After School Guitar Teaching Artist

Since 1955, Young Musicians Foundation’s (YMF) mission has been to empower underserved students to find creativity, connection, and joy through music. YMF’s Teaching Artists are at the heart of our organization’s mission by providing tuition-free weekly music instruction to students and community members. Through partnerships with under-resourced schools and community programs, our accessible and responsive approach to music instruction reaches students ages 4 to adult across the greater Los Angeles area, covering a 195-square-mile area.

Mission Statement:

To disrupt systems of inequity through healing-based music education, creative career pathways, and multigenerational community engagement.

Position Summary:

Reporting to the Director of Programs, Teaching Artists are responsible for music instruction for their assigned site(s). Our TAs ensure the highest-quality learning experience for our students by creating group lesson plans informed by social-emotional learning (SEL) and visual and performing arts (VAPA) standards. These lesson plans are highly engaging, build skills, are culturally affirming, and create a safe classroom environment that cultivates the holistic growth of students. This position will also collaborate with other Teaching Artists, staff, students, families, and the surrounding community.

Hours:

This placement will occur twice a week from Mon-Weds afterschool in Boyle Heights.

You are:

Familiar with various types of popular and regional Mexican music
Experienced in working with students from diverse and/or underserved communities in a classroom or group setting
Able to challenge Eurocentric structures inherent in the music education system and actively explore traditional and modern intersections of music across cultural perspectives
Flexible, collaborative, and able to incorporate a culturally responsive curriculum and pedagogy to a broad range of youth.
Experienced with classroom management and organizational techniques that emphasize a positive, anti-bias, and restorative justice approach to supporting students
An effective communicator with excellent interpersonal and communication skills (oral and written), and has the ability to excel as part of a team
Interested in personal growth as an artist educator within a community of like-minded, talented individuals
Able to differentiate instruction to address a variety of student learning abilities and consider varying skill levels
A four-year undergraduate degree holder in music/music education, a post-graduate degree OR demonstrated expertise in their respective art form
Essential Duties and Responsibilities:

Build and maintain strong relationships with students to foster a nurturing and engaging learning atmosphere, with a focus on enhancing retention and encouraging continued participation
Develop and facilitate music lessons
Track and maintain student attendance as required
Create detailed substitute lesson plans and arrange for substitute coverage as needed
Facilitate setup/cleanup of classrooms for lessons as needed
Preparing students for a culminating project at the end of each term
Additional duties as required
Physical and Additional Requirements*:

Position self to interact with youth
Communicate information clearly in what can be a loud environment
The ability to discern and digest audio information accurately, and effectively communicate a summarization of particulars so others will understand
Access to reliable transportation in order to travel to teaching sites
May need to occasionally move, set up, and adjust classroom or music equipment weighing up to 40 pounds
*We will provide any reasonable accommodations as required.

We encourage you to apply if this job sounds like a good fit for you, even if you don’t feel you meet all the qualifications/requirements. Folks who are queer, trans, non-binary, people of color, parents, are/have been system impacted, have different abilities, are immigrants, and anyone who has experienced systemic oppression and gender-based violence are encouraged to apply.

Salary: $60 per hour for in-person teaching $20 per hour for professional development $35 per hour for concerts and program events as required

Benefits: N/A

Education requirements: High School Degree 

Deadline to apply: December 1, 2025 

Documents required to apply:Resume, Cover Letter, Work Sample/Portfolio

How to apply:

Please complete your application by the website. 

and apply though the application link on bottom of the description