Music Teacher / Instrumental & Choral Director (Part-Time)
Davis Chicago · Chicago · $13,000–$18,000 (stated in the posting)
Part-Time Founding Teaching Position · Reports to the Principal · Bachelor’s degree required; Master’s preferred in Music, Music Education, or Conducting · Instrumental and choral conducting and ensemble-building experience required · Illinois Professional Educator License in music preferred and National Board Certification a major plus · 3+ years of secondary (grades 6–12) teaching or directing experience preferred; high school (grades 9–12) teaching highly preferred · College-preparatory, independent, Jewish day or faith-based school experience is a plus. Being Jewish is not a requirement for this role. Fewer years but exceptional craft? We hire for mastery, not seat time.
Are you a musician’s musician who builds young ensembles from the first downbeat and the first warm-up, instrumental and vocal alike? Do you believe music teaches discipline, listening, and joy like nothing else in a school? Are you excited to build a music program from zero at a new college-preparatory school? If so, Davis School Chicago wants to hear from you.
The Dream Team
Davis School Chicago is a proudly Jewish, college-preparatory high school opening in fall 2027 in downtown Chicago, in a state-of-the-art building at the heart of a great city for learning. Every adult at Davis Chicago is an educator and a culture-builder. We hold two expectations at the same time: deep human warmth and uncompromising intellectual excellence. High health and high results, never one at the cost of the other. This is a summary of the characteristics that describe our dream team. Please read the full Profile of the Ideal Davis Chicago Educator and more information about our opportunities before you apply.
To thrive here you are:
Warm and intellectually formidable. Genuinely kind and seriously bright. We hire for intellectual horsepower; only sharp minds grow students to their full potential.
You bring the room to life. Passion people feel, loud or quiet, with the range to teach, support, and lead.
A builder who owns it. Startup grit, a real growth mindset, open about mistakes, gives the gift of feedback, and the drive to create what doesn’t exist yet.
Teach how to think, not what to think. Rigor, evidence, and a love of hard questions, including the controversial ones. Students reach their own conclusions.
Rooted in tradition, built for what’s next. Ancient wisdom and modern tools, AI included, aimed at today's problems.
Unapologetically Jewish. Israel has a right to exist; that is not up for debate. Everything else is fair game, including spirited debate about Israel’s actions. You’re excited to help build a proudly Jewish, pro-Israel school.
What Davis Chicago Needs
Davis Chicago is hiring a part-time Music Teacher to build instrumental and choral music at the school. Founding-year sections are drawn from Instrumental Ensemble Foundation, Drumline, Chorus, and Music Theory as founding-class elective choices fill them, with the program’s performance calendar built alongside them.
If you are interested in a full-time role and have the ability to teach across the arts in addition to music, Davis School Chicago is also hiring a founding Arts Department Chair. This role is a teacher-leader who builds our visual and performing arts program and teaches in it every day.
Who Thrives in This Role
Warm, Relational, and High-Performing – Kind, emotionally intelligent, intellectually rigorous, and committed to excellence.
A Musician’s Musician – Ensemble craft, a real ear, and standards students rise to.
A Program Builder – Recruits, stages, and grows young ensembles, instrumental and vocal, from zero.
An Entrepreneurial Builder – Thrives in ambiguity, solves problems, and creates programs, systems, and traditions from the ground up.
A Curious and Courageous Thinker – Embraces learning, evidence, critical thinking, and meaningful debate.
Rooted and Forward-Looking – Honors tradition while embracing innovation, technology, and AI.
Committed to Jewish Life and Community – Values Jewish identity, the diversity of Jewish thought, and meaningful engagement in Jewish life.
A Collaborative Culture-Builder – Balances accountability, care, and results while elevating everyone around them.
The Role
The Music Teacher is responsible for delivering engaging, rigorous, and student-centered instruction across the founding music courses, instrumental and choral, and for building the ensembles, performance traditions, and musical culture of a brand-new school. This educator will develop students’ musicianship, technique, healthy vocal and instrumental habits, and ensemble discipline, while building the theory and listening habits that carry students toward AP Music Theory and a lifetime of serious music-making.
The successful candidate will build ensembles that sound better every semester and will make music, played and sung, a visible, joyful presence in the life of the school. As a founding faculty member, the Music Teacher will help shape curriculum, establish traditions, contribute to school culture, and collaborate closely with colleagues across disciplines to create a vibrant and integrated educational experience.
1. Instruction and Curriculum
Teach sections of Instrumental Ensemble Foundation, Drumline, Chorus, and Music Theory, including Music Theory Honors, as assigned.
Design and implement engaging, standards-based instruction that builds musicianship, technique, sight-reading and sight-singing, and ensemble discipline appropriate to a college-preparatory program.
Teach in the spirit of the accomplished-practice standards for music teaching (National Board for Professional Teaching Standards): students learn to sing and perform on instruments expressively; to compose, improvise, and read music; and to listen to, evaluate, and describe music.
Recruit and build founding ensembles, instrumental and choral, across the range of instruments, voices, and experience a first class brings.
Teach healthy vocal technique in every choral rehearsal and sound instrumental fundamentals in every ensemble.
Establish the equipment, library, repertoire, and rehearsal systems a durable program needs.
Promote inquiry-based learning, studio practice, rehearsal and performance, critique, and project-based experiences, including immersive and experiential approaches where they deepen mastery.
Build toward the Advanced Placement frameworks that anchor the music sequence — AP Music Theory — and teach so that students meet or exceed them. At Davis Chicago, top AP scores are the byproduct of rich, rigorous instruction, never of test-prep culture.
Champion portfolio-worthy student work — performances and recordings — and help students build audition materials, opening pathways toward collegiate and professional music opportunities.
Differentiate instruction to support diverse learners and learning styles.
Utilize educational technology and innovative teaching methodologies to enhance student engagement and achievement.
Assess student progress through a variety of formative and summative measures and provide timely, meaningful feedback.
Develop authentic assessments that measure student growth and mastery.
Collaborate in the development of a vertically aligned music curriculum, from the Foundation courses through the Honors ensemble levels and AP Music Theory.
2. Student Development
Foster a classroom environment characterized by curiosity, respect, inclusion, and intellectual challenge.
Build strong relationships with students and serve as a trusted mentor and advisor.
Support students’ academic, social, and emotional growth.
Encourage student leadership, confidence, and active participation in school life.
3. Community and Culture Building
Contribute actively to the vibrant culture and mission of Davis School Chicago.
Partner with colleagues to support school-wide programming, celebrations, and community initiatives.
Help create opportunities for students to engage with music beyond the classroom, from honor ensembles and festivals to a visible culture of performance.
Serve as an ambassador for music education within the school and broader community.
Showcase student achievement through concerts, festivals, competitions, and public events.
Plan and lead the founding performance calendar: concerts, community moments, and school celebrations.
Participate in faculty meetings, professional development, and community events as scoped for a part-time role.
Help moderate student clubs and activities where scope allows.
4. Family Engagement and Collaboration
Communicate regularly and effectively with families regarding student progress, learning goals, and rehearsal and performance commitments.
Collaborate with colleagues across academic departments to develop interdisciplinary learning experiences.
Partner with faculty and school leadership to advance school goals, curriculum development, and student success initiatives.
Qualifications
Education: Bachelor’s degree required; Master’s preferred in Music, Music Education, or Conducting.
Experience: Instrumental and choral conducting and ensemble-building required; 3+ years of secondary (grades 6–12) teaching or directing preferred; high school (grades 9–12) teaching highly preferred.
Licensure: Illinois Professional Educator License in music preferred; National Board Certification a major plus.
Craft: Evidence of ensembles, instrumental and vocal, that sounded better every semester you led them.
Core Competencies
Musicianship: ensemble craft and ear at a professional standard.
Vocal and Instrumental Pedagogy: healthy technique at every level.
Program Building: recruiting, staging, and systems from zero.
Community: music visible in the life of the school.
Compensation and Benefits
The anticipated compensation for this position is $13,000–$18,000 per section, per year, aligned to the same step-and-lane logic as the school’s established Faculty Salary Schedule. Placement within the range is determined by a combination of relevant experience and educational attainment, including Bachelor's, Master's, Master's + additional graduate credits, Education Specialist (Ed.S.), and Doctoral (Ed.D./Ph.D.) degrees, with the upper band reserved for advanced degrees, exceptional depth, and hard-to-staff assignments. The number of sections is agreed annually with the master schedule. Paid leave and paid sick leave accrue as required by law; this position is not eligible for the school’s benefits package.
How We Hire
Our process is thorough and we believe that hiring is a dual decision-making process; you are vetting us as much as we are vetting you. Our process includes focused conversations with the people you would work with, a battery of assessments we use for your development as much as for selection, and interview rounds both in-person and virtually. We use artificial intelligence tools in our recruitment and hiring process to help review and organize applications and interviews; every hiring decision is made by a person. Davis School Chicago is an equal employment opportunity employer.
Is this you?
This isn’t for everyone. If it’s you, it may be the best work of your life. Read the full Profile of the Ideal Davis Chicago Educator, then apply.
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