BRAVO Music Director

Oak Park Elementary District 97; Oak Park (IL); On-site; USD 34,000 - 83,000; Part time

Job summary

Oak Park Elementary District 97's BRAVO program seeks an experienced Music Director to teach, lead, and refine the music for our upcoming full-scale musical theatre productions.

The role is an after-school contractor position, requiring strong piano and reading skills, collaboration with a creative team, and a commitment to equity in line with BoardPolicy 7:12.

Qualifications

• Strong piano and vocal literacy with ability to read scores.
• Experience in musical theatre and teaching middle-school students.
• Proven leadership in a collaborative rehearsal setting.

Responsibilities

• Teach and refine music for productions including parts and harmonies.
• Collaborate with the Director, Choreographer, and production team.
• Plan rehearsals with clear goals and deadlines.
• Lead effective rehearsals with piano skills and a positive environment.
• Coordinate sound needs, mic assignments, and tech checks.
• Support production readiness within budget and coordinate production elements.

Skills

Piano proficiency

Vocal skills

Musical theatre experience

Leadership

Creative problem solving

Communication

Collaboration

Reliability

Tools

QLab

Live sound equipment

Wireless microphones

Job description

D97 Ideal Team Member Profile

• The ideal team member in District 97 is a visionary and equity-centered leader who inspires excellence and fosters collective responsibility for student success. This individual:
• Champions the district's vision and drives forward-thinking, innovative practices that anticipate future educational needs.
• Stewards public trust and resources with fiscal responsibility and ethical transparency.
• Demonstrates relentless commitment to student success, ensuring that every decision supports equitable opportunities and outcomes for all learners.
• Organizes and empowers teams to work collaboratively toward shared goals, recognizing the interdependence of roles across departments and schools.
• Fosters a culture of care, learning, and service, grounded in authentic engagement with students, families, staff, and community members.
• Models integrity, professionalism, and confidentiality, serving as a role model for ethical and respectful conduct at all levels.
• Thrives in a culturally, racially, and linguistically diverse environment, showing a deep passion for inclusive practices and building belonging for all team members.
• Seeks and embraces feedback, especially when it challenges them to grow and improve in service of students and colleagues.
• Understands the powerful intersection of leadership, learning, and equity, and aligns their work to dismantle systemic barriers.
• Courageously addresses unprofessional behavior, holding self and others accountable to high standards in service to the community and students.

Job Details

Perm/contract Temporary / Contractor

Department Extra Curricular - Contracted Position

Primary Reporting Location Brooks

Level N/A

Salary TBD

Date Available ASAP

Job Category Extra Curricular

Reports To Artistic Director

About The Role

BRAVO is an award-winning musical theater program at Gwendolyn Brooks Middle School. We are seeking an experienced, confident, and collaborative Music Director to teach, lead, and refine the music for our upcoming full-scale musical theater productions.

The Music Director (MD) is an after-school contractor position that works with the creative team to inspire excellence through music and storytelling. Rehearsal requirements vary Monday-Friday 3:30-6:30pm and some Saturdays 9am-12pm ( Additional times during tech week)

The MD does not accompany performances, but must be a strong pianist who can confidently read music, piano/vocal scores and teach students with musicality, confidence, clarity, and intention.The MD interacts with and responds to students, and staff in ways that demonstrates their alignment and agreement with the district's equity commitments as expressed in BoardPolicy 7:12: Ensuring Racial and Educational Equity.

Essential Duties And Responsibilities

• Teach, lead, and refine the music for full-scale productions, including vocal parts, harmonies, dynamics, style, musicality, storytelling, and individual student growth.
• Collaborate with the Director, Choreographer, Associate Director, Production Manager, Sound Engineer, and BRAVO staff to support the artistic vision and coordinate all musical and production needs.
• Plan and prepare thoroughly by reviewing the script and score, preparing auditions/callbacks, creating ensembles and vocal parts, and developing an organized rehearsal schedule with clear goals and deadlines.
• Lead effective rehearsals with strong piano skills, prepared materials, warm-ups, and individualized coaching while maintaining a respectful, focused, and positive environment.
• Prepare and coordinate sound needs, including creating the microphone list, coordinating microphone assignments, and assisting with sound checks, placement, troubleshooting, and vocal balance during tech and performances.
• Support production readiness by coordinating musical and technical needs for tech week and performances, working within the production budget, and collaborating on props, costumes, sets, lighting, and other production elements as needed.
• Be reliable, punctual, organized, and professional, communicating proactively with the team and BRAVO office and leaving rehearsal and performance spaces clean, organized, and secure.
• Tidy and organize working areas prior to leaving each day. Turn off auditorium and classroom lights when exiting

Content, Knowledge, Skills, And Abilities

• Musical proficiency: Strong piano and vocal skills; able to read music and piano/vocal scores confidently.
• Theater experience: Experience in musical theater, vocal instruction, music education, or a related field; experience working with children, particularly middle-school students.
• Leadership: Confidently lead and direct performers while maintaining high standards and a positive rehearsal environment.
• Creativity: Bring creative problem-solving and musical ideas to the rehearsal and production process.
• Communication and collaboration: Clearly communicate musical ideas and expectations with students, performers, Director, Choreographer, and production team.
• Interpersonal skills: Build positive, respectful relationships and work effectively with a diverse creative and production team.
• Adaptability: Flexible and responsive to the needs of the production, students, and creative team.
• Reliability and professionalism: Dependable, punctual, organized, prepared, and committed to maintaining a professional rehearsal environment.

Candidate Qualifications

• Experience operating live theater sound, particularly productions using 2030 wireless microphones, preferred
• Experience with QLab or other theater playback/production software, preferred

Physical Requirements

This position requires the performance of light work which requires exerting up to 20 pounds of force occasionally, and/or up to 10 pounds of force frequently to move objects. The position includes close visual acuity, frequent talking, hearing, walking, climbing stairs and standing, occasional lifting, carrying, pushing, and/or pulling, some stooping, kneeling, crouching, and/or crawling, and significant fine finger dexterity. The job is performed in non-hazardous environments and a clean atmosphere. The position requires indoor and outdoor supervision during varying temperatures and climatic conditions.

Equal Opportunity & Diversity Statement

As we continue to uplift our equity policy. Our goal is to recruit, employ, support, and retain racially and linguistically diverse and culturally competent administrative, instructional and support personnel. Oak Park Elementary School District 97 is an equal opportunity employer and values diversity at our company. We do not discriminate on the basis of race, religion, color, national origin, gender, sexual orientation, age, marital status, veteran status, or disability status. We are committed to creating an inclusive environment for all employees.

The mental demands, physical demands, and work environment characteristics are representative of those an employee encounters while performing the essential functions of this job. Reasonable accommodations may be made to allow an employee with disabilities to perform the essential functions.