Senior Manager, Curriculum & Instruction

Colonial Group; Los Angeles (CA); On-site; USD 92,000 - 95,000; Full time

Job summary

Los Angeles Philharmonic’s YOLA program seeks a Senior Manager, Curriculum and Instruction to guide curriculum development for local and national programs. You will supervise instructional coaches and ensure teaching artists deliver instruction aligned with core pillars and national standards.

The role requires at least five years of teaching and mentoring experience, a music education degree (master’s preferred), and a commitment to inclusive, equitable access to music education.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in music education; Master’s preferred.
• Teaching credential in music or related authorization.
• At least 5 years of classroom teaching experience across K-12.
• At least 5 years coaching experience of other teachers.
• Commitment to equity, diversity, and inclusion in music education.

Responsibilities

• Develop and oversee the YOLA curriculum across local and national programs.
• Lead teacher training and professional development series.
• Manage curriculum alignment with national standards for music education.
• Coordinate evaluation processes for curriculum and teaching artists.
• Support recruitment and growth pathways for music educators.

Education

Bachelor’s degree in music education

Master’s degree preferred

Single Subject Teaching Credential in Music

Experience mentoring teachers

Strong organizational and communication skills

Job description

Senior Manager, Curriculum and Instruction

Position Status: Full-Time, Exempt

Reports to: Director of Programs and Instructional Partnerships, YOLA

Compensation:

$92,000 - $95,000

Department:

Learning

About Learning at the LA Phil:

Leading the LA Phil’s strategic engagement with youth and education across Los Angeles, the Learning programs at the LA Phil champion the organization’s investment in the larger arts ecosystem while providing thought‑leadership and advocacy for youth engagement program models that uplift and inspire.

About the YOLA Program

Mission Statement

YOLA provides transformational and equitable access to music education for young people from underserved communities, to support their personal development, their communities, and beyond.

YOLA Vision for Impact

By 2035, YOLA is serving well over 4,000 students across LA County. Thousands of alumni believe the transformative experience of playing music with the YOLA community contributed to their personal development, a path to excellence, and a deep and lasting love of music, motivating them to meaningfully contribute as adults to the creative industry ecosystem.

Program Summary

YOLA (Youth Orchestra Los Angeles) is LA Phil’s signature education program, inspired by El Sistema and led by Gustavo Dudamel. YOLA provides over 1,700 students annually access to instruments, high-quality music instruction, and holistic support, helping young people thrive artistically, socially, and academically at no cost.

The work of YOLA is focused on two areas: Local programs, which directly serve communities across Los Angeles, and national programs which provide opportunities for young musicians, teaching artists, program administrators, and other stakeholders to learn from and create community with one another.

Position Summary

The Senior Manager, Curriculum and Instruction is an essential position with the YOLA program and oversees the ongoing development of the YOLA curriculum for its local and national programs. Overseeing the implementation of all music evaluations and teacher training, the Senior Manager, Curriculum and Instruction ensures that the pillars of the YOLA curriculum are adhered to throughout all areas of the program, particularly ensuring that all teaching artists are equipped to deliver instruction in accordance with these pillars. The Senior Manager, Curriculum and Instruction also provides oversight and governance to instructional coaches who facilitate the curriculum within existing and partner hub locations. The Senior Manager, Curriculum and Instruction, is responsible for the design of all elements of the YOLA curriculum and brings expertise in pedagogy for instrumental and orchestral music, tying in the artistic goals of the program and creating a foundation for program design across YOLA.

As a core member of the YOLA leadership team, the Senior Manager, Curriculum and Instruction leads the charge on best practices in music education and aligns the curriculum with national, core arts standards within the context of a social impact program. The Senior Manager, Curriculum and Instruction advocates for inclusive and diverse representation in learning settings and repertoire and can successfully strategize the appropriate training and resources necessary to enact this vision. The Senior Manager, Curriculum and Instruction sets the curricular vision for both local and national programs and supervises how pedagogy is applied and meets the high artistic goals of the program. This position designs the trajectory of the pedagogy of the program in collaboration with the Director of Programs and Instructional Partnerships, YOLA and YOLA Artistic Director.

The Senior Manager, Curriculum and Instruction is an experienced music classroom instructor, with at least five years in the classroom and at least three years leading, mentoring and evaluating other educators with varying levels of ability and experience. The Senior Manager, Curriculum and Instruction relies predominately on student and teaching artists evaluation data to support and enhance teaching practices resulting in enhanced, data‑driven teaching practices. This position will also have demonstrated experience and success designing and implementing recruitment strategies for attracting and retaining music teachers. The Senior Manager, Curriculum and Instruction holds experience with different age and developmental stages for young people. Working closing with program leadership, the Senior Manager, Curriculum and Instruction identifies research opportunities that align with and can measure successful outcomes for all curriculum initiatives across the entire program. As a core member of the YOLA team, this role interacts with each of the main areas of the program: Artistic, Operations, Student Outcomes and Programs. In such, the Senior Manager Curriculum and Instruction, along with the Director of Programs and Instructional Partnerships, focuses on individual student progress and uses the artistic ensemble goals for the program to inform and influence training and development of teachers and students.

Key to the success of the position, the Senior Manager, Curriculum and Instruction have an intimate understanding of the ecosystem of social impact through music programs within the context of an orchestra and larger performance organization. The Senior Manager, Curriculum and Instruction will leverage these unique identities comprehensively in a way that best serves the community of young people served as well as the vigor of an artistically robust environment/curriculum.

This position will include frequent evening and weekend responsibilities.

Scope of Work

Curriculum

• Manage the YOLA curriculum, facilitating its development and implementation and formulating the instructional foundation for YOLA programming design
• Research and incorporate the most current, national standards for music education and ensure its incorporation into overall curriculum for young people (K-12)
• Manage the refinement of the YOLA benchmarks in collaboration with the Director of Programs and Instructional Partnerships and its adherence to long‑range artistic goals
• Execute the unification of instructional method standards across the program as outlined in the YOLA Curriculum
• Manage and design changes and implementation of lesson planning tools and templates
• Manage curriculum alignment across all program areas for YOLA, including YOLA National programs, private lessons, and YOLA Institute in collaboration with the Artistic team
• Work collaboratively with Program Leadership in the development of new programs and ensuring curriculum alignment with said programming
• Support the development of the YOLA curriculum as a reference tool for partnerships and field development work nationally as assigned

Teacher Training & Professional Development

• Create and implement Teaching Artists training programs in partnership with program leadership
• Manage the facilitation of annual, cross-program professional development series for all local and national programs
• Manage guest facilitators and project specialists for curriculum implementation and training, recommending performance improvements as necessary for teaching artists
• Manage classroom observations, mentorship and evaluation for all Teaching Artists and Faculty for local and national programs
• Develop recruitment strategies for highly qualified teaching artists and music educators for the program as well as design and implement development plans for musician recruitment
• Design process and work closely with Program Leadership on creating pathways and growth trajectories for Teaching Artists

Evaluation

• Facilitate and manage YOLA’s music evaluation process, developing refinements as necessary in collaboration with the Artistic team and the Director of Programs and Instructional Partnerships
• Facilitate and manage Teaching Artist evaluation processes, developing refinement as necessary with aforementioned key collaborators
• Analyze and adjust recommendations for the curriculum based on evaluation outcomes

Relationships

Reports to: Director of Programs and Instructional Partnerships, YOLA

Supervises: PTE Staff

Instructional Coaches

Interacts with: Learning Department

Community Partners

Internal and External Stakeholders

Successful Habits for the Role

• Strong, supportive people and project management skills
• Attracting, choosing, supporting, growing, and retaining talent
• Building and supporting student- and family- centered programming with high expectations and excellent outcomes
• Excellent organizational and administrative skills
• Strategic and disciplined use of resources, aligned with strategic priorities

• Active participatory member of the Learning team and engaged with all major events for the department
• Excellent communication skills
• Proactive and curious nature
• Continuously looking for ways to improve program experience for all important stakeholder groups

Relevant Program Outcome Metrics

• Students who maintain ‘Meets Expectations' or above on jury
• Students retained YoY and reporting increased opportunity and access, life skills, artistic formation, & sense of community
• Faculty & staff retention
• Teaching Artists who meet or exceed expectations
• Teaching Artists reporting they feel supported by the program in their personal, professional growth
• YOLA students who report that YOLA teachers are helping them learn and grow, see YOLA teachers as role models, mentors

Position Requirements

• Bachelor’s degree in music education, Master’s degree preferred
• Single Subject Teaching Credential in Music or a Multiple Subject Credential with a Supplementary Authorization in Music
• At least 5 years of classroom teaching experience and experience working with elementary, middle and high school students
• At least 5 years of demonstrated coaching experience of other music teachers and or development of training programs/professional development
• Experience writing and implementing music curriculum based on national music and core arts standards
• Fluency in Creative Youth Development practices
• Demonstrated commitment and effectiveness with inclusive instruction and integrated classroom settings
• Champion and practitioner of equity, diversity and inclusion in music and with youth
• Experience embracing and working in diverse communities with rich cultural backgrounds
• Experience designing and implementing music evaluation processes, juries and other standard systems for assessment
• A love for and knowledge of instrumental music education
• Previous administrative and self-governed project management experience
• Experience managing a team of people from different experience levels
• Excellent problem-solving skills and a solution-oriented approach to challenges
• Strong commitment to youth development philosophy, equity and social justice

• Ability to prioritize workload, efficient and effective worker
• Ability to work in a fast-paced environment in a self-directed way
• Fluency in all Microsoft suites components and remote working tools (Slack, Google, Zoom, etc.)
• Strong organization skills; detail oriented
• Ability to work weekends and evening
• Strong interpersonal skills with a desire to work on a highly collaborate, intrinsically motivated team
• Ability to work effectively and respectfully with a wide range of constituencies in a diverse community
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills
• Interest and ability to be a motivational mentor and role model for students