High String Instructor (Violin/Viola), Sistema Ravinia Austin

Ravinia Festival Association; Chicago (IL); On-site; USD 25,000 - 35,000; Part time

Job summary

Ravinia Festival Association seeks a passionate High String Instructor for their Sistema Ravinia program in Chicago, providing orchestral music education to students. In this part-time role, you will inspire young musicians through engaging instruction and mentorship within a supportive community. The position runs through the school year and offers a competitive hourly wage for instructional and non-instructional time.

Qualifications

• Experience working with youth orchestras or El Sistema.
• Ability to engage and inspire students from diverse backgrounds.
• Enthusiasm for social change through music.

Responsibilities

• Teach small and large group sessions for elementary and middle school students in music.
• Foster a holistic education focusing on social and musical growth.
• Assist with ensemble rehearsals and develop creative lesson plans.

Skills

Interpersonal Skills

Motivational Mentoring

Passion for Music Education

Education

Bachelor’s degree in music

2-3 years related work experience

Job description

Company Description

Ravinia is both North America’s longest-running not-for-profit music festival and its most artistically diverse. Over 100 different events by a mix of classical, rock, pop, jazz, R&B, indie, and country performers make up a typical summer season on our two open-air and two indoor stages. Each year the Chicago Symphony Orchestra is featured in six weeks of concerts, many with Chief Conductor Marin Alsop. During the same summer months, the Ravinia Steans Music Institute provides young professional classical and jazz musicians with career-advancing training and concert settings.Offstage and year-round, Ravinia’s Reach Teach Play education programs engage 50,000 children and adults—in schools with little to no music curriculum, in our Chicagoland communities, and at our 36-acre park—in our mission to make music equitably accessible to all.Ravinia embraces diversity in all forms and is committed to providing an equitable and inclusive environment for all staff, musicians, guest artists, audiences, and community members. Ravinia is proud to be an equal-opportunity employer. We encourage individuals of all identities and abilities to apply.

Job Description

About the Program:

Sistema Ravinia is an intensive orchestral music education program that provides daily music training for students at two schools in the Austin community. Participating students meet after school throughout the year at their nucleo (program site) and are taught in sectionals and full orchestra. Shaped by the philosophy of the noted El Sistema model, Ravinia has embraced the notion of transforming groups of children into communities of musicians who in turn transform their communities. Students receive mentorship from teachers and administrators that make them feel loved and valued as an asset to their nucleo community.

Sistema Ravinia launched in 2012 and Circle Rock was the first school to join the initiative. In 2019, the Sistema Ravinia Austin Nucleo expanded to add GR Clark. Students from Circle Rock study wind, brass, and percussion instruments and students from GR Clark learn string instruments. Students meet at their individual schools two to three days per week and join together in the Kehrein Center for the Arts to rehearse as a full symphony orchestra once per week.

Position Summary

The High String Instructor will teach students in small (violin and viola studio) and large (high string sectionals) groups of elementary and middle school students participating in the Sistema Ravinia Austin nucleo. The High String Instructor reports to the Program Manager and will be part of a team of instructors that will inspire all participating students and be responsible for maintaining a standard of excellence and upholding the values and mission for Sistema Ravinia. The ideal candidate will be an extraordinary teacher, artist, mentor, and model for Sistema Ravinia students. This role is a part-time, hourly instructional seasonal employee position.

Key Responsibilities

• Teach repertoire, technique and music theory through high string sectionals and violin and viola studios

• Assist with large ensemble rehearsals as needed

• Facilitate with a team of teachers daily transitions on site including student movement between snack time, rehearsals, and dismissal

• Record attendance with a team of teachers and report community attendance concerns to the Site Coordinator

• Communicate student behavioral, musical, and social challenges with administration

• Foster student empowerment and focus on the holistic education of each child

• Engage students through the development and implementation of creative lesson plans that foster social and musical growth

• Active participation and collaboration in term planning and professional learning sessions to help create and implement an innovative curriculum and pedagogy that supports each child holistically

• Assess student progress and ensure curriculum alignment on an ongoing basis

Qualifications

Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities

• Enthusiasm for El Sistema and its philosophy of social change through music

• Interest and ability to be a motivational mentor and role model for students, parents, and community

• Superior interpersonal skills

Education and Experience

• Experience working with groups of children, youth orchestras, or in the El Sistema music education model

• Experience and desire to work with children from diverse ethnic and economic backgrounds

• Bachelor’s degree in music or 2-3 years related work experience

Additional information

Work Environment

• The regular teaching schedule for this position is as follows beginning in September 2025 and running through May 2026: Tuesdays and Thursdays: 2:45-5:15pm at George Rogers Clark Elementary, Wednesdays 2:30-5:30pm at the Kehrein Center for the Arts in the Austin community of Chicago. Some evenings and weekends may be required for concerts and special events; these dates will be communicated at the start of each program term.

• Sistema Ravinia programming runs throughout the school year (late September - mid May) and 3 weeks during the summer.

• Interaction with young students, parents and administrators where the safety of the students is paramount

• Note that this posting is open for the 2025-2026 program year that begins in September of 2025.

Compensation

$50 per hour for instructional time and $25 per hour for non-instructional time (meetings, professional development, and curriculum development).

Ravinia is an Equal Opportunity Employer

As an equal opportunity employer, Ravinia strongly believes that diversity of backgrounds, experiences, and perspectives is essential to our success. We strive to create and sustain an equitable and inclusive environment for all our employees. Ravinia does not discriminate on the basis of any protected status under federal, state, or local law. We encourage individuals of all identities and abilities to apply.

All your information will be kept confidential according to EEO guidelines.