Small Church Part-Time Music Director
Channing Memorial Church
Unitarian Universalist
Ellicott City, Maryland
Description of Responsibilities
The Part-Time Music Director provides piano music (or other instrumental accompaniment) each Sunday and Christmas Eve; works with the minister and worship team to plan service music; recruits, organizes, rehearses and directs a small choir (rehearsing one evening a week, September-June). [Providing music at special services (e.g. weddings, memorial services) will be separately contracted and compensated.]
- Provides service music and accompanies hymns each Sunday (see Order of Service). This involves:
- Engaging the congregation in church music
- Selecting music that includes a variety of musical genres, with the goal of reaching a diverse, multi-generational audience
- Planning music with minister and worship team to ensure appropriate musical selections to coordinate with worship themes and to enhance the spiritual experience
- Working with minister to coordinate use of music, sound and silence in liturgy, including leading congregational singing in creative ways
- Directs the choir. This includes:
- Selecting choral music
- Weekly rehearsals
- An expectation that the choir will sing in worship one to two times each month (September-June) and on Christmas Eve
- Working with choir members with a broad range of musical experience and skill levels, creating a sense of community in this small-group ministry
- Providing musical and vocal direction to enhance and develop individual and collective gifts
- Recruits, coordinates and schedules volunteer musicians; approves their music selections.
- Researches and selects appropriate music for church musicians.
- Maintains and expands a music library.
- Leverages resources of the Association for UU Music Ministries (AUUMM) [membership paid by the church] and/or other appropriate resources to develop professionally as a church musician.
Requirements: A degree in music, preferably with choir emphasis and/or sacred music–or comparable training/experience to carry out the above duties; strong piano skills; teamwork and flexibility; strong interest in church music and its use in liturgy as a ministry of the church; interest in working with a small congregation and small amateur choir, developing musicians with a wide range of abilities.
Salary range: $9,800 to $10,800 for a 10-month period with time commitment of 10 hours per week: Two hours Sunday morning (10:30 am-12:30 pm); two hours choir rehearsal each week (September-June); up to six hours per week on other duties such as practicing service music, staff meetings, researching and selecting music, coordinating volunteer musicians, etc.
Start date: ASAP — 10-month position September 1, 2023-June 30, 2024
(Salary will be prorated based on actual start date. Option for continuation, likely with reduced summer hours. A new employment agreement would be negotiated for July 1, 2024 and beyond.)
Contact: musicsearch@channingmc.org