Music Center | Join Our Teaching Artist Faculty

Join Our Teaching Artist Faculty

Thank you for your interest in becoming a teaching artist with The Music Center. We have a limited number of openings for teaching artists in our school programs each year. If you are currently working in your arts discipline, have experience educating students through the arts and are available to teach in K-12 classrooms in Los Angeles County, we encourage you to apply. Experience working with K-12 students and teachers is essential.

How To Apply

Before applying, please review the education programs and services offered by The Music Center, particularly our Arts Integration Partnerships and Professional Development programs. In accordance with The Music Center’s standard of excellence, artists teaching in schools should display artistic merit appropriate to their art form and an effective teaching style. Please refer to the artist criteria on this page.

We Are Looking for Experienced Teaching Artists Who:

Possess a love and respect for children from all backgrounds.
Have excellent communication skills.
Possess a thorough knowledge, understanding and passion for their art form.
Know how to collaborate with classroom teachers in working toward shared learning outcomes.
Have significant experience teaching their art form to K-12 students.
Are familiar with the California Arts Standards and Common Core State Standards as appropriate to teaching their art form.
Have good classroom management skills, including the ability to effectively involve the entire classroom in art-making activities.
Can receive constructive feedback to strengthen their teaching skills.
Have reliable transportation and are punctual.
Are able to pass a background check and a TB test.
Are fully vaccinated for COVID-19
Are able to supply a social security number, Tax ID or proof of authorization to work in the United States.

We interview teaching artists and observe their work in the classroom before they are accepted onto The Music Center’s teaching artist faculty. Following an interview, the teaching artist may be selected to lead a demonstration lesson in a school, which will be observed by Music Center staff. The grade level of the classroom will be appropriate to the teaching artist’s experience. If there is a match between the artist's and The Music Center's needs, the artist will be invited to join the teaching artist faculty.

Once accepted onto The Music Center’s teaching artist faculty, teaching artists are enrolled in a training course led by Music Center master teaching artists. Participants explore best practices in arts education, develop and refine their lesson outlines, and learn about The Music Center’s approach to teaching in and through the arts. Teaching artists are compensated for their participation.

To apply as a teaching artist with The Music Center, please send an email to education@musiccenter.org. NO PHONE CALLS PLEASE.

Please attach the following to your email:

A cover letter, including a brief description of your classroom workshops
A resume / CV
One or more lesson plans (see attached template)
The contact information for three references who can speak to your work in schools

Please attach PDF files and do not send any of the above documents as text in the body of the email

Download Teaching Artist Lesson Plan Template