Director of Music Ministries – Position Description

Role

The Director of Music Ministries serves, in a full-time position as the artistic, programmatic, visionary, and creative head of the music ministries of the First Unitarian Universalist Congregation of Ann Arbor (UUAA).  This includes, but is not limited to, direct leadership of the Chalice Singers, UUAA’s adult choir, the Chalice Bells, UUAA’s bell choir, the Chalice Sparks, UUAA’s children’s choir, and any additional or new musical ensembles that may exist or emerge.  In addition, the Director will work with, support, and supervise UUAA’s Pianist-in-Residence.

Supervision

The Director of Music Ministries reports to the Senior Minister. 

Essential Functions

  • Serve as UUAA’s lead conductor, music educator, and music program director, which includes being the primary point of contact for matters related to: music in UUAA’s Sunday services, the Chalice Singers, the Chalice Sparks, the Chalice Bells, and any UUAA music ensembles.
  • Support UUAA’s Vision 20/50 goals and commitments via alignment of the music program with such.
  • Supervise the following lay or professional staff members (as applicable/existent): the lay or professional leaders/directors of any UUAA music-related programs/ministries, UUAA’s Pianist-in-Residence, and any other staff positions mutually agreed upon.  This responsibility includes leading regular meetings of music-related staff and/or related lay teams, individual supervision of direct reports, and regular written performance feedback and annual reviews of direct reports.
  • Join in UUAA’s collaborative, co-creative staff culture, adding one’s own creativity, joy, and gifts to that mix.
  • Participate regularly in UUAA’s weekly worship services.
  • Participate in and/or support rites of passage services (weddings, memorials, and child dedication services), as needed or assigned, and as available.
  • Meet regularly (monthly) with the lay Music Ambassadors Team, in close collaboration with the Senior Minister.
  • Oversight of the music program budget, ensuring that total, year-end expenses remain within the line item’s approved budget.

Other Responsibilities

  • Attend weekly Staff meetings.
  • Participate in weekly Worship Team meetings.
  • Attend regular one-on-one supervision meetings with the Senior Minister.
  • Attend other meetings as needed, assigned, and available.
  • Supervise additional staff members or activities/programs as needed, assigned, and available.
  • As time permits, engage in local outreach to other music programs, helping build relationship, connection, and opportunities for shared or guest programming.

Core Competencies 

  • Music Knowledge/Awareness: Demonstrates knowledge of music theory and history; familiar with a broad repertoire, including classical and contemporary, and sacred and secular genres. Grasps the value of music in worship and for spiritual growth, and the unique context of Unitarian Universalism.
  • Music Education: Leads music education opportunities (the teaching of new music, new music-related skills, and music history/context) for the congregation as a whole, UUAA’s choirs and ensembles, and small groups (including Children’s Chapel services).
  • Music Skills Development: Combines formal music training with a commitment to continued music skills development.
  • Vision Ownership: Demonstrates understanding and full support of the unfolding vision and values of the First Unitarian Universalist Congregation of the Ann Arbor. Is able to speak to these values with congregants, newcomers, and people in the wider community.  Uses these understandings in shaping ministry and work with congregational groups.
  • Programmatic Leadership: Benchmarks best practices in the creation, revision, implementation, and oversight of music programs; works through divergent congregational needs productively, serving as a bridge-builder and effective communicator; meets with relevant music constituencies to learn more about their programmatic needs, desires, and wants. 
  • Interpersonal Skills: Establishes good working relationships with those relevant to completion of work, good working relationship with all levels of the congregation, builds appropriate rapport; considers the impact of their actions on others, uses diplomacy and tact; is approachable; avoids communication triangles. Models working productively with others, even when there is conflict or disagreement. 
  • Team Building: Leads teams successfully through difficulties and challenges, including situations involving disagreement, differing needs, and/or diversity, inclusion, and equity (DEI) considerations within the team; creates strong morale; shares wins and successes; defines success in terms of the whole team; creates a feeling of belonging and pride in the team.
  • Creativity and Innovation: Generates new ideas; makes new connections among existing ideas to create fresh approaches; takes acceptable risks in pursuit of innovation; learns from mistakes; has good judgment about which creative ideas and suggestions will work. 
  • Verbal Communication: Delivers messages clearly, articulately and with appropriate emotion in a variety of settings; demonstrates communication styles appropriate to the situation at hand; adjusts the message, without losing the essence of the message, depending upon the circumstance and the listener. 
  • Worship Leadership: Designs and facilitates relevant, collaborative, inspiring worship; combines elements of theology, music, and art to promote experiences of the sacred; crafts worship flow that reinforces a theme or purpose; fosters worship moments that invite participants into an encounter with the sacred; creates liturgical moments that embrace the work, presence, and voices of the community. 

Termination, Resignation, or Retirement 

The provisions, procedures, and expectations related to termination, resignation, and retirement contained in the UUAA Employee Manual (2014) will apply.

Evaluation

An annual evaluation of the roles and responsibilities described herein will occur, in accordance with the policies and processes described in the UUAA Employee Manual (2022), with lead evaluative responsibility held by the Senior Minister.

Schedule

The Director of Music Ministries is an ‘exempt’ professional. In recognition that this position is time intensive with daily varying hours, the Director of Music Ministries and the Senior Minister will discuss the broad parameters of their schedules, understanding that the work is multifaceted, unpredictable, highly relational, and subject to unforeseen activities and events. The Director of Music Ministries is responsible for monitoring their time to ensure proper balance of work and time off.  Typical workdays/hours will include: Sundays (during the day, approximately 8am to 2pm), Tuesdays (during the day, approximately 11:30am to 4pm), and Thursdays (during the evening, approximately 5pm to 9:30pm), among other more flexibly scheduled hours.