Music Educator & Director of Liturgical Music

Position: Music Educator & Director of Liturgical Music

Department: School House & Chaplaincy Department

Reports to: Principal & Director of Chaplaincy

FLSA Classification: Exempt

Full/Part-time: Full-time

Date Posted: June 25, 2025

Start Date: August 20, 2025

Calling experienced music/choir/choral leaders— make an impact at an innovative school and worshipping community.

Mission Statement:

St. James is a faith-based educational community deeply rooted in transformative loving relationships.

Vision Statement:

A world without inequities.

Values Statement:

St. James…

Believes … that every person is a child of God

Recognizes … that every moment is an opportunity for learning

Understands … the value of listening, discerning, and growing together

Strives … to create disruptive change around educational, wealth, health, and other disparities Honors … the dignity of every human person

Partners with … other advocates for social justice

Located in the Allegheny West neighborhood of Philadelphia.

The School serves students and families who are most in need, providing a full scholarship to every student. Students benefit from small class sizes, an extended day, robust music programs, extensive social-emotional support, and an 11-month school year (Sept - July)

The Graduate Support Program is a lifelong commitment to every child. It prepares students for future success and supports them along the way – through high school, college, careers, and beyond.

The Welcome Table designs community actions and creates spaces for members of the school and broader community to address essential needs and experience a community of sharing.

The Church of St. James the Less seeks to be a place to encounter God, build community and grow personally with Weekday and Sunday Masses and other worship services.

Position Purpose

We are excited to announce an incredible opportunity for a passionate and dynamic individual to join our community as the Music Educator & Director of Liturgical Music! In this role, you will be an integral member of the school's Instructional Team, shaping the hearts and minds of our community through the power of music and spiritual expression.

You will be responsible for implementing innovative instructional strategies that create a vibrant learning environment, guiding students from beginning-level performance to choral singing success. Your role will involve fostering a culture of musical excellence and spiritual growth, ensuring our students excel in both their academic and personal journeys.

Working within St. James School’s learning community, the Music Educator & Director of Liturgical Music serves students in fourth through eighth grades, reports to the Principal for teaching responsibilities and the Director of Chaplaincy for liturgical responsibilities.

General Program Responsibilities

• Choir Rehearsal & School Mass Responsibilities: Plan and implement a choral singing curriculum, lead school choir rehearsals, and manage choir performances.
• Teaching: Deliver culturally responsive lessons, differentiate instruction to meet diverse needs, and inspire students through meaningful relationships and engaging lessons.
• Grow and Lead Multiple Student Choirs: Oversee and lead both Lower and Upper School student choirs, combine their talents to create uplifting and reflective choir contributions for Weekday Masses, and integrate students from the school with the Sunday Mass Choir, offering students an advanced choral experience that will prepare them for exceptional musical journeys in high school and beyond.
• Weekday Mass Responsibilities: Select music for Weekday Masses–which typically fall on the last day of the school week–and other special Masses, lead all musical elements, and ensure full participation from choir members, students, and the whole St. James community. Collaborate with our Band Director to identify opportunities for our student musicians to perform during Weekday Mass.
• Sunday Mass Responsibilities: Guide and grow our dedicated Sunday Mass Choir made of community members and paid professional singers who sing at our weekly 5PM Sunday evening Mass. Nurture this choir’s skills and passion for liturgical music, and increase the involvement of St. James students, graduates, and guardians. Select liturgically and culturally appropriate music for Sunday Masses and lead all music and congregational singing.
• Student & Family Communication: Maintain open and effective communication with families, addressing student progress and challenges, and collaborating with the Instructional, Wellness, and Chaplaincy Teams.
• Supervise Professional Musicians: work with the Director of Chaplaincy to schedule and support contracted musicians and singers who perform both during Weekday and Sunday Masses and perform regular performance reviews. Work with the Director of Chaplaincy and the Director of Finance to keep track of the liturgical music budget and to ensure that all contracted musicians receive payment.

Mass Responsibilities

Before, During, and After Masses

• Works with the Director of Chaplaincy to select music that is culturally and theologically expansive.
• Sets up the choir seats and organizes choir folders and vestments.
• Assembles the choir for practice.
• Fosters a culture of joy and sense of community among choir members, and encourages full and active participation.
• Leads all musical elements of the Mass, striving for full and active participation by the choir and all students and adults present.
• Maintains the engagement of all choir members, monitors their behavior, and redirects them, as needed.
• Works with the Director of Chaplaincy on the liturgical movements of the choir.
• Meets with the Director of Chaplaincy, musicians, and other stakeholders to evaluate the Mass experience and to plan for identified improvements.
• Ensures that choir seats are tidy and in good order for the next Mass and/or rehearsal.
• Serves as the curator of all choral music for the School.

General Responsibilities

School Mission & Teaching Values

• Ensures that the Episcopal identity of the school is infused throughout the school day in all settings; supports and participates in school worship, community life and social justice learning and experiences.
• Maintains an orderly instructional environment that respects the dignity of every student and prepares students for academic rigor and social challenges to be found in high schools to which our students aspire to enroll.
• Works in collaboration with members of the Instructional Team and other professionals on staff to provide a quality education for each student.

Qualifications/Requirements:

• Degrees in education/music/choral or equivalent experiences
• Previous experience in leading choirs
• Teaching Experience preferred
• Desire to work in a small school community that values hard work and long hours
• FBI, Child Abuse and PA Criminal Clearances

Day to Day Responsibilities:

• Monday through Friday arrives at school 8:30 am and ends at 5:00 pm
• Sundays 2:30 - 6:30 pm (set up, choir practice, Mass)
• Uses authentic and varied forms of assessment
• Communicates often with families, especially about student success
• Identifies student needs and cooperates with other professional staff members ( counselors, teachers, nurse, chaplain, support staff ) in a one team effort to assess and help students reach success
• Disciplines effectively, compassionately and consistently
• Teachers are encouraged to serve on school committees/groups (e.g. School Culture Committee, Racial Equity Team, Student Services Team, Talent Recruitment Advisory Committee, Faculty Staff Choir, etc…)
• Required participation in common life at St. James School (ex: lunch, Mass, House Meetings, etc.)
• Required to attend school wide events, including, but not limited to: Board Meet & Greet, Fall Staff Retreat, All Saint's Day Full School Mass, Thanksgiving Family Feast, Advent Family Event, Christmas Eve, Christmas Mass, Epiphany Mass, MLK Day of Service, Absalom Jones Mass, Ash Wednesday Service, Palm "Sunday" Mass, Maundy Thursday Mass, Good Friday Service, Easter Mass Monday, Feast of St. James the Less, Pentecost Mass, Baccalaureate Mass, Commencement, Staff Retreat, and all weekly Masses (majority of these are during the school day)
• Sundays off (5)
• Other Duties as Assigned

Overarching Goals of Director of Choral and General Music Program

• Exposing all students (grades 4 to 8) to general music theory, music history, and exposure to all forms of music
• Build a strong singing culture with students and adults at the school’s masses
• Connecting music history and theory to other aspects of the school’s curriculum
• Developing a choral program strong enough for public performances throughout the year
• Providing a rigorous choral program, allowing our graduates to easily transition to a high school choral program

Off Campus Annual Choral Performances

• Annual Diocesan Absalom Jones Mass
• Palm Sunday at the African Episcopal Church of St. Thomas

On Campus Special Masses/Performances

• Christmas Eve Mass, Holy Week Services, Easter, The Feast of St. James the Less, Pentecost Masses
• Advent Lessons & Carols
• Winter and Year End community/family concerts
• Baccalaureate Mass and Graduation

Employee Benefits:

• St. James School offered competitive salaries that are based on experience and qualifications
• Medical/Prescription/Dental/Eye Care Insurance Coverage through a group health maintenance organization (HMO) health insurance plan (PAISBOA HBT); St. James covers 95% of premium, with employee covering remaining 5%
• Defined Contribution Plan through The Church Pension Fund; St. James contributes a minimum of 5% of annual salary and potentially as much as 9%, based on level of employee contribution
• Life Insurance through The Church Life Insurance Corporation valued at 2Xs employees annual salary; St. James covers 100% of premium
• Fertility & Family-Forming Support Benefit through Maven
• Mental Health Supports through PAISBOA HBT
• Available Professional Development and Continuing Education funds
• Available Interest-Free Hardship Loans (after one year of service)
• Available Tuition expense coverage, for qualifying courses of study (with dollar limits and after one year of service)
• Paid breaks and holidays include Labor Day, Thanksgiving (3.5 days), Christmas break and New Year’s Day (exception Dec 24), President's Day (2 days), Spring Break (1 week), Memorial Day (2 days), June Break (1 week) and August Break (3 weeks)
• Health & Wellness paid time off
• Wellness Benefit covers expenses for gym membership (Kroc Center, Philadelphia or Planet Fitness)
• Spiritual and Religious resources (e.g. spiritual direction, theological study, school and community masses, community building)
• Free Lunch Benefit available daily as part of the School’s school-wide community lunch program

Application Requirements:

Qualified candidates should send a resume, cover letter and salary requirements for consideration to dmcdonough@stjamesphila.org (Principal). We regret that we cannot respond to every applicant. Only those of interest will be contacted.

Equal Opportunity Employer:

St. James is an equal opportunity employer and makes employment decisions on the basis of merit. St. James seeks to have the best available person in every job. St. James School policy prohibits discrimination based on race, color, creed, sex, marital status, age, national origin, physical or mental disability, medical condition, ancestry, religion, sexual orientation, or any other consideration made unlawful by federal, state, or local law, ordinance, or regulation. This policy applies to all terms and conditions of employment, including hiring, training, promotion, discipline, compensation, benefits, and termination of employment. All unlawful discrimination is expressly prohibited.

Commitment to Anti-Racism Education:

So if anyone is in Christ, there is a new creation: everything old has passed away; see, everything has become new! All this is from God, who reconciled us to himself through Christ, and has given us the ministry of reconciliation (2 Corinthians 5:17-18).

St. James School is committed to partnering with others to dismantle systemic racism and to build antiracist, multicultural diversity within our school community and beyond. Through teaching a more complete and unbiased history, St. James School will arm students, graduates and employees with the tools and knowledge to better engage in complex issues like systemic racism and privilege and to hopefully solve them rather than contribute to them.

• St. James School offered competitive salaries that are based on experience and qualifications
• Medical/Prescription/Dental/Eye Care Insurance Coverage through a group health maintenance organization (HMO) health insurance plan (PAISBOA HBT); St. James covers 95% of premium, with employee covering remaining 5%
• Defined Contribution Plan through The Church Pension Fund; St. James contributes a minimum of 5% of annual salary and potentially as much as 9%, based on level of employee contribution
• Life Insurance through The Church Life Insurance Corporation valued at 2Xs employees annual salary; St. James covers 100% of premium
• Fertility & Family-Forming Support Benefit through Maven
• Mental Health Supports through PAISBOA HBT
• Available Professional Development and Continuing Education funds
• Available Interest-Free Hardship Loans (after one year of service)
• Available Tuition expense coverage, for qualifying courses of study (with dollar limits and after one year of service)
• Paid breaks and holidays include Labor Day, Thanksgiving (3.5 days), Christmas break and New Year’s Day (exception Dec 24), President's Day (2 days), Spring Break (1 week), Memorial Day (2 days), June Break (1 week) and August Break (3 weeks)
• Health & Wellness paid time off
• Wellness Benefit covers expenses for gym membership (Kroc Center, Philadelphia or Planet Fitness)
• Spiritual and Religious resources (e.g. spiritual direction, theological study, school and community masses, community building)
• Free Lunch Benefit available daily as part of the School’s school-wide community lunch program