Ravinia is both North America’s longest-running music festival and its most artistically diverse. Over 100 different events by a mix of classical, rock, pop, jazz, R&B, indie, and country performers make up a typical summer season on our two open-air and two indoor stages. Each year the Chicago Symphony Orchestra is featured in six weeks of concerts, many with Chief Conductor Marin Alsop. During the same summer months, the Ravinia Steans Music Institute provides young professional classical and jazz musicians with career-advancing training and concert settings. Offstage and year-round, Ravinia’s Reach Teach Play education programs engage 75,000 children and adults—in schools with little to no music curriculum, in our Chicagoland communities, and at our 36-acre park—in our mission to make music equitably accessible to all.

The Flute Instructor will teach students in small (flute studio) and large (woodwind sectionals) groups of elementary and middle school students participating in the Sistema Ravinia Lawndale nucleo . The Flute Instructor reports to the Program Manager and will be part of a team of instructors that will inspire all participating students and be responsible for maintaining a standard of excellence and upholding the values and mission for Sistema Ravinia. The ideal candidate will be an extraordinary teacher, artist, mentor, and model for Sistema Ravinia students. This role is a part-time, hourly instructional seasonal employee position.  

Duties and Responsibilities

• Teach repertoire, technique and music theory through flute sectionals and woodwind studios 
• Assist with large ensemble rehearsals as needed 
• Facilitate with a team of teachers daily transitions on site including student movement between snack time, rehearsals, and dismissal
• Record attendance with a team of teachers and report community attendance concerns to the Site Coordinator 
• Communicate student behavioral, musical, and social challenges with administration
• Foster student empowerment and focus on the holistic education of each child
• Engage students through the development and implementation of creative lesson plans that foster social and musical growth
• Active participation and collaboration in term planning and professional learning sessions to help create and implement an innovative curriculum and pedagogy that supports each child holistically
• Assess student progress and ensure curriculum alignment on an ongoing basis

Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities

• Enthusiasm for El Sistema and its philosophy of social change through music
• Interest and ability to be a motivational mentor and role model for students, parents, and community
• Superior interpersonal skills

Education and Experience

• Experience working with groups of children, youth orchestras, or in the El Sistema music education model
• Experience and desire to work with children from diverse ethnic and economic backgrounds
• Bachelor’s degree in music or 2-3 years related work experience

Work Environment

• Working at Frazier International Magnet and Gregory Elementary in the Lawndale community
• Working after school and/or during the school day enrichment period two to three days per week with some evenings and weekends required for concerts and special activities (Program Hours: Mondays and Wednesdays from 1:00 – 5:30pm and Tuesdays from 3:00 - 5:30pm at Gregory Elementary)
• Ability to travel to the Kehrein Center for the Arts (5628 W Washington Blvd, Chicago, IL 60644) for large orchestra rehearsals combined with the Sistema Ravinia Austin nucleo
• Sistema Ravinia programming runs throughout the school year and 2-4 weeks during the summer. 
• Interaction with young students, parents and administrators where the safety of the students is paramount

Compensation: $50 per hour for instructional time and $25 per hour for non-instructional time (meetings, professional learning, and curriculum development)

About the Program: Sistema Ravinia is an intensive orchestral music education program that provides daily music training for students at two schools in the Lawndale community. Participating students meet after school throughout the year at their nucleo (program site) and are taught in sectionals and full orchestra. Shaped by the philosophy of the noted El Sistema model, Ravinia has embraced the notion of transforming groups of children into communities of musicians who in turn transform their communities.  Students receive mentorship from teachers and administrators that make them feel loved and valued as an asset to their nucleo community.  

Sistema Ravinia Lawndale launched in 2020 at Gregory Elementary and Frazier International Magnet. Students from Gregory Elementary learn band instruments and students from Frazier International Magnet learn string instruments.  Students meet at their individual schools three to four days per week with several opportunities each year to combine with our other program sites in Austin and Lake County, rehearsing and performing as a full symphony orchestra. Sistema Ravinia Lawndale looks forward to continuing program growth and excellence as we welcome a new cohort of 4th/5th grade students each fall, providing music education through the 8th grade at their school.

Ravinia is an Equal Opportunity Employer

As an equal opportunity employer, Ravinia strongly believes that diversity of backgrounds, experiences, and perspectives is essential to our success and we strive to create and sustain an equitable and inclusive environment for all our employees. Ravinia does not discriminate on the basis of any protected status under federal, state, or local law. We encourage individuals of all identities and abilities to apply.