Job Description: Elementary/Middle School Music Teacher
CAMPUS: Pretoria Campus | SUPERVISOR: Pretoria Campus Principal | START DATE: 01 August 2026 |
POSTING DATE: 11 November 2025 | CLOSING DATE: 30 January 2025
Inspire Learning to Build Our Better World. At the American International School of Johannesburg (AISJ), we are committed to providing an exceptional education that empowers global citizens to fulfill their future purpose. Our vision is to inspire learning to build a better world. We seek a dedicated and passionate professional who aligns with our commitment to excellence and believes in the transformative power of education. Every team member is crucial in creating a supportive and nurturing learning environment. At AISJ, we value every employee as a learner and expect them to embody and support the AISJ Portrait of Learner (Resilience, Mindful, Thinker, Globally Connected, Curious, Contributor) through their work. We are dedicated to justice, equity, diversity, and inclusion within our school community.
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Position overview
The Pretoria Music Teacher draws on a rich repertoire of pedagogical practices to inform curriculum for children’s Music learning, development and wellbeing. They are responsive to children and their unique social, emotional, and learning profiles. The Music Teacher exhibits expertise in Music instruction and learning across Elementary and Middle School, and a passion for promoting and fostering an appreciation for arts learning, presentation, and interpretation. The Music Teacher develops positive relationships with families, AISJ team members, and the greater AISJ community. The Music Teacher is an active community leader, contributing to curricular and extra-curricular initiatives that promote community, wellbeing, and arts-related learning experiences, inclusive of the Pretoria Campus Production. They collaborate, plan and implement intentional learning opportunities that incorporate a spirit of play and agency through concept-driven inquiry inspired experiences. The Music Teacher creates physical, temporal, intellectual, social and emotional environments that value the culture and contexts of children and their families. They systematically analyse, assess, monitor and evaluate, and share children’s learning, development and wellbeing in ways to understand, acknowledge and document children’s progress and development. The Music Teacher takes an active and collaborative role in the ongoing revision and alignment of the AISJ Music curriculum.
Qualifications, Experiences, & Role Specific Requirements
● Music Teaching certification with at least a four-year degree in education.
● Master’s degree or similar preferred.
● Current teaching certification (appropriate to age level and specialization).
● Qualification and/or experience in concept-driven inquiry learning.
● Qualification and/or experience in IB Primary Years Programme.
● Qualification and/or experience in Responsive Classroom practices and environments.
● Qualification and/or experience directing Pretoria productions.
● International school teaching experience.
● Experience and knowledge of Elementary and/or Middle Music (Band & Choir).
● Experience in curriculum and assessment development.
● Expertise in building a learner-centered, concept-driven, inquiry and play-based learning environment.
● Investment in and ability to develop a sense of community, belonging and trust.
● An ability to communicate and build relationships with Elementary and Middle School learners, team members and families.
● A positive attitude and committed team player. Someone who is solution focused.
● Deep understanding of the developmental needs of ES/MS learners.
● Experience designing and implementing an engaging and rigorous Music curriculum in alignment with AISJ’s Principles of Learning and National Core Arts Standards.
● Commitment to and proven success within a learning-focused, collaborative professional environment.
● A proven ability to differentiate instruction to meet individual needs.
● Understanding of a wide range of Music assessment tools and strategies with the ability to apply these within a play and inquiry-based instruction.
● Experience in integrating technology to enhance learning.
● Experience using concepts, standards and backwards design to plan instruction.
● Outstanding organizational and time management abilities.
Key Responsibilities:
In addition to the Music curriculum expectations, teachers at AISJ are welcomed into a collegial and collaborative working environment. In support of this, teachers are expected to:
● Communicate and liaise on a regular basis with fellow Pretoria and whole school Music and performing arts team members with regards to planning, assessment, family and community collaboration, subject organization and responsibilities.
● Communicate and liaise with colleagues to identify and develop transdisciplinary learning experiences.
● Take an active role in proactive behavior management and wellbeing of learners.
● Use a range of strategies to differentiate learning
● Collaboratively plan units of study.
● Attend and constructively contribute to team meetings.
● Assist in supervision of learner breaks. Supervise learners in and out of classroom activities during the school day.
● Maintain up-to-date records of assessment, planning, reports, conferences, and communication with families.
● Establish links with the community to ensure that families are kept well-informed about learner progress.
● Lead the Pretoria Campus Production and music performances.
● Create regular opportunities, both formal and informal, for learners to perform and showcase their Music expression and development.
● Lead, assist, and participate in school events as required.
● Participate in curriculum and professional development opportunities as required and implement new learning.
● Provide learning environments that are stimulating where children can develop their potential and experience growth.
● Establish and maintain a culture of appreciation and participation in Music and performing arts on the Pretoria Campus.
● Other tasks as determined by the supervisor.
Teacher Competencies
Planning for Learning
● Curriculum Design: Creates personalized, challenging learning sequences that build on prior knowledge while ensuring knowledge transfer and regular reflection opportunities.
● Collaborative Planning: Partners across disciplines and specialties to create cohesive learning experiences
that connect global contexts while anticipating student needs.
● Inquiry-Based Learning: Designs flexible conceptual units that honor student choice, pace, and multiple pathways to demonstrate understanding.
Maximizing Teacher Efficacy
● Student Agency & Critical Thinking: Creates self-directed learners who think critically, set goals, and drive their own learning journey.
● Research-Based Instructional Excellence: Implements proven teaching strategies that adapt to individual student needs through continuous assessment and adjustment.
● Connected Learning Design: Weaves together global perspectives, real-world applications, and cross-disciplinary connections to create meaningful learning experiences.
● Collaborative Leadership: Builds a learning community where students develop leadership skills through structured collaboration and personalized engagement.
Reflecting as Practitioners
● Student Agency: Builds student capacity for self-assessment through modeling, tools, and targeted feedback that drives individual growth.
● Data-Informed Practice: Analyzes student achievement data to align curriculum, refine teaching strategies, and measure instructional effectiveness.
● Professional Growth: Engages in collaborative reflection and data analysis with colleagues to continuously improve teaching practices and student outcomes.
Promoting Relationships, Community, & Culture
● Builds strong community-school partnerships and actively participates in community initiatives to enrich the learning environment.
● Adapts teaching practices by staying informed of educational and societal changes while understanding each
learner's unique cultural background, learning style, and needs.
● Creates an inclusive learning environment that embraces diversity, challenges stereotypes, and connects learning to students' real-world experiences and cultural contexts.
● Fosters a growth mindset by encouraging calculated risk-taking and developing students' autonomy, personal responsibility, and ownership of learning.
All community members are expected to be committed to the AISJ Community Principles.
● We are better when we act together.
● Our differences make us stronger.
● Every voice counts. Every voice matters.
● Every team needs individuals. Every individual needs a team.
Work
Number of Work Days: : Monday through Friday - 188 (one hundred and eighty-eight) days per school year.
Work Day: 7:10 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. daily on Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, and Friday, and from 7:10 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. on Wednesday.
Full-Time Teacher: Elementary Teachers will be working with students (contact time) between 65% to 75% per day and Secondary Teachers will teach 6 of 8 in the block schedule.
Other Duties As Assigned: The Teacher will be expected to perform any work assigned to them that is within their skills and capabilities and to be flexible about changes to this function that may be required from time to time for operational reasons. This includes other duties as assigned by their supervisor from time to time.
APPLICATION PROCESS
To apply, please complete the electronic form [Click here]. Information captured will be securely stored and used for a reference check on the candidate's compatibility. AISJ reserves the right to appoint the strongest candidate before the closing date if required.
SAFEGUARDING & CHILD PROTECTION
AISJ maintains robust child protection policies to ensure a safe, secure, and caring environment for our students. All employees must undergo criminal background checks, attend annual training, and sign a safeguarding agreement.
PRIVACY
By submitting your CV, you consent to AISJ processing your personal information in accordance with our Privacy Policy, accessible at AISJ Privacy Policy, and under the Protection of Personal Information Act of 2013.
