NYC Guitar School is one of America’s largest music schools with 2,000 students and over 50 teachers. Students love us because they learn to play guitar and make real connections with other great people. But our mission is not teaching guitar. Our mission is “Coaching Personal Greatness One Lesson At A Time.”

Join our team as Summer Camp Director!

For the past 15 years, NYC Guitar School has operated NYC’s largest rock band day camp. Campers (mostly teenagers) spend most of each two-week session rehearsing intensely with their small group bands and band coaches in preparation for a show in a NYC club with professional sound and lights. Group rehearsals are supplemented with instrument break-out learning, workshops and visits to other bands, as well as individual lessons. 

The NYC Guitar School mission is “Coaching Personal Greatness One Lesson At A Time”. We love music and our teachers are excellent musicians, but we are clear that music is not the end goal; music is a path to helping kids gain confidence, resilience and discipline, and for learning to work together with and appreciate other people.

We strive to create an environment of respect, support, professionalism and achievement in which each camper grows towards their personal potential in order to contribute to the success of their band. One of the things we’re proudest of is that many of our campers form lasting friendships and even create bands that last for years beyond the camp. Note: Our camp is screen free to help maximize musical focus–and positive human connections between our campers. 

We want to meet YOU.  We are interviewing for this position in March 2023.

Key Results Areas (KRAs):

• Warm and professional camp experience: Oversee all aspects of the camp day so that everything runs smoothly. Be present in-person for the entirety of camp, setting a tone of warmth and professionalism.
• Effective management of the camp team: Lead, manage and support coaches and camp assistants in effective work.
• High quality shows: Put on great shows which celebrate and demonstrate camper progress and skills.
• Effective partnerships: Work effectively with external partners like rehearsal businesses and venues and internal partners like the sales team, social media team, and bookkeeper.
• Build a community: Foster connections with and between campers and camper families. Welcome campers and families before camp sessions and each day.
• Smooth logistics and profitable operations: Build and manage band rosters and camp capacity, manage space, people and equipment.
• Ultimate responsibility: Plan proactively to minimize problems, make fast and effective decisions with clear communication if issues do occur.

Job Responsibilities/KPIs:

Guide the Camper Experience. As Camp Director, be present before, during and after camp. Set a tone of warm professionalism and calm stability for the campers. Before camp, match campers into bands based on age, level and interests. Before camp, welcome campers and families. During camp maintain high standards for respectful and productive rehearsals. Foster a friendly and encouraging environment that helps campers learn and grow musically, to be confident as performers, and to make friends. Proactively seek out and solve any camper issues like skill mismatches, band conflict, etc. 

Lead Your Team. Lead pre-camp training for coaches and assistants. Guide, lead and support the band coaches and camp assistants in daily team meetings and band visits so that each band reaches show day prepared to put on a high quality show appropriate to their particular skill and experience level. Provide fast feedback, support and coaching if anything gets off track. Lead and support camp assistants so that everyone is welcomed, everything runs on time, everyone has the equipment they need–and so that social media content is collected and uploaded. Encourage teamwork between coaches. Observe rehearsals. Schedule substitute coaches if needed.

Put On A Great Show.  Coordinate a professional show which celebrates and showcases two weeks of hard work and progress and presents campers at their best. Know the backline, make sure other needed equipment is on hand and working. Ensure that coaches have their bands 100% in-tune and 100% on-time. Assign and manage a stage manager and MC. Work in a friendly way with the venue and sound-person to ensure that sound quality is excellent. Make sure that parents and guests are greeted at the door when they arrive and receive a friendly good-bye when they leave.

Build a Community. Learn, know and use camper names. Foster positive relationships with former, current and prospective campers and their parents and encourage friendships between campers. Support camper retention both for additional sessions and for school year programs. Encourage older and more experienced campers to be role models for younger and less experienced campers.

Work With Your Wider Team. Coordinate with our sales and service teams to manage sign-ups and ensure that campers are paid, paperwork is complete, and supplies and equipment are ordered. Prior to the summer, help hire band coaches. Communicate regularly with the company owners. Maintain productive and respectful relationships with our partners in rehearsal rooms and nightclubs.

Logistics/Run A Business.   Manage time, space and equipment so that campers and coaches can work effectively–ie rehearsal schedules, rooms, amps and instruments. Manage band enrollment so that capacity and efficiency are maximized. Encourage retention from session to session and for fall programs and respond with parents as they seek additional sessions. Avoid unnecessary expenses with advance planning. 

The Show Must Go On. Sometimes unexpected things happen–a vocalist gets sick the day before the show; a coach is called away for a family emergency; there is a mass transit outage, etc. As Camp Director, you are the first person our team, parents and campers look to, and you are responsible for making good decisions in the moment, even as you quickly communicate with the owners as needed. Any issues which cannot be solved by the Director are brought quickly to whoever can solve the issue (sales, bookkeeping, owners, etc.)

Detailed Responsibilities Include:

• Be Present:  Be boots on the ground and present during the entire camp.
• Make daily improvements, by looking for what bugs you and improving it.
• Run the Summer Camp daily/weekly/monthly checklist.

Before camp:

• Hire additional Band Coaches (if/as needed): Work with Hiring Manager to assess camp staffing needs, hire internally, and interview externally.  Coordinate with Teacher Operations for training and mentoring. 
• Hire Camp Assistant Staff (if/as needed): Interview & Hire Camp Assistant Staff if more are needed. 
• Match campers into bands based on age, level, and musical interest.  Run video placement evaluations in April/May.
• Run Weekly Welcome checklist – welcome call to campers
• Send welcome emails out to campers using templates.
• Coordinate with Sales to make sure spots remaining are updated on the website
• Once camp is full, manage the waitlist and open spots as available.  Work to accommodate campers on other instruments if possible.

During Camp:

• Ultimate camp responsibility:  be present before, during and after camp; schedule opening and closing; avoid and respond to key emergencies; make sure everything is running smoothly and the studio space is left immaculate each day. Check messages and respond to calls on the Summer Camp phone extension. 
• Communicate and solve facilities issues and emergencies fast and maintain positive relationship with Rehearsal Studio (including gear and making sure that bookkeeping has sent invoices on time)
• Communicate with the show venue – make sure they are paid, know the backline & supply any needed equipment.
• Lead and Manage Team – run daily meetings,  including booking subs as needed.
• Order supplies as needed (including T-shirts, ear plugs, cables, etc)
• Communicate with bookkeeping for Teacher Payroll : Make sure teacher payroll is sent to bookkeeping on-time, that all payroll numbers are correct & communicated to teachers ahead of time (and take into account any prorated days for subbing or shorter sessions or additions like booster lessons). Track teacher referrals and make sure they are paid by bookkeeping.
• Know and greet your campers by name.
• Build the camp reputation by encouraging happy students to post online reviews.

After Camp:

• Run final camp reports.
• Make recommendations for changes and improvements to future camps.

Hours:

• ~5-10 hours/week of remote band placements/evaluations, any extra coach and assistant hiring needed (most team members will already be hired), team-building, ordering and prep-work from mid-March-June to prepare for a smooth summer.
• In-Person Training one weekend in June TBA
• 40 hour prep/week of training and organization the week before camp starts (the week of June 26th)
• 40 hours/week in-person at the camp July 5-August 11 (our programs run for 6 weeks)–plus several hours of remote email and phone work over the weekend.
• Schedule: 8:15 am-4:15 pm Monday-Friday (campers are present 8:45 am-3:45 pm, main camp hours are 9:30 am-3 pm). Every 2nd Friday is showtime from 2-5 pm.

What are we looking for?

• Experience working with youth 12-17 in schools or other structured programs.
• Musical experience in high-level bands or ensembles, multi-instrumentalists preferred.
• Leadership Experience in setting and maintaining standards for high performance, inspiring others and in delegating responsibilities.
• Strong conflict resolution, communication, and problem-solving abilities.
• History of reliability and responsiveness in communication and commitment and the ability to consistently follow checklists and systems.
• Ability to calmly and cheerfully manage multiple people, personalities, rooms and issues etc. 
• Ability to maintain stamina and endurance over the course of the summer.
• Resonance with our mission of “Coaching Personal Greatness One Lesson At A Time” and a desire to help young people grow in confidence and capabilities through sharing our values of Relentless Improvement, Hustle, Honesty and Centering People.
• Camp experience is a bonus, but not required.

Benefits and Compensation:

Compensation. Approx ~$14,000, including:

• Pre-Season Work/Training (March-June): ~5-10 hours/week at $33/hour
• During Camp and Staff Training Weeks: $1400/week over 7 weeks
• Post-Season Work (summer recap, reports and after actions: ~20 hours at $33/hour

Opportunity for Advancement. We look at our summer staff first when we look to fill full-time opportunities within the company.

Free Camp. If you have children, they can attend camp for free. If you don’t have children, you can give a free camp session to someone else. 

Camp Location: Midtown Manhattan