Search Announcement for
Music Department Chair
The Patel Conservatory at the David A. Jr., Straz Center for the Performing Arts seeks an experienced professional to serve as Music Department Chair and invites nominations and letters of application. The Music Chair is responsible for the overall direction and management of the department and provides executive leadership for students, faculty, and staff. General responsibilities include planning, scheduling, curriculum development and classroom instruction as well as the management of artists, administrative staff, and volunteers toward achieving program objectives both artistically and financially. The ability to interact and communicate effectively with parents of Conservatory students is expected. The department chair reports to the Vice President of Education.
The successful candidate will have a degree in music or arts administration, or equivalent work experience as a music educator, director, performer, and/or producer. S/he must possess demonstrated leadership skill to manage, develop, promote, and expand a vibrant music program. Other skills and abilities include preparation and management of budgets, effective verbal and written communication, as well as proficiency in computer use. The Chair will have experience in developing and implementing an institutional vision and should possess an entrepreneurial and collaborative spirit. The Music Department offers ensembles, classes and lessons in all areas of vocal and instrumental music for students age two through adult. Current offerings include children’s music, vocal arts, Suzuki string program, youth orchestra, rock school and guitar, and private lessons. For more information about the Conservatory, please visit us at www.patelconservatory.org [5]
THE POSITION
The Chair will guide The Patel Conservatory’s Department of Music through its second decade of growth as a regional, national, and international presence. The Chair is expected to provide intellectual and artistic leadership within the Conservatory and contribute to a strategic vision for its growth and development within the framework of the Conservatory’s expanding mission.
The Chair will:
• Empower faculty, students, staff, donors, and professional colleagues
• Ensure that the department operates in a fiscally sound and strategic manner, maintaining balanced budgets, and creating efficiencies in enrollment management, recruitment, and retention
• Develop and execute clear and realistic fundraising strategies in partnership with the Straz Center’s Development Office
• Assume responsibility for marketing and public relations, promoting collaborative opportunities within the Conservatory as well as with community, local, regional, national and international partners and other arts organizations
• Engage a wide network of contributors and supporters, from artists and critics to trustees, donors, students, and faculty
• Make personnel recommendations to the Vice President of Education and serve on the Senior Staff Management team
• Guide visionary initiatives that develop a strong identifiable brand for the department and capture the imaginations of leaders in business, technology, and the performing arts
• Exude passion for and have interest in the Conservatory’s unique cultural profile and effectively interface with parents of Conservatory students
CANDIDATE QUALIFICATIONS
The Patel Conservatory invites candidates with strong records of academic and artistic leadership to apply for the position of Music Department Chair. The successful candidate will have previous managerial and administrative experience in an educational setting or performing arts organization. The candidate must exemplify a passion for the musical arts, and be able to articulate these qualities with a broad range of constituents.
A master’s degree in music or arts administration is preferred; a D.M.A. or Ph.D. is a plus.
The successful candidate must:
• Be an articulate and effective communicator, demonstrating success in cultivating relationships with diverse constituencies
• Have demonstrated success, as well as relevant experience, in producing recitals, concerts, music festivals, and related guest artist residencies
• Have connections to a national and international network of artists and other arts professionals who can be called upon to enhance programmatic excellence
• Possess and promote a deep appreciation for music of all genres, including musical theater
• Have experience developing and implementing an institutional vision and building public and private support, particularly through a non-profit institution
• Be able to translate goals into clear objectives for staff by fostering a culture of team work, mutuality, and respect
• Be a strong advocate for the faculty, staff and students of the Patel Conservatory, and Straz Performing Arts Center
• Have energy and integrity; be trustworthy and fair-minded; be able to put the institution ahead of self-interest or personal ambitions
• Be flexible to change and sensitive to the demands of working in one of the largest conservatories connected to a major performing arts center (second only to Julliard and Lincoln Center)
DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES:
Under the direction of the V.P. of Education, and in conjunction with the Director of Education
• Prepare comprehensive class schedules and program descriptions for the VP’s review
• Assess and propose curricular changes, as necessary, for the VP’s review
• Create and manage the music department budget in conjunction with the Finance Manager. Under the direction and guidance of the business office track the music program budget to ensure that income goals are met and expense line items adhered to.
• Oversee music payroll administration and timekeeping
• Collaborate within the Education Department (i.e., musical theater, dance, outreach partners), as well as with Opera Tampa and other Straz Center departments
• Prepare program brochure and website content and work with Marketing Department to ensure continued accuracy and timeliness
• Serve as a liaison for music parents, students and artistic staff in communicating pertinent information with Conservatory staff, while responding to student appeals/complaints in accordance with standard operating procedures
• Advise Conservatory students in educational and professional goals
• Perform duties in compliance with departmental and organizational standard operating procedures
• Regularly review all music department programs and assess needs, including work for maintaining accreditation
• Recruit faculty and students and participate in programmatic marketing efforts by representing the Conservatory and Center off campus and any other marketing efforts as directed by the V.P. of education. Serve as marketing ambassador as needed.
• Participate in the education outreach programs as requested (access arts, partnerships, outreaches, etc.)
• Teach classes and ensembles in areas of expertise, as determined by the Vice President of Education, including up to 5 private lesson students in major performance area(s)
• Gather data and prepare detailed documents and reports as requested
• Serve on or chairing committees, as appropriate
• Hire and supervise artistic faculty and coordinate all volunteers, interns and music staff and serve as liaison for all music faculty
• Develop and oversee the strategic plan for the music department
• Develop and provide resources for teachers
• Develop and oversee instructional content in coordination with faculty
• Develop collaborative initiatives across all disciplines.
• Supervise and evaluate music faculty and provide advice and resources for professional development
• Recommend library content as needed
• Other duties as assigned
THE PATEL CONSERVATORY
When the Patel Conservatory opened in 2004, there was nothing else like it. Today, it has become the national model for how to build and run a performing arts school. Housing the Education Department of the David A. Straz, Jr. Center for the Performing Arts, the Patel Conservatory is a 45,000 square-foot AdvancEd-(SACS) accredited institution. The Education Department annually serves more than 60,000 children and adults in the Tampa Bay area and beyond. With more than 100 classes offered in dance, theater and music during the school year and more than 70 camps and classes offered each summer, students of all ages and experience levels can find their place in the performing arts.
On the grassroots level, the Straz Center provides a wide variety of arts education and outreach programs with the eight-county Tampa Bay region, which is home to more than 4 million people. Altogether, our arts education programs impact more than 60,000 children, adults, teachers and seniors annually, and include:
• Family, preschool and school field trip performance series
• Year-round training programs for students of all ages and levels of interest in dance, music and theater arts
• Pre-professional training in dance, music and theater
• Artist residencies, master classes, lectures and workshops
• Hands-on internships
• Off-site outreach programs provided at no cost to schools in need
• Extensive school and community arts education partnerships
THE DAVID A. STRAZ, JR. CENTER FOR THE PERFORMING ARTS
The Straz Center began as the dream of a community. Today it is the largest performing arts center in the Southeast and the only one with an on-site performing arts conservatory. Since its opening in 1987, the Straz Center established arts education as a community priority.
Now, 25 years later:
• We are one of the biggest and most successful performing arts centers in the country
• We have served more than 12.5 million patrons
• We generate more than 100,000 room nights a year
• We have achieved a balanced budget for the past 20 years
• We are a cornerstone of the downtown Tampa arts and entertainment district
• We provide the finest performing arts training in dance, theater and must at the Patel Conservatory, which opened in 2004.
• Our Carol Morsani Hall ranks among one of the top five most-attended venues in the world with less than 5,000 seats, according to both Billboard magazine and Venues Today.
• We generate an economic impact of more than $110 million per year.
• Filling a gap, we started an opera company more than 15 years ago. In 2013, we have scheduled a Florida Opera Festival to help generate more cultural tourism.
• We have one of the most successful Broadway series in the country.
This center has succeeded far beyond what even the most optimistic supporters had hoped. And we continue to be innovators and dreamers. Even as we celebrate the past, we look to the future.
REVIEW OF APPLICATIONS
Initial review of applications will begin on January 2, 2013, and the position will remain open until filled. Anticipated start date is February 2013, or negotiable. An interim Chair is currently in place, but will not be a candidate for the position.
__________________________________________
For consideration, please submit a cover letter, resume and references to The Patel Conservatory by e-mail to: patelconservatory@strazcenter.org [6]; by fax to 813.222.6459 or by regular mail to P.O. Box 518 Tampa FL 33601- 0518 to the attention of The Patel Conservatory.
No third parties please.
David A. Straz, Jr. Center for the Performing Arts, Inc. is an Equal Opportunity Employer.
M/V/D/F encouraged to apply.