Department Head Jobs in Springfield, MA (NOW HIRING)

JOB TITLE: Department Head - Music
TARGET START DATE: September 28, 2026

REPORTS TO: School Director
SUPERVISES: Music Faculty
NATURE AND SCOPE OF JOB:
Since 1966, the Capitol Region Education Council (CREC) has been dedicated to providing innovative, high-quality, and cost-effective educational programs and services to meet the diverse needs of children and adults in Greater Hartford. Serving 33 member districts and reaching additional communities statewide, CREC supports approximately 12,000 students annually through more than 120 educational programs. Our offerings include professional learning and coaching for educators, specialized programming for students with diverse needs, and PreK-12 education across 16 interdistrict magnet schools. Additionally, CREC provides school construction, operations, and cooperative business services, while also delivering programs that help adults build real, job-ready skills.

POSITION SUMMARY

The Greater Hartford Academy of the Arts Half-Day Program, an award-winning public magnet school, is seeking a Department Head for Music to lead, supervise, and guide the music department. The position is 30 hours per week, M-Th, ten months per year and a total of 155 days. The Department Head serves as an educational leader and liaison to the Music faculty, responsible for creating, facilitating and managing the curriculum within their department. The Department Head monitors the execution of procedures to ensure that all students are supervised and challenged in a safe, just, creative and rigorous learning environment. Achieving artistic excellence requires that the Department Head work collaboratively with the Director and Leadership Team to direct and nurture all members of the department faculty and to communicate effectively with parents and guardians of the students in the department. Inherent in the position are the responsibilities for scheduling staff and students, supervising and evaluating Music faculty, monitoring curriculum, recruiting and auditioning students in cooperation with fellow department heads, and monitoring facilities and resource needs and budget. 

The Music department focuses on:

• Theory and literacy
• Jazz
• Contemporary Music
• Vocal and instrumental

ESSENTIAL DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES:

• Supervise and support a team of artist instructors within the assigned discipline.

• Provide guidance and mentorship to instructors to ensure effective teaching and assessment practices.

• Conduct observations and evaluations of artist instructors, offering constructive feedback and professional development opportunities.

• Participate in weekly leadership meetings with other Department Heads and the Principal/ Director to coordinate program-wide initiatives and maintain alignment with the program's mission.

• Oversee the development and implementation of the discipline-specific curriculum.

• Stay informed on trends and advancements in the field to continually enhance the program's offerings.

• Teach classes in the assigned artistic discipline, fostering a high level of student engagement and growth.

• Plan, coordinate, and oversee discipline-specific performances, exhibitions, or showcases throughout the school year.

• Collaborate with the Principal/Director and other department heads to support school-wide performances and events.

• Assist in the recruitment, onboarding, and retention of artist instructors

• Manage department schedules within the context of the schoolwide schedule, ensuring adequate coverage and adherence to program goals.

• Collaborate with the Principal/Director and administrative staff on budget planning and resource allocation for the department.

• Promote the program and students' work to external audiences through community events and showcase and participate in yearly student recruiting events.

• Communicate with parents/guardians as needed regarding student achievements or concerns, keeping the Principal/Director informed about issues.

• Participate in professional development and faculty meetings.

• Comply with all company policies and procedures.

• Other duties as assigned.

Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.

WORK SCHEDULE AND COMPENSATION:

• Hours: M-Th, 9 am - 4:30 pm.
• Salary range:   $65,000 - $70,000

 REQUIREMENTS:

• Minimum requirement: BA/BFA (in Music).
• Expertise in music, teaching experience at high school level, and administrative experience.
• Eligibility for a Connecticut State Department of Education Adjunct Arts Instructor Permit required, requirements for permit eligibility: (1) hold a bachelor's degree from an institution of higher education accredited by the Board of Governors of Higher Education, or regionally accredited, (2) have a minimum of three years of work experience in the arts or one year of work and two years of specialized schooling related to the applicant's artistic specialty, and (3) at least one hundred eighty hours of cumulative experience working with children in a private or public setting, including, but not limited to, afterschool programs, group lessons, children's theater, dance studio lessons, and artist-in-residence programs, or at least two years' experience as a full-time faculty member at an institution of higher education or been employed by an eligible inter-district magnet school prior to July 1,2011 and for at least one year.

 For further information, please contact Tracy Kane, Director, Greater Hartford Academy of the Arts Half-Day at tkane@crec.org.

WHAT'S IN IT FOR YOU? 

• Group Health Insurance Plans
• Basic & Supplemental Life Insurance
• Long Term Disability & Short Term Disability options
• 403(b) Retirement Savings Plan with Employer Matching Contribution if applicable
• Flexible Spending Account Pre-Tax Savings for Health Care, Dependent Care, and Limited Purpose Post Deductible (if contributing to an HSA)
• Comprehensive benefit time package
• Employee Assistance Program
• Bereavement time & Religious Holidays
• Credit Union Access
• Tuition Reimbursement Program
• Employee Network Groups
• Access to professional learning opportunities with two fully paid courses through CREC University each year, empowering you to expand your skills and advance your career!
• Benefit from our exclusive partnership with Springfield College, offering a 15% discount on tuition for next-level degree programs to support your academic and career aspirations!

Based on terms and conditions during your employment, specific to your job classification and collective bargaining agreement. 

DIVERSITY, EQUITY, & INCLUSION STATEMENT: 

CREC strives to understand and confront the symptoms and causes of racism and prejudiceranging from biases to aggressions to discriminatory policies, practices, and traditionsthat harm people from systematically marginalized groups or that benefit privileged groups. CREC staff and students acknowledge and respect people of all identifiers, such as race, socioeconomic status, gender identity and expression, education, age, ability, ethnicity, culture, sexual orientation, language, nationality, religion, and veteran status.

DISCLAIMER STATEMENT:

The above is intended to describe the general content of and requirements for the performance of this job.  It is not to be construed as an exhaustive statement of duties, responsibilities or physical requirements.  Nothing in this job description restricts management's right to assign or reassign duties and responsibilities to this job at any time. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions. 

To access the job description and salary range document, please click https://www.crec.org/careers/jobs.php