Job Title: Director of Children’s Music
Reports to: Director of Music Ministries
Expected Starting Hours: 5 hours per week; 42 weeks per year
Starting Compensation Range: $6,000 – $8,000 annually (approx. $28 – $38 per hour)
Starting Date: September 2024
The newly-developed position of Director of Children’s Music serves to support, develop, and uplift the growing children’s music program at Church of the Good Samaritan (Good Sam). The Director will recruit and encourage children at Good Sam and beyond, and create opportunities for them to engage in the life of the church, both within and outside of the 10:30am worship service. The Director receives support from and works collaboratively with the Director of Music Ministries, who will serve as accompanist and administrator for the children’s music programs.
Core Responsibilities:
- Lead the Good Sam Children’s Choir in rehearsal and worship:
- The Children’s Choir is anticipated to sing at worship once a month during the program year (September through late May/early June), including on Christmas Eve and Easter Morning.
- 45-minute rehearsals have recently taken place at 12:15pm on Sundays (following the 10:30am Eucharist service), though the Director will be free to schedule an alternate rehearsal time in consultation with Choir families and the Director of Music Ministries.
- The Director will select anthems and songs suitable to the themes of the church calendar and suitable to the level of training of the children in the ensemble.
- Encourage and work with young instrumentalists with the Good Sam community to create opportunities to share their music within worship services:
- Current young instrumentalists (elementary through middle school) include pianists, an organist, a cellist, two violinists, and more.
- Instrumentalists should be invited to share music at regular intervals throughout the program year.
- Work in collaboration with the Director of Music Ministries to develop new opportunities for children in the wider Corvallis and Mid-Valley communities to receive quality, no-cost music education centered at Good Sam.
- Working ideas include a public community music school located on Good Sam’s campus; and/or a no-cost community children’s choir. Community-based programs will not be exclusively religious in inclination so as to encourage participation from a wider area of the community.
- Pass required background check and complete Safe Church training in compliance with church bylaws.
Desired Qualifications:
- Bachelor’s Degree in music education or a related field, or, equivalent documented experience in working with children’s choirs.
- Demonstrated success in developing healthy singing habits in young vocalists, and in teaching basic musicianship.
- Willingness and excitement to serve a community that values and celebrates inclusion and diversity, living out our call to be Inclusive, Traditional, and Progressive.
- Experience engaging with faith communities is beneficial, but not required. Children’s music education at Good Sam will include elements of basic Episcopal theology, liturgy, and church history, but these portions may be led by a church volunteer or the Director of Music Ministries.
- Personal religious conviction or affiliation will not be considered in the hiring process.
Compensation Information:
- The Director of Children’s Music will be an employee of the Church of the Good Samaritan and will receive form W-2 for tax purposes. The Director will be eligible for benefits should they meet the required threshold of weekly hours worked in the future.
- Compensation includes four (4) weeks vacation (four rehearsal days). Vacation time must be requested ahead of time and approved by the Director of Music Ministries.
- Sick leave of two (2) weeks (two rehearsal OR performance days) is provided annually, and can accrue in accordance with Oregon State law.
Potential for Growth:
The Music Ministry at Good Sam has blossomed since the COVID-19 Pandemic and is seeing a period of growth and increased engagement. Beyond the development of the children’s music ministry, a successful candidate will find opportunities to be engaged with Good Sam’s adult ensembles as singer or assistant conductor, and with Good Sam’s long-standing Sundays @ 3 Concert Series which has raised a record amount of operating funds in the last year. Any increase in responsibilities, in consultation with the Director of Music Ministries and the Rector of Good Sam, will correspond with an equal increase in compensation.
To Apply:
Please email the below materials to Zachary Duell, Director of Music Ministries, at [email protected]. Applications will be reviewed on a rolling basis until the vacancy is filled.
- Resume or CV with cover letter of interest
- 1-3 professional references
- If applying as a student, please include at least one music education instructor in this list.