Now Hiring: Freelance Teaching Artist in Cleveland Now Hiring — Freelance Teaching Artist · Refresh Collective
Cleveland, Ohio

Now Hiring: Freelance Teaching Artist

Hip-Hop Songwriting and Recording Programs for Youth
The Opportunity

Hip-Hop as a Catalyst for Healing and Youth Empowerment

Refresh Collective partners with hospitals, libraries, schools, and community organizations across Cleveland to bring hip-hop-based creative wellness programming directly to young people, wherever they are. As a subcontracted Teaching Artist, you'll facilitate sessions at rotating partner sites, using music as a tool for expression, healing, and skill-building.

"This isn't typical teaching — it's something more powerful."
We use beat production as a restorative tool. Students "name their pain to claim their future" through lyric writing for emotional processing and resilience. Hip-hop is the cultural catalyst for transformation — igniting confidence, building community, and unlocking personal growth. If you've been seeking to bridge holistic wellness with culturally relevant artistry, this is it.
Pay & Schedule
Engagement Type
1099 Subcontractor — paid per session
Pay Rate
$35–$50/hr
Hours
Project-Based (5–25 Hrs/Week)
Hours & Scheduling

Hours are tied directly to active project availability, offering a consistent workflow during active cycles with natural breaks between project completions.

Session Details
Session Locations
Hospitals, Libraries, Schools & Community Sites
Group Size
1–10 Students Solo · 11–25 Paired With a Co-Teacher
Age Range
Grades 6–12
Training
Training provided in our unique curriculum before you begin
Responsibilities
  • Facilitate hip-hop-based music production and lyric-writing sessions at partner sites across Cleveland
  • Set up and safeguard mobile recording equipment, guiding students through recording their lyrics and producing their own songs
  • Learn and implement the unique pedagogy and curriculum we use in sessions
  • Apply trauma-informed, relational teaching practices that build trust and create a safe, healing-centered space for every group
  • Collaborate with partner-site staff — educators, clinicians, librarians, and youth workers — on each group's goals
  • Document student engagement and progress to support both wellness and skill-building outcomes
Who We're Looking For

Qualifications & Background

The ideal Teaching Artist blends lyric writing and beat-making artistry with a wellness-minded, relational approach that adapts across a variety of settings and groups.

Ideal Previous Roles
Therapeutic Arts Instructor Substitute Teacher Community Hip-Hop Educator Youth Development Specialist Music Therapist Working Artist & Mentor
Required
  • Minimum 2-year degree (any field)
  • 1+ years working with youth using trauma-informed or relational approaches
  • Hands-on experience with lyric writing and beat production
  • Strong writing and language skills, with the ability to guide youth through the lyric-writing process as a tool for self-expression
  • Intermediate skill in digital music production software
  • Reliable transportation to travel between partner sites across Cleveland
Preferred
  • 4-year degree in Music Therapy, Education, Social Work, or related field
  • Certification in music therapy, trauma-informed care, or youth development
  • 3+ years of experience in healthcare, education, or other community-based settings
  • Background as a substitute teacher, teaching artist, or youth mentor looking to bring more creativity and connection into your work
Background checks & site requirements: All Teaching Artists must pass an Ohio BCI (Bureau of Criminal Investigation) and FBI background check prior to placement, consistent with Ohio requirements for adults working regularly with minors. Sessions held at hospital partner sites may also require additional health and credentialing steps set by that hospital, such as a TB (tuberculosis) screening.
Application Process

Hiring Process: What to Expect

Our process is designed to help us find the right fit — and to help you decide if we're the right fit for you.

1
Step One
Submit Your Application
Cover letter, resume, and three professional references (non-familial).
2
Step Two
Interview Round 1: Screening Conversation
A conversation about your background, work experience, and why this work matters to you.
3
Step Three
Interview Round 2: Deep Dive
A deeper conversation about your facilitation approach across different settings, your hip-hop songwriting and recording skills, trauma-informed practices, and how you build trust quickly with new groups.
4
Step Four
Offer & Onboarding
Orientation to our partner sites across Cleveland ahead of your first sessions.
What to Include in Your Application
  • Cover letter — tell us your story and why this role calls to you
  • Resume
  • Three professional references (non-familial)

Refresh Collective is an Equal Opportunity Employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for this role without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, age, disability, or veteran status.

Help a Student Find Their Voice — and Amplify It

Real sessions. Real relationships. Real transformation — wherever your students are.

Apply Now →
Doc Harrill, Executive Director · Refresh Collective · refreshcollective.org