Boston Public Schools

The Boston Arts Academy, a public high school for the visual and performing arts, with students in Grades 9-12. It is a joint project of the Professional Arts Consortium, Inc.,comprising the Berklee College of Music, Boston Conservatory at Berklee, Boston Architectural Center, Emerson College Massachusetts College of Arts, and the School of the Museum of Fine Arts) and the Boston Public Schools. Boston Arts Academy serves as a laboratory and a beacon for artistic and academic innovation, preparing a diverse community of aspiring artist scholars to be successful in their college or professional careers and to be engaged members of a democratic society.

This innovative school features a college preparatory curriculum supporting integrated and interdisciplinary teaching and learning among arts and academic disciplines. Students explore the arts in both traditional and new media forms. The Academy’s program is enriched by the involvement of the six members of the Professional Arts Consortium. Both the program and the student body at Boston Arts Academy, reflect the culture, ethnic, and linguistic diversity of Boston.

The Academy is a Pilot School and a member of the Boston Pilot Schools Network, a group of Boston Public Schools that, by union contract, have been granted increased autonomy and flexibility to be laboratories of educational innovation. This includes the right to extend the school day and year for both faculty and Students.

The Job Overview

The Boston Arts Academy seeks an exceptional interdisciplinary and multidisciplinary artist who is also skilled a musician and a highly qualified and knowledgeable educator to join our community of teachers, learners, and leaders. At BAA, the teachers and leaders are committed to the vision of high expectations for achievement, equal access to high levels of instruction, the achievement of academic proficiency for all students, and the closing of the achievement gap among subgroups within the schools. BAA is a great place for those who seek to work in an environment that supports their creativity and innovation, and respects their skills and abilities as a teacher.

This candidate will cultivate a safe environment for students to achieve their artistic and creative potential and ensure that each Boston Arts Academy student has an exceptional arts education. This candidate will be responsible for creating dynamic lessons and learning experiences to ensure their students are challenged and primed for growth. Successful candidates will have a strong background in hip-hop production, contemporary music, and audio/video technology and production. Additional expertise in guitar and/or electric bass guitar performance preferred along with the experience necessary for and commitment to obtaining the Vocational-Tech License of Radio and Television Broadcasting. 

Responsibilities:

Teach: Music Production, Engineering and Contemporary Music, and Performance Ensemble(s)

1. Teach audio production, sound mixing, engineering, hip-hop performance and production, contemporary music ensemble(s) and music theory and integrate a range of other media technology into the curriculum. 
2. Teach guitar and bass and contemporary music ensemble(s) 
3. Create and document thoughtful lesson plans
4. Communicate regularly with parents on progress of students 
5. Collaborate with a team of music educators to support all department events, productions and curricular initiatives
6. Interact with parents and students regularly by being visible and accessible via Google Classroom, E-mail, and student information system. 
7. Lead an Advisory/Homeroom Group
8. Meet all state and federal guidelines in order to be fully licensed and "Highly Qualified". 
9. Attend evening meetings, one per semester, with families of students.
10. Perform general administrative tasks to teaching including but not limited to grading students and communicating .
11. Hold a bachelor’s degree in relevant discipline. (copy of transcript required).
12. Excellent communication skills.
13. Current authorization to work in the United States - Candidates must have such authorization by their first day of employment.
14. As an autonomous school within the BPS, BTU members are required to work an additional 146 hours above the contracted time. That time includes attending 2 days of professional development before the BTU start day in August, attending 2.5 additional days of professional development in June beyond the contracted days, and attending a weekly hour department meeting outside of the contracted hours. 

Core Competencies: Using the Rubric of Effective Teaching, the Office of Human Capital has identified priority skills and abilities that all BPS teachers should possess:

1. Accountability for Student Achievement

(II-A-1. Quality of Effort and Work, II-D-2. High Expectations, I-B-2. Adjustments to Practice)

• Sets ambitious learning goals for all students, creates cognitively demanding tasks, and models the belief that that all students can master challenging material through effective effort
• Assesses students’ understanding regularly with ambitious learning goals in mind and takes ownership of making necessary adjustments to instruction to reach goals despite setbacks
• Passionate and optimistic about their students, their content, and the teaching profession

1. Communicating Content Knowledge

(I-A-1. Subject Matter Knowledge, I-A-4. Well-Structured Lessons)

• Demonstrates mastery of and enthusiasm for content area and the pedagogy it requires
• Demonstrates understanding for how the subject matter applies in real-world settings and connects to other content areas and relevant standards
• Can convey content in creative and engaging ways that align to standards

1. Equitable & Effective Instruction

(II-A-3. Meeting Diverse Needs, II-A-2. Student Engagement, II-B-1. Safe Learning Environment)

• Scaffolds and differentiates instruction in order for all students to do complex thinking and rigorous academic work
• Uses instructional practices that are likely to challenge, motivate, and engage all students and facilitate equitable, active student participation
• Builds a productive learning environment where every student participates and is valued as part of the class community

1. Cultural Proficiency

(II-C-1. Respects Differences, II-C-2. Maintains Respectful Environment)

• Actively creates and maintains an environment in which students’ diverse backgrounds, identities, strengths, and challenges are respected

1. Parent/Family Engagement

(III-A-1. Parent/Family Engagement)

• Engages with families and builds collaborative, respectful relationships with them in service of student learning

1. Professional Reflection & Collaboration

(IV-A-1. Reflective Practice, IV-C-1. Professional Collaboration)

• Regularly reflects on practice, seeks and responds to feedback, and demonstrates self-awareness and commitment to continuous learning and development
• Seeks to participate in and contribute to a collaborative adult learning community.

Qualifications - Required:

• Education: Bachelor’s Degree

1. Hold a valid Massachusetts Teaching License in Music (All Levels).
2. Meet all state and federal guidelines in order to be fully licensed and "Highly Qualified" according to NCLB. 
3. 4. Ability to meet the Standards of Effective Teaching established by the Boston Public Schools as outlined above. 
4. 5. Current authorization to work in the United States - Candidates must have such authorization by their first day of employment.
5. Experience teaching and/or performing contemporary music styles and production and 4+ years working professionally in audio/video technology and production, sound design, sound mixing.
6. Knowledge of music theory and curriculum design
7. Experience as a hip-hop artist and producer
8. Experience as an interdisciplinary/multidisciplinary artist who also has formal music school training
9. Enthusiastic, flexible, patient, and positive demeanor
10. Passion for teaching

Qualifications - Preferred:

1. Experience teaching in urban schools.
2. Holds a master’s degree in a relevant discipline
3. Skilled as a guitar and bass teacher
4. Experience as an interdisciplinary and multidisciplinary artist. 
5. Must be eligible for Radio and TV Broadcasting license and a commitment to obtaining the Radio and TV Broadcasting Vocational License within a year. 
6. BPS values linguistic diversity and believes that candidates who speak another language bring added value to the classroom, school, and district culture and diversity. BPS is particularly interested in candidates who are fluent in one of BPS' official languages: Spanish, Cabo Verdean Creole, Haitian Creole , Chinese, Vietnamese, Portuguese, & Somali.