Careers

Please note: The search for a new Head of Strings is currently paused
and will resume in June 2025 following the arrival of our new Dean.

Hours: 0.5 FTE salaried part-time position with benefits; flexible hours averaging 18-19 weekly. Position includes independently contracted teaching services with potential to build studio as desired while maintaining career as active performer.

Compensation: Salary ranging $40,000 – $43,750 commensurate with experience and qualifications plus a competitive benefit package, including a bonus paid vacation week at Winter Break, RRSP matching, Extended Health, Dental Health Spending Account, and Personal Wellness Days. In addition, you will earn teaching pay based on your teaching studio hours.

Application Deadline: February 19, 2025, or ongoing until position is filled.

Start Date: Immediate (March 2025).

To Apply: Please submit a cover letter and resume, relevant supporting materials, and contact information for two references to:
Office of the Dean
dean[at]vcm.bc.ca
Attention: Stephen Green, Chief Artistic Officer and Dean

The Ann & George Nation Conservatory School of Classical Music is home to training in traditional Western European Classical Music, and comprised of the Departments of Keyboard, Voice, Winds & Brass, and Strings, as well as stellar programs such as the Young Artists Collegium, Opera Quest, and Spark to Flame. The Strings Department encompasses a faculty of currently 30 members, offering studio instruction, instrumental group classes including Suzuki, and ensembles, spanning all ages and levels from beginner to advanced, across the disciplines of violin, viola, cello, contrabass, guitar, lute, and harp.

Job Description

The Department Head of Strings is an active, enthusiastic, and well-respected artist mentor and performer. Their artistic and pedagogical expertise, together with interpersonal qualities as an approachable and supportive colleague, inspire growth and excellence within the department and its faculty, while maintaining an inclusive and welcoming community with an outstanding cohesive environment for mentorship and learning. Leading through facilitation and collaboration, the incumbent’s diverse experiences, including professional collaborations in one or more areas of the arts, and work with community groups, provide the level of inspiration and entrepreneurship to forge new connections between the Strings Department and cultural communities of all ages and abilities, both locally and beyond.

Reporting to the Conservatory’s Dean, and as a contributing member of the Conservatory’s Artistic Directorate Committee (*ADC), the Department Head of Strings leads and manages the Strings Department and its faculty in an artistic, academic, and administrative capacity, aligning with the shared artistic and academic vision and goals of the Dean and the ADC, as well as the Conservatory’s “Enduring Purpose” and Strategic Plan. The Head of Strings ensures that the minimum artistic and academic expectations for teaching are met or exceeded, as set out by the ADC in the Faculty Teaching Expectations and Assessment Program, which also includes strict adherence to all policies and best practices that support and protect the Conservatory’s Learning Environment.

Working closely with and supporting the Strings Faculty, through all aspects of programs housed within this department, the Head of Strings ensures that the student experience remains optimal, while maintaining the department’s fiscal viability through effective management of the annual department budget.

Qualifications and Requirements

A more specific list of duties and tasks is available upon request.

(*) About the Artistic Directorate Committee

Chaired by the Dean, the committee represents all departments and program areas within the VCM’s Artistic and Academic fabric: Ann & George Nation Conservatory School of Classical Music (Five departments – Keyboard, Strings, Winds & Brass, Voice, and the Young Artists Collegium); Chwyl Family School of Contemporary Music; School of Music Technology and Creativity, including Early Childhood Music; Department of Postsecondary Studies; and the Centre of Music Therapy and Wellness. The leaders of these departments (Artistic Directors, Department Heads/Directors) meet typically twice per month during the regular academic terms, collectively and collaboratively steering all aspects of the Conservatory’s music programs.

About the Victoria Conservatory of Music

One of Canada’s most innovative and progressive music schools, the Victoria Conservatory of Music (est. 1964) is a non-profit, charitable organization located in Victoria, British Columbia, Canada, operating in the traditional territories of the Songhees, Esquimalt, W̱SÁNEĆ and Beecher Bay Nations. Operating a performing arts complex in downtown Victoria with three performance halls and 50+ studios and classrooms, in addition to a satellite location in nearby Langford, the Conservatory is a centre for excellence and enjoyment of music through education, performance and wellness, serving its community of over 4,500 students and music therapy clients of all ages, through its diverse and outstanding program areas. The Conservatory’s Music Outreach initiatives further enrich the lives of over 1,000 children in daycares, preschools, and elementary schools throughout the Greater Victoria area. CEO Nathan Medd joined the organization in 2022, following appointments at the National Arts Centre and Banff Centre for Arts and Creativity. For more information visit us online at: vcm.bc.ca.

Hours: 37.5 hours/week (generally7.5-hours/day).

Compensation: $23/hour plus a competitive benefit package, including a bonus paid vacation week at Winter Break, RRSP matching, Extended Health, Dental Health Spending Account, and Personal Wellness Days.

Application Deadline: Applications will be open until a suitable candidate is found and will be reviewed as they are submitted.

Start Date: Mid-May to early June 2025.

To Apply: Please submit a cover letter and resume to:
Martin Borg, Chief Facilities Officer
borg[at]vcm.bc.ca

Key Responsibilities

• Scheduling, optimizing, and booking internal usage of space.
• Working with Faculty and Staff to facilitate their space needs.
• Assigning Access Key Cards to Faculty and Staff and maintaining the Genetec Access Control system.
• Administrative Assistant to the Chief Facilities Officer.

This list of duties is not exhaustive; other duties may be assigned as business needs require.

Qualifications and Requirements

• Extremely organized with a strong attention to detail.
• Ability to communicate effectively and respectfully with a range of people from different backgrounds.
• Strong work ethic, combining energy and stamina.
• Comfortable with learning and using multiple software platforms. Experience with Genetec, Universus/BookKing (booking software), and/or ActiveNet (booking software) considered an asset.
• Understanding of and commitment to creating a work environment that is inclusive, diverse, equitable, and accessible.
• Ability to work towards objectives, establish clear directives, meet deadlines, and manage multiple priorities.
• High level of professionalism with good judgement and discretion.

Hours: Permanent full-time position, generally 30 to 37.5 hours/week and 7.5-hour days.

Compensation: $25/hour plus a competitive benefit package, including a bonus paid vacation week at Winter Break, RRSP matching, Extended Health, Dental Health Spending Account, and Personal Wellness Days.

Application Deadline: Applications will be open until a suitable candidate is found and will be reviewed as they are submitted.

Start Date: As soon as possible.

To Apply: Please submit a cover letter and resume to:
Martin Borg, Chief Facilities Officer
borg[at]vcm.bc.ca

Overview

The Facilities Maintenance and Service Worker works under the supervision of and assists the Maintenance Manager in the care and maintenance of the building and support systems. Some shifts will be focused on maintenance and some will be focused on custodial duties.

Key Responsibilities

Maintenance Work:

• Assisting on carrying out assigned maintenance projects and building improvements.
• Assisting with scheduled maintenance programs on building systems.
• After-hours emergency on-call building maintenance work.
• General carpentry maintenance such as building repairs, patching, grouting, caulking, and painting.
• Plumbing maintenance such as unblocking waste lines, replacing fixtures such as flush tank mechanisms, toilets, sinks and faucets.
• Performing mechanical maintenance and inspections on equipment such as Heating Boilers, Air Handlers, and HVAC systems.
• Maintains and logs performance of fire safety and evacuation drills and audits, as well as the preventative maintenance program.
• Performs electrical maintenance duties such as logging defective switches and receptacles, light fixtures, and managing electrical servicing.

Service Work:

• Keeping building and property in clean and orderly condition.
• Performing routine cleaning activities, including:
o Sweeping, mopping, scrubbing, or vacuuming floors.
o Scrubbing, sanitizing, and suppling restroom facilities.
o Dusting furniture, walls, and equipment.
o Cleaning windows, mirrors, and partitions.
o Preparing and mixing cleaning solutions.

• Setting up rooms and equipment for classes and lessons.
• Facilitating room entry/control of faculty and students.

Qualifications and Requirements

• Minimum of 4 years of relevant experience.
• Can communicate effectively in the English language (both orally and written).
• Good health, physically able to perform the duties of the position and ability to lift and carry heavy equipment and objects.
• Knowledge of occupational hazards safety rules.
• Willing and able to remain on site after normal working hours as required to handle any emergency maintenance situations (i.e. mechanical systems offline etc.).
• A friendly and helpful personality who will interact professionally with students, concertgoers, faculty, staff.
• Knowledge of standard cleaning methods and procedures.
• Experience with using cleaning equipment, including vacuum cleaners, floor buffers, and cleaning solutions.
• Ability to perform repetitive motion for periods of time.
• Background in handling, mixing, and using cleaning chemicals.
• Building Service Worker Level 1 / WHIMIS training/certificate considered an asset.

Compensation: Currently beginning at $52.50 per in-community hour and $59.20 per direct contact client hour. This part-time position as an independently contracted service provider, provides opportunity for growth.

Application Deadline: Ongoing until position is filled.

Start Date: Immediate.

To apply: Electronically submit a cover letter and resume, relevant supporting materials, and contact information for two references to:
Office of the Dean, dean[at]vcm.bc.ca
Attention: Dr. Johanne Brodeur, Ph.D., MTA, MTD Head

As a member of the Conservatory’s faculty, the successful applicant will be an integral part of the growth and success of the Music Therapy Department and must be passionate about bringing positive change to the community. All faculty are independently contracted as service providers and paid hourly according to established fee grid. The Conservatory’s Music Therapy program is in high demand and offers therapists the opportunity to build out their practice at the Conservatory as desired while maintaining a healthy work/life balance.

Strengths and Skills

• Experience focused primarily on children and youth, including strategic interventions for participants with ASD.
• Extensive musicianship skills.
• Musical aptitude includes familiarity with age-appropriate music repertoire.
• Music therapy interventions include extensive knowledge of intervention strategies for children and youth, use of superior improvisational skills and creativity, as well as more structured model sessions.
• Interaction and communication with participants, parents, caregivers, and staff is clear and effective.
• Ability to take initiative, problem solve, and to work as part of a multi-disciplinary music therapy faculty, complemented with a strong work ethic built on enthusiasm, positive energy, mutual respect, sensibility, sense of responsibility, and driven by a passion for the field of music therapy and for learning.

Qualifications and Requirements

• A minimum of a recognized bachelor’s degree in music therapy.
• MTA status.
• Must provide their own transportation to and from client locations. Note: Compensation includes additional Mileage Fee per site visit.

Compensation: Currently beginning at $52.50 per in-community hour and $59.20 per direct contact client hour. This part-time position as an independently contracted service provider, provides opportunity for growth.

Application Deadline: Ongoing until position is filled.

Start Date: February 15, 2025.

To apply: Electronically submit a cover letter and resume, relevant supporting materials, and contact information for two references to:
Dr. Johanne Brodeur, Head of Music Therapy
brodeur[at]vcm.bc.ca

As a member of the Conservatory’s faculty, the successful applicant will be an integral part of the growth and success of the Music Therapy Department and must be passionate about bringing positive change to the community. All faculty are independently contracted as service providers and paid hourly according to established fee grid. The Conservatory’s Music Therapy program is in high demand and offers therapists the opportunity to build out their practice at the Conservatory as desired while maintaining a healthy work/life balance.

Strengths and Skills

• Experience with adults and elders in assisted living residences, dementia units, and palliative care.
• Extensive musicianship skills.
• Musical aptitude includes familiarity with age-appropriate music repertoire.
• Music therapy interventions include extensive knowledge of intervention strategies for adults/elders with various needs using structured model sessions and at times improvisational skills.
• Interaction and communication with participants, parents, caregivers, and staff is clear and effective.
• Ability to take initiative, problem solve, and to work as part of a multi-disciplinary music therapy faculty, complemented with a strong work ethic built on enthusiasm, positive energy, mutual respect, sensibility, sense of responsibility, and driven by a passion for the field of music therapy and for learning.

Qualifications and Requirements

• A minimum of a recognized bachelor’s degree in music therapy.
• Music Therapy Board Certified /MTA status.
• Must provide their own transportation to and from client locations. Note: Compensation includes additional Mileage Fee per site visit.

Compensation: As independently contracted service providers, Victoria Conservatory of Music Faculty set their hourly studio rate in consultation with their respective department head, and according to the established Conservatory Tuition / Instructor Fee grid. Hourly compensation rates currently range from $39.60 – $59.20/hour.

Application Deadline: Ongoing until position is filled.

Start Date: Immediate (January 2025).

To apply: Electronically submit a cover letter and resume, relevant supporting materials, and contact information for two references to:
Office of the Dean, dean[at]vcm.bc.ca
Attention: Colin Doroschuk

Job Description

As a member of a diverse and vibrant community of artist mentors within the Victoria Conservatory of Music, this part-time faculty position offers the incumbent the freedom to balance teaching voice to students of all ages and levels, while pursuing a professional career as performer and/or recording artist on the beautiful west coast of Canada. As the instructor builds and maintains an active teaching studio in voice, with focus on the Classical and/or the Contemporary genres, supporting the Conservatory’s recruitment efforts, and maintaining regular communications with the department leadership and faculty colleagues, students are guided to becoming well-rounded singers with solid technique and musicianship. The instructor encourages students to participate as appropriate in activities offered through the Conservatory, including free masterclasses and performance classes, studio recitals and other performance opportunities.

Qualifications and Requirements

Education, Professional Training and Acquired Skills

• Four years of Classical Training postsecondary/advanced level or the professional equivalent with recognized accredited teachers; preferably including having obtained a BMus, DipMus, ARCT, AVCM, or equivalent credential / apprenticeship.
• Piano Proficiency: Able to accompany lessons (sight reading and ability to play from charts/ figured bass).
• Knowledge of, as well as the ability to coach/teach, both the Classical and Popular repertoire.
• Knowledge of Song structures / Composition training as an additional asset will be considered.

Experience

• At least ten years of recognized professional performing in either/or both the Classical and Contemporary fields.
• At least four years teaching/coaching in Classical and/or Popular repertoire.
• Experience touring professionally and/or in-studio work as a recording artist will be considered as additional assets.

Areas of Teaching Specialization

• Classical; Contemporary/Popular; Musical theatre; Rock, Folk, Jazz, and other non-Classical genres.
• Languages: Spoken and written English, working knowledge of French, German and Italian preferred for Classical instruction.

Shifts Available: Saturday, May 10 | MORNING – 9:30am – 1:30pm
Saturday, May 10 | AFTERNOON – 1:00pm – 4:30pm
Sunday, May 11 | MORNING – 9:30am – 1:30pm
Sunday, May 11 | AFTERNOON – 1:00pm – 4:30pm

Location: Private gardens across Greater Victoria.

To Apply: Email gardenvolunteers[at]vcm.bc.ca or call 250.419.4313

Overview

The Victoria Conservatory of Music’s Mother’s Day Musical Garden Tour is back for its 43rd year! Volunteer as a Garden Sitter and enjoy a 3.5-4-hour shift at one of nine stunning, hand-picked private gardens throughout Greater Victoria. You’ll be seated at a table outside with one other volunteer. No garden knowledge required. Learn more about the event at vcm.bc.ca/garden-tour.

Volunteers receive a FREE two-day pass, giving you exclusive access for the rest of the weekend, and an invitation to an appreciation event hosted by our Garden Tour Volunteer Sponsor, Berwick Royal Oak.

For more information, or to express your interest, contact gardenvolunteers[at]vcm.bc.ca or call 250.419.4313.

Key Responsibilities

• Greeting guests.
• Checking tickets.
• Counting attendees.
• Answering patron questions.