The Black Teaching Artist-In-Residence (BTAR) will serve as a thought partner with UniSound and its member organizations towards furthering their mission of creating a more accessible, sustainable, and equitable youth music ecosystem in the Greater Pittsburgh area.
Could this be you? Learn more and apply here.
APPLICATION INFORMATION
Black Teaching Artist-In-Residence Program 2021
About the Program
The aim of the Black Teaching Artist-In-Residence (BTAR) program is to support the music practice and professional development of Black teaching artists in the Greater Pittsburgh area* in a manner which aligns with the mission and goals of UniSound. The inaugural Black Teaching Artist-in-
Residence will begin their term with UniSound starting on February 1, 2021 and end on August 31, 2021, for a period of six months.
The Black Teaching Artist-In-Residence (BTAR) will serve as a thought partner with UniSound and its member organizations towards furthering their mission of creating a more accessible, sustainable, and equitable youth music ecosystem in the Greater Pittsburgh area. In addition to engaging with
UniSound and its partners throughout the residency, the BTAR will present a culminating project (i.e. workshop, recital, talk, etc.) of their choosing at the end of the residency period.
The BTAR will receive a monthly stipend of $1,000 for a total of $6,000 for their participation in the program. Additionally, the BTAR will receive opportunities for professional mentorship, networking, and up to $2,000 in additional resources towards developing their artistic practice and career.
* NOTE: the Greater Pittsburgh region consist of 13 counties including, Allegheny, Armstrong, Beaver, Butler, Fayette, Greene, Indiana, Lawrence, Mercer, Somerset, Venango, Washington and Westmoreland
Program Alignment with Organization Mission and Goals
The BTAR program will allow the selected Black teaching artist to build mutually beneficial relationships with UniSound members and partners that will:
- Cultivate a cadre of new culturally and musically diverse collaborations among teaching artists, students and youth music organizations throughout the Greater Pittsburgh region
- Introduce disparate approaches to repertoire development and musical pedagogy beyond the traditional Eurocentric canon to UniSound members and partners
- Provide professional development support and additional income-generating
opportunities for traditionally under-supported Black teaching artists in the Greater Pittsburgh region - Expose the Black teaching artist’s current student roster to a larger pool of music education and performance opportunities. Therefore, demonstrating UniSound’s commitment to making music programming more equitable and accessible to families and youth throughout the Greater Pittsburgh region
Role of the Black Teaching Artist-in-Residence
- Attend and actively participate in monthly UniSound Steering Committee Meetings
- Attend and actively participate in one UniSound General Body Meeting
- Contribute one media piece a month via UniSound social platforms and website
- Be available to represent UniSound for press and media appearances
- Conduct one culminating presentation (i.e. workshop, recital, talk, etc.) during the last month of residency
- Serve as a thought partner with UniSound leadership on the development of future programming
Eligibility Criteria for Black Teaching Artist-in-Residence
- Black music teaching artists who are at least 18 years old
- Present a sample of their work such as a writing sample, recording, score, or video
- Have worked as a music teaching artist and resided in the Greater Pittsburgh region for at least one year NOTE: the Greater Pittsburgh region consist of 13 counties including Allegheny, Armstrong, Beaver, Butler, Fayette, Greene, Indiana, Lawrence, Mercer, Somerset, Venango, Washington and Westmoreland
- Commit at least 10 hours a week towards their music practice
- Be able to commit at least 10 hours a month during the residency period towards the program’s goals by: engaging with UniSound and its membership, providing microcontent for social media, representing UniSound in media appearances, anD coordinating logistics for final presentation with ACT3 Consulting Partners
Selection Criteria for Black Teaching Artist-in-Residence
Collaborative: Expresses a desire and willingness to collaborate with other individuals and organizations in the region’s youth music ecosystem
Artistic vision: Demonstrates a strong drive towards improving and expanding their individual music practice
Teaching philosophy: Exhibits a commitment to an engaging and impactful music teaching practice
Future outlook: Articulates a vision for the future of their artistic career, their students, and the youth music ecosystem in the Greater Pittsburgh area, as a whole
Application Guidelines
A. General Questions
• Full Name
• Contact Information
• Date of Birth
• How long have you been a teaching artist in the Greater Pittsburgh area? (less than 1 year, 1-3 years, 4 or more years)
• What is your primary instrument or musical medium? (short answer)
• If selected, are you willing to commit at least 10 hours a week towards your music practice? (Y/N)
• If selected, are you willing to commit at least 10 hours a month towards the residency
program’s goals by: engaging with UniSound and its membership, providing microcontent for social media, representing UniSound in media appearances, and coordinating logistics for final presentation with ACT3 Consulting Partners? (Y/N)
B. Short Essay Questions [Each answer should be no more than 250 words]
(Note: These questions can be answered in written form or recorded and submitted in audio or video format of up to 10 minutes via SoundCloud or YouTube link)
• Tell us about yourself and describe the work you do as a practicing music artist
• Tell us about your work as a teaching music artist and your teaching methods
• How would you assess your work as both a practicing artist and teaching artist and where are some areas of growth you have in both roles?
• What kind of professional development support would be helpful to you?
• What are some of your artistic goals for the next five years and what would you need to accomplish them?
• Is there anything else you want us to know about you to support your application? (OPTIONAL)
C. Work Sample
• Audio or video samples of up to 5 minutes {or}
• Two compositions (no more than 10 pages total) {or}
• 5 pages of a writing sample (essay, article, etc.)
D. Resume/CV/Summary of Experience
E. Contact information for someone with direct experience of your work (i.e. student, parent, and/or leader of an organization where you’ve served as a teaching artist)
Support for Applicants
Our consultants, ACT3 Consulting Partners, will offer a virtual information/Q&A session for interested applicants from 7 to 8:30 p.m. on Wednesday, November 18, 2020 via Zoom. Contact btar@unisound.us to register and receive the like to the Zoom link.
The deadline for applications to be submitted is 11:59 p.m. Friday, December 4, 2020. Late submissions will not be accepted. If you have questions, email us at btar@unisound.us.
BTAR Project Timeline
Thurs, Nov 5, 2020 – Announce BTA Residency Program/Open Application
Wed, Nov 18 – Virtual Info Session for Applicants
Fri, Dec 4 – Application Closes (11:59pm)
Fri, Jan 8, 2021 – Notify BTA Resident
Fri, Jan 29 – Announce BTA Resident
Mon, Feb 1 – BTA Resident Official Start Date
Tues, Aug 31 – BTA Resident End Date
Want to download a printable version of this application information? Click HERE.
