $49,133, This is a full-time position, non-exempt, with a competitive full benefits package. Additional

engagements that are “off contract” will be compensated separately.

About Us

The Florida Orchestra exists to INSPIRE – EDUCATE – UNITE and build community through the power of music. Celebrating our 57th season in 2024-2025, The Florida Orchestra (TFO) is the largest professional orchestra in the state and largest performing arts organization that bridges the bay. TFO employs 71 full-time professional musicians and conductors, graduates of some of the top music schools and conservatories, under the leadership of internationally acclaimed Music Director Michael Francis. Excellence is behind our musicians, the music, and all we do. Each season, TFO offers more than 100 high quality music experiences, education, and outreach programs. Concert series include classical, popular, and light symphonic morning concerts in three major performing arts venues in Tampa, St. Petersburg, and Clearwater, as well as other non-traditional venues throughout Tampa Bay, and free Pops in the Park community concerts. Beyond the concert halls, TFO programs bring the transformative power of music to schools, youth, and senior centers, to underserved areas and to those who would not otherwise have access to such opportunities. We put instruments in the hands of children, offer inspiration and joy to all ages and stages, uplifting comfort to those who most need it, and bring our community together. The Florida Orchestra has a budget of about $12 million.