Music Department Assistant/Staff Accompanist – The Putney School
Putney, VT
The Music Department Assistant/Staff Accompanist supports the multifaceted
work of the Music Department at The Putney School by providing necessary
administrative support to an active and vibrant program. This position reports
directly to the Director of Music.
The Putney School is a progressive, secondary school for boarding and day
students, situated on a 500-acre working dairy farm in southern Vermont. Central
to the fundamental beliefs articulated by our founder Carmelita Hinton in 1935, is
the vision that education is something to be actively pursued rather than
passively received. Putney teaches to the whole individual, through discussionbased
humanities classes, the scientific discovery method, extensive artistic
opportunities, and a student-lead work program.
The ideal candidate will have strong written and verbal communication skills,
organizational acumen, and experience working with teens in a scholastic
environment. The candidate also needs technical proficiency as a pianist, with
good sight-reading skills, and experience accompanying ensembles; the ability to
play parts in various couplings and sensitivity to follow a conductor is a must.
The duties of the position are listed below. As many of these systems are already
in place, we do expect to train the incoming candidate.
1) Administrative coordination of the school’s private music lessons program.
2) Oversee the maintenance of all school instruments (pianos, harpsichords,
drums, historical instruments, etc.) and supervise student workers to ensure the
proper care of all practice spaces.
3) Coordinate music performance needs.
4) Regulate the usage of the Music Library.
5) Assist with logistical planning of special Music Department events to include
ensemble tours, outreach events, artist residencies, etc. as needed. Maintain an
active knowledge of the Director of Music’s schedule.
6) Accompany the rehearsals/sectionals and concert performances of Madrigals,
the school choral ensemble. Accompany student assembly performances, when
needed.
The hired candidate can augment their salary by teaching private lessons to
students. A studio/office will be provided for this position.
If interested, please send resume (complete with references) to the attention of
the Director of Music, Cailin Marcel Manson, at cmanson@putneyschool.org.
You may also send media (mp3s, SoundCloud, or YouTube) links of your work,
either in performance or in rehearsal. Interviews will be held throughout August.
Job Type: Part-time
Required education: Bachelor’s Degree in Music in Piano (performance, music
education, or related concentration)
Compensation: Negotiable, based on experience
Vermont ACDA 