Prelude Chorus Director

Prelude Chorus Director Job Description

The Young Women’s Choral Projects of San Francisco (YWCP) is seeking a choral music educator for its beginning training ensemble, Prelude Chorus, starting in September 2022.

Through a Kodály-based music literacy program, young women in Prelude Chorus (grades 2-6) receive vocal and musical training, including music theory and ear training, sight-reading, vocal technique, and choral performance skills. Prelude Chorus is the beginning level of auditioned training choirs in YWCP. A young singer is auditioned, but needs no prior music training to join Prelude Chorus. In this ensemble, choristers learn repertoire in multiple languages, in unison and two-parts, as well as folk dances and other music games. Prelude Chorus meets twice a week, Wednesdays from 4-6 and Sundays from 4-5:30. They perform approximately five public performances a year.

The Young Women’s Choral Projects of San Francisco, founded by Dr. Susan McMane in 2012, is recognized as a world-class choral organization for young women. YWCP has six levels of choral experience for young women ages 4-18 from across the San Francisco Bay Area. The mission of YWCP is to transform the lives of young women through exceptional artistry in choral performance, and bring the expressive power of their music to the community, the nation, and the world. Through YWCP, participants of richly diverse socio-ethnic backgrounds find their voices as singers, artists, and women in a nurturing environment that empowers them to achieve artistic and personal excellence.

Required qualifications
• Love of children and the ability to nurture the love of singing in each child
• Bachelor of Music (required) MM (preferred)
• Three or more years successful experience teaching with emphasis on young singers
• Kodály certification, and experience teaching music theory in aural, visual and written forms
• Excellent vocal technique and vocal pedagogy suited to young voices
• Knowledge of quality unison and 2-part repertoire
• Strong leadership ability
• Commitment to excellence in choral artistry
• Competent rehearsal management and organizational skills and ability to meet deadlines
• Excellent interpersonal skills desired to work with staff, volunteers, parents and choristers
• Ability to help with promotion, recruitment and auditions for YWCP

Job Parameters
• Availability to conduct rehearsals on Wednesday from 4-6pm and Sunday from 4- 5:30pm, arriving 30 minutes before and staying 15 minutes after every rehearsal period for supervision, vocal and theory assistance.
• Job includes selecting repertoire, creating lesson plans, conducting rehearsals, teaching sight-reading with solfeggio (moveable Do), distributing and collecting sheet music, writing evaluations, and emailing parents about chorister’s progress and absences if needed. Monthly meetings with other faculty are expected.
• Evaluate choristers and distribute written evaluations to families twice each year, in December and June.
•Salary Range: $14,000 – $16,000 (commensurate with experience)
• Employment is for the academic year of September 2022 – June 2023, which includes 2 concerts and 3 shorter recitals as well as auditions in January and May/June. Additional concerts will be paid at the rate of $180/concert.

This is a part-time employee position, and YWCP will handle appropriate payroll taxes.

To Apply

Interested parties should send a resume and cover letter to [email protected] with Prelude Chorus Director in the subject line. Applications will be accepted until June 15, 2022, or until the position is filled.