Thank you for your interest in teaching at our school
Here is some information about the Academy which should give you an idea of our philosophy and how we strive to best meet the needs of our students and teachers. If you wish to apply, please print or download an application using the link below, then fax, mail or email a cover letter, resume and completed application to:
Fax: (801) 489-8027
Art City Music Academy
705 North Main St.
Springville, UT 84663
Email: jobs@artcitymusic.com
Download Music Instructor Application »
Download Office Staff Application »
School Background
The Art City Music Academy was founded over 35 years ago and has locations in Springville, Orem and American Fork. Since the beginning our goal has been to create the ideal learning environment for our students and the ideal teaching environment for our instructors. We have the finest preparatory music program in the world for children ages 6 months to 10 years and we offer comprehensive private music instruction for many instruments to both children and adults. We have brought the finest educational programs available to thousands of happy families in our community.
Teacher Qualifications
All positions require a positive
attitude, a strong work ethic, the highest standards of honesty and
integrity, a genuine love of teaching, and a real desire to make a
positive difference in other people’s lives. University/College training
and teaching experience are a big plus. However, we will sometimes
bring on promising young teachers with great natural ability and help
them develop themselves and realize their potential. Ideally, teachers are
available three days a week (generally in the
afternoon, but flexible during the summer) but more hours are an option
if desired. Consistency is important to our students, so we are
interested in long-term, Win-Win relationships with our faculty. We
rarely hire teachers who are available for less than two years.
Preparatory Music Program
— These classes are taught in a group setting and students come with an
adult companion. The preschool classes for children up to about age
four are generally taught in the morning. Teachers of these classes must
have proficient piano skills, a good singing voice and an aptitude for
working with young children in a group setting. Our afternoon classes
teach students ages five to ten how to read music and play the piano.
Teachers of these classes must have strong piano skills, a comfortable
singing voice, and good classroom management abilities. Most of our
instructors in this program have music degrees or a very high level of
equivalent experience. Compensation: $15-$30 per hour.
Private Music Program
— Teachers in our private music program have attained an extremely high
level of mastery of their instrument, have a strong teaching
background, and preferably, are university/college/conservatory trained. Compensation: $18-$26 per hour.
Why teach with us?
As a music teacher you have the option of teaching
on your own in a home (either yours or your students') or at a music
store or school. The nice thing about teaching on your own is that you
have very little overhead (rent, utilities, insurance, advertising,
administrative costs, etc.) and can keep all of the money that you
charge for lessons. The downside is that it takes time and can be
difficult to collect payments, enforce your policies, keep your schedule
full, attract strong students, and create and manage a program in which
your students can really thrive. Since you are not paid for this time,
your true hourly wage ends up being less than you might think. The
problem becomes even worse if you are traveling to students' homes. In
addition, the tax consequences of being self-employed can make your
take-home pay less than what you had expected.
The downside of working at a school is that a percentage of the
tuition goes towards overhead, so you generally earn less per student.
However, this drawback is frequently overcome by having a consistently
full schedule of students. Even though you will probably earn less per
student, you will likely make more overall. In addition, there is a
whole world of administrative headaches that you don't have to deal
with. Our office staff handles collections, policy issues, and other
potential frustrations and time-wasters so you can focus on the
important business of teaching. Furthermore, you get paid even if a
student doesn't show up for a lesson. Finally, our professional learning
environment and comprehensive program attract a high caliber of student
and support and encourage their development and progress.
Final things to consider
If you think working at a school may be the way to go, there are some
very important things to consider when deciding where to apply.
First, are you being hired as an employee or as a contractor?
This simple distinction has some dramatic consequences. Contractors are
in business for themselves and have significant tax burdens that
employees do not. Contractors pay a self-employment tax of about 15% in
addition to the regular income tax and can be required to pay quarterly
estimated tax payments to avoid penalties from the IRS. Preparing a tax
return is more complicated for a contractor and they frequently owe
money on tax day. The self-employed must also have a business license
and carry Worker's Compensation insurance to protect themselves in the
event of injury. None of this is necessary for employees as the company
handles all of these issues. You can learn a lot about how a school
respects it's people by how it hires them. Needless to say, we respect
our faculty and staff and hire them as employees, not contractors.
Second, are they a real school, or are they just a temp agency
for music teachers. There are two clues to look for here:
Number One, do they have a comprehensive program and/or curriculum in
place; Number Two, do they require teachers to get their own students.
Our program and curriculum are world class, and we invest about $30,000 a
year in advertising which creates a steady stream of students into the
school.
