Job Description
Director of Music at Edwards Church in Northampton MA
At Edwards, the musical tradition of our weekly worship enriches our life of prayer and contemplation. Music draws us in, lifts us up, sends us forth. It focuses our spirits, it illuminates liturgy and scripture, and it fills our hearts with joy. Our church is located in downtown Northampton, a progressive community in western Massachusetts. Our city is home to Smith College, a community hospital, a vibrant downtown with city owned community theater just across the street.
We are seeking a music director and accomplished pianist to organize and lead the music program. Our church has a beautiful and well maintained Austin pipe organ; organ skills are optional but desired. Our church community has expressed a strong desire for musical diversity, so an ideal candidate would have experience and interest in a range of musical styles and would direct a program featuring musicians and singers from different genres throughout the year.
Coming out of the pandemic, rebuilding the in-person service and participation in the music program will be critical. Experience in attracting choir members from the congregation and community is highly desired. Our church has the resources to support the successful candidate in this work.
Full job description available upon request; highlights of position responsibilities include:
- Coordinate, lead, and develop the overall music ministry of the church
- Provide piano (or organ) music for Sunday worship services (hymns, preludes, postludes, chants) and at other special services in the Christian liturgical year
- Build, nurture, and conduct a choir for worship services from September through June
- Seek out and contract guest musicians and singers and manage the budget provided for this purpose
- Plan and schedule music for special music programs such as concerts and hymn sings, including hiring musicians to perform (typically for a fee) in the “Music at the Crossroads” program
- Provide music for all weddings and funerals at the church. Compensation for this service is incremental to salary
- Director of Music will work collaboratively with the Senior Minister and Minister of Faith Formation; Senior Minister is the Head of Staff
Music Training and Bachelor’s Degree required. BA or MA in Music or Sacred Music desired
Part time 19 - 24 hours/week
Salary range $30,000-45,000 commensurate with education and experience
Please send a letter of interest, resume and one to two musical samples to [email protected]
For your music samples, please do not attach or send links to files that show your appearance. Please do provide recordings or links to recordings that have file names we can revise, in order to assign anonymized identifiers. These steps are intended to minimize the opportunities for bias in our process.
Preferred start date is July 1, 2023 and may be negotiated.
Reliable commuting distance or relocation required
