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NOW HIRING FREELANCE HIP-HOP MUSIC AND LYRIC WRITING TEACHING ARTIST

 

Job Title: Freelance Hip-hop Music Production and Lyric Writing Teaching Artist

 

Location: Cleveland, OH

 

Summary: Freelance Teaching Artists with Refresh Collective have a passion and commitment to actively train and mentor youth, teens and young adults. Our classroom culture is built on trust and collaboration between our teaching artists and our students. We serve our students and choose to cultivate their artistry rather than just teach our content. We seek to AMPLIFY their voice, not our own agenda. Our hip-hop production and songwriting curriculums help students grow in creativity, confidence, collaboration, and contribution. We see and nurture the therapeutic effects that take place during the creative process.

 

 

Our programs take place in hospitals, schools, residential facilities and community centers. At some of our partner organizations, we have built recording studios, and at others we bring in our portable studio gear. We will provide all of the equipment you will need to run successful programs. Our Teaching Artists are fully responsible for transporting and setting up the equipment, and running the classes. We have freelance mixing engineers who will mix and master the finished songs that students create.

 

This role is contracted on a program by program basis. Here are some example program schedules:

  • Every Friday in a row from 1pm to 3pm for five weeks at the hospital’s recording studio.

  • Everyday for one week from 9:30 am - 2:30 pm at the Cuyahoga County Detention Center 

  • Programs can start as early as 8 am and end as late as 8 pm.

You will receive free training from our Director of Hip-hop Pedagogy that will be a resource for you as a growing teaching artist. This training is mandatory in order to create a consistency in our program implementation.

 

Responsibilities

  • Run Hip-hop music production and songwriting classes and sessions at our partner organizations for 5th-12th graders as well as 18-24 year olds (up to 25 students per class.) 
  • Learn and implement our proven curriculum in all workshop sessions.
  • Adhere to all organizational communication, calendar, data collection and reporting protocols needed for our ongoing improvement and funding.
  • Lead, train and mentor youth as they create their own collaborative songs and performances. 
  • Seek to engage all students during the entire session.
  • Create a classroom environment that is conducive to learning and appropriate to the maturity and interest of the students. 
  • Take all necessary and reasonable precautions to protect students, equipment, materials, and facilities.
  • Build strong relationships with parents, administrators and partners to support youth development and establish open communication and engagement.

Experience

  • Experience in teaching/mentoring youth in the classroom or afterschool (3 years)
  • Experience in all of the following artistic crafts: rap lyric writing and performance, digital music production, audio engineering and recording (Logic Pro X preferred) - 3 years preferred
  • Must have a passion for working with students, some of whom are on an alternate path to graduation and may have developmental delays and trauma-affected histories.

Qualifications

  • Share our CORE VALUES (listed on our website's homepage).
  • Passionate about the power and therapeutic benefits music can bring.
  • Enjoys teaching students of varying ages and abilities.
  • Humble in attitude and communication.
  • Hungry to constantly learn and improve.
  • Effective communicator (in-person and digital)
  • Organized and diligent in data collection and classroom planning
  • Must pass BCI/FBI background checks
  • High School Diploma or G.E.D. (College degree and intervention specialist license preferred)

Approximate Schedule: 

  • Project by project basis (1 - 6 teaching hours per day that can happen once per week or every day for a period of days)
  • Some off-site training, field trips, and evening/ or weekend performances. 

Compensation:

  • $50 per teaching hour (Starts at $25 per teaching hour for the training period)
  • Self-employed with no company benefits.
  • This is an independent contractor position

Approximate Start Date: March 1st, 2025

 

After reading this, are you the right person to join our team? 

If your heart is jumping at the opportunity to say YES, then email cheryl@refreshcollective.org with your cover letter, resume, and 3 references (non-familial).