Teaching Artist: Music Appreciation

Casita Maria Center for Arts and Education LOCATION

New York, NY

Casita Maria Center for Arts and Education

Teaching Artist:
Music Appreciation

Casita Maria is a youth, family and community serving organization in the Hunts Point/Longwood section of the South Bronx. We were established in East Harlem in 1934 by Claire and Elizabeth Sullivan and Sister Mary Imelda who observed waves of Spanish-speaking people pouring in from Puerto Rico and in desperate need of services. While settlement houses were in place to address the needs of the poor, this population was made up of predominantly European immigrants.

Seeing the disparity and isolation that Latinos were confronting, Claire, Elizabeth, and Sister Mary provided essential nutrition, housing, childcare, and educational support. What they could not know at the time is that they were championing social justice for what would become one of America’s most historically marginalized groups. Casita Maria’s mission is to enrich and elevate youth, families, and communities through arts, culture, and education.

Casita Maria follows a Creative Youth Development (CYD) framework where teaching artists and staff skillfully combine arts education with academic support and principles of positive youth development. This holistic approach enables young people to master artistic skills, excel academically, and express themselves creatively, while sharpening critical thinking skills, boosting their self-esteem, and ultimately emerging as leaders.

For Casita Maria, CYD incorporates two vital components: expressive art and social emotional learning. Expressive art allows participants to use creative expression to communicate and overcome challenging emotions and experiences. Social emotional learning hones essential life skills like self-awareness, self-management, social awareness, relationship skills, and responsible decision-making.

This is a direct service position requiring strong teaching and group facilitation skills fueled by a passion for arts, culture, and community.

Position Title:

Teaching Artist:
Music Appreciation

Reports To:

Artistic Director

Department:
Arts

Full-time or Part-time:
Part time

Status (exempt/non-exempt): non-exempt

Date:
September 2026

Reporting to the Artistic Director, the Teaching Artist will be responsible for creating and teaching a Music Appreciation curriculum following our Creative Youth Development framework informed by Social Emotional Learning.

SEL is the process through which all young people and adults acquire and apply the knowledge, skills, and attitudes to develop healthy identities, manage emotions and achieve personal and collective goals, feel and show empathy for others, establish and maintain supportive relationships, and make responsible and caring decisions.

• Self-Awareness
• Self-Management
• Social Awareness
• Relationship Skills
• Responsible Decision-Making

This is achieved by:

• Young people asking questions
• Opening Rituals
• Closing Rituals:
  End of class reflections and share-outs
• Group or partner collaborative art projects
• Expressive art activities
• Culturally informed teaching

The Teaching Artist will be supported by a team of professionals including the Artistic Director, Creative Youth Development Manager, and Director of Education and Programs.

Orientation:
Sept 8-10, 2026

Start date:

Sept. 14, 2026 End Date:
June 11, 2026

Teach 4 classes + 1 club (up to 9 hours per week)

• Classes meet once a week.
• Class size up to 20 participants

• Develop a culturally relevant and tiered Syllabus for four classes in the fall. Modify and repeat the syllabus for four new classes in the Spring semester. The…