Description
Position Overview
The Director of School Programs is a key leadership position responsible for the design, implementation, and evaluation of all direct service music education programs across Midori & Friends’ 65+ school partners. This role leads the program team and supports a roster of professional teaching artists to ensure that every student receives high-quality, impactful, and culturally responsive music experiences.
As the primary liaison with schools, the Director builds strong external relationships with principals, teachers, and administrators, while also working collaboratively with internal colleagues across development, finance, and marketing. This position supervises a three-person full-time programming team, oversees program budgets, supports grant reporting, and represents Midori & Friends at school sites and community events.
The ideal candidate brings deep experience in music/arts education, team leadership, and program management, with a passion for making music accessible to all children regardless of background.
Key Responsibilities
Program Leadership & Management
Oversee the planning, execution, and evaluation of all school-based music education programs, including Play to Learn (instrumental and vocal instruction), Celebrate! Music concert series and Journey to Japan.
Supervise and mentor the programming staff (3 FTE) and provide ongoing professional development for teaching artists.
Lead curriculum design, training workshops, and teaching artist development to ensure consistent program quality.
Conduct regular school site visits and classroom/program observations to assess effectiveness and provide feedback.
School & Community Partnerships
Serve as the primary external contact for school partners, maintaining strong relationships with principals, teachers, and administrators.
Collaborate with school leaders to schedule residencies, performances, and workshops that align with school needs.
Represent Midori & Friends at community events, school showcases, and special performances.
Budgeting, Reporting & Evaluation
Manage program budgets and ensure fiscal responsibility in collaboration with the Finance team.
Partner with Development and Marketing teams to provide program data, evaluation outcomes, and success stories for grants, reports, and promotional materials.
Ensure accurate tracking of program impact and compliance with funder requirements.
Collaboration & Organizational Support
Work with the Executive Director and leadership team on organizational strategy and program growth.
Support annual fundraising events, board engagement activities, and donor cultivation events.
Collaborate with Marketing to highlight program impact and share student and school success stories.
Requirements
Bachelor’s degree in Music, Education, Arts Administration, or related field required.
8 years of experience in music or arts education with at least 3 years of management/supervisory experience.
Proven ability to design, implement, and evaluate school-based programs in diverse communities.
Strong knowledge of curriculum development, teaching artist professional development, and arts integration practices.
Excellent communication and interpersonal skills; comfortable working externally with school leadership and internally across teams.
Experience with budgeting, program evaluation, and grant reporting.
Proficiency with Salesforce, Mailchimp, Canva, Microsoft Suite, and Slack.
Familiarity with NYC Department of Education, NYS Learning Standards, Common
Core Standards, and the NYC Blueprint for Teaching and Learning in Music, as well as knowledge of NYC public schools.
Flexible, adaptive, and collaborative work style; willingness to attend evening/weekend events as needed.
