Bilingual JoyRx Music Specialist, Live & On Demand – New York

Who We Are:

JoyRx was founded as Children’s Cancer Association in 1995 by the Ellis family after their five-year-old daughter, Alexandra, died of cancer. Their goal was to create something extraordinary: an organization with a new vision for what pediatric cancer support services look like. Today, the national JoyRx Music program reaches thousands of hospitalized children of all ages and diagnoses, filling a critical gap in arts and music program services. Whether it be engaging in person, interacting virtually, or accessing exclusive music performances at any time on JoyRx Kids, our program reaches children where they are — and makes their tough days a little brighter.

Simply put — joy helps sick kids feel better.

JoyRx is passionate about diversity, equity, and inclusion and we believe that a diverse staff of highly skilled and creative individuals is necessary to achieve the vision and mission of the organization. We

strive to create a work environment the reflects the communities we serve where everyone feels empowered to bring their whole, authentic selves to work, fully as they identify. We welcome and encourage applications from candidates who can contribute to the diversity of our workforce across a range of dimensions.

Who you are:

You are a talented vocalist, multi-instrumentalist, and performer capable of engaging children and teens, along with their family members and hospital staff, through tailored 1:1 bedside sessions and music instruction, as well as facilitating music exploration through engaging concerts and group activities. You live in New York City, or surrounding area, and can commute throughout New York to multiple pediatric healthcare sites for program delivery up to four days a week.

You are passionate about serving seriously ill children, teens, and their families and are comfortable working in hospital and clinic settings within the scope of practice of Arts in Health. You can play a wide variety of genres and have a current knowledge of popular music for kids and teens. You are adaptable and can “read a room” to match the music interaction to the situation. You are a strong communicator, interacting with hospital staff  and family members in person, as well as other JoyRx team members and leadership remotely.

This position will work closely with the VP of Programs to connect with local musicians and music venues to support On Demand music content creation and procurement. You have a strong network of professional musicians and promoters and can effectively communicate within the industry. You will support in coordinating the creation of custom digital music content with musician partners as part of our JoyRx Music On Demand programming.

This position will report to the JoyRx Music Manager (based in Portland, OR HQ).

Essential Functions:

Music Services: Approximately 60%

• Provide live music within scope of practice through 1:1 and group settings for children and teens in a variety of hospital units at pediatric healthcare environments
• Facilitate structured and improvised musical group experiences, such as live concerts and musical activities to multiple patients at one time
• Encourage kids and teens to self-prescribe the JoyRx Music experience that feels right to them, e.g. playing, singing, exploring, learning, and connecting with others through recreational music, informal songwriting, and music technology
• Provide basic recreational music lessons for guitar, ukulele, and keyboard
• Occasionally, record musical content for use through on demand music program, including sing-alongs, instrument lessons, personalized song recordings, and other engaging kid-focused content. Collaborate with pediatric healthcare professionals to customize JoyRx Music experience for kids, teens and families

Artist Engagement: Approximately 30%

• Develop relationships with local music venues and musician networks to share mission and work of organization
• Secure artists for 1-2 hospital concerts annually, lead and coordination at hospital
• Facilitate artist collaboration, dedicated songs, and original musical content for digital and live content delivery to kids

Administrative and Other Services: Approximately 10%

• Support JoyRx Music scheduling, reporting, and performance tracking
• Work in tandem with hospital staff to collect anecdotes and media for families to help share their JoyRx Music story through photo, video or narrative via CCA’s social media channels
• Maintain instruments and equipment stored at hospital in the JoyRx Music Cart, including sanitizing all items per hospital infection control guidelines, tuning and stringing instruments, as well as basic repair and upkeep of music cart and supplies
• Provide appropriate program administrative and data support as needed
• Other duties as assigned

Qualifications & Skills

• A multi-faceted musician and vocalist who is proficient playing string and/or other instruments (guitar, ukulele, and/or keyboard are primarily used in this role) in a wide variety of different genres as well as having a comfort level with music-based technology applications (e.g. tablet computers, web-based music programs and other digital music hardware and software)
• Bilingual capacity, Spanish preferred
• Ability to work in an environment with children, teens, and family members who are under stress, in pain, or undergoing medical procedures, and deliver therapeutic music services within scope of practice that support the child, family, and the hospital staff as appropriate to the situation
• Secure and inspire artists to play acoustic live performances for hospitalized kids and families in select children’s hospitals and streaming digital performances.
• Liaison with children’s performers to develop exclusive content for our JoyRx Music programming.
• Knowledgeable of current and popular music for kids and teens with the ability to improvise in the moment
• Proven emotional intelligence with ability to nimbly and appropriately adapt based on observed non- verbal and verbal cues and in-the-moment circumstances
• A direct communicator with strong social and communication Ability to communicate effectively with team and supervisor while working remotely, keeping CCA colleagues informed of successes, challenges, workload, etc.
• Ability to foster a culture of positive impact; be personable, self-confident, optimistic, and enthusiastic
• Strong time management skills with the ability to work independently and as part of a collaborative team
• Able to work rotating days and hours, possibly including evenings and weekends
• Must pass hospital background check including drug testing and complete all necessary hospital badging requirements

Education & Experience:

We seek diverse perspectives and lived experiences that foster learning, creativity and innovation, and equity.

• Bachelor’s degree or comparable professional experience in Arts in Health, therapeutic music, music education, music performance, counseling, and/or social work.
• Experience working directly with children and teenagers
• Experience working in a medical setting and/or medical knowledge preferred
• Experience performing music, preferably with kids and teens
• High emotional intelligence; display empathy, transparency, trust, and thoughtfulness in interactions with colleagues and external partners

Competency Requirements:

• Composure/Sensitivity – Remain calm under pressure or trying Treat others with respect. Show empathy toward others. Develop and maintain trust.
• Creativity – Generate original ideas, develop innovative solutions, and find new ways to look at old problems and explore options.
• Positive Impact – Make positive impressions, be personable, self-confidant, optimistic, and enthusiastic; energize others.
• Relationship Building – Establish and maintain productive relationships with children, families, partners, and staff; initiate contacts readily; enjoy and are good at interacting with people.
• Organizing and Planning – Prioritize multiple tasks, maximize use of available time, and accomplish work efficiently and accurately.
• Active Communication – Ensure that the team has current and accurate information; encourage flow of information between teams when necessary.
• Energy – Exhibit stamina and endurance, maintain a fast pace over

Work Environment:

At JoyRx we are committed to a work environment where each person feels a sense of belonging and they are recognized, appreciated, and valued.

This position is based in the New York area. JoyRx offers a hybrid work environment, with both onsite days (hospital environment Monday through Thursday) and the ability to work remote (at home) on Friday’s.

Physical Demands:

The physical demands described here are representative of those that must be met by an employee to successfully perform the essential functions of this job, with or without reasonable accommodation.

This position requires frequent standing, walking, and lifting, as well as physical demands of singing, performing, and playing and carrying instruments and supplies (up to 20 lbs) of a computer and other office equipment. This position requires the ability to speak, hear, write, and read English and consists of operation of a tablet, computer, and other electronic equipment.

Travel:

This position will require daily travel in the New York area; there may be limited travel to other key regions, including 1-2 trips to Portland headquarters per year.

Compensation & Benefits:

JoyRx is a growth organization that looks for team members to grow with it. JoyRx offers a generous total rewards package, a casual work environment, and an inclusive culture.

This position offers a competitive benefits package and a salary range starting at $26/hr. (a pay differential will be considered for bilingual skillset) Final offer amounts and levels are determined by multiple factors, including your experience, and may vary from the amounts listed above.

Generous benefits include:

• Heavily subsidized medical, vision, dental, and alternative care benefits
• Generous PTO package, paid wellness days, and ten (plus two floating) paid holidays
• Voluntary short- and long-term disability
• Flexible spending plan
• 401(k) with 3.5 percent JoyRx match
• Paid four-week sabbatical to pursue creative talents after eight years of service
• Professional development annual benefit
• Subsidized on-site parking or public transportation reimbursement if needed

Position Type/Expected Hours of Work:

This is a full-time (35 hours/week) non-exempt position. Some flexibility in hours is allowed; days and hours of work are generally Monday through Thursday, 8:00 am – 5:30 pm, and Friday 8:00 am – 12:00 pm. This position may need to adjust start and end times to accommodate team members in all time zones and hospital shifts.

General Information:

This job description is not designed to cover or contain a comprehensive listing of activities, duties, or

responsibilities that are required of the employee for this job. The above statements are intended to

describe the general nature and level of work being performed by individuals assigned to this position. They are not intended to be an exhaustive list of all duties, responsibilities, and skills required for the position. Job duties may change at any time, with or without notice.

Application Guidelines:

Complete the application through our application portal and send an email to recruiting@joyrx.org with a 4-6 minute live acoustic video that includes vocals and self-accompaniment on guitar or ukulele or piano, to showcase your musical talent and song choice for a pediatric hospital environment. Select one piece that you would share with a toddler/child and one piece that you would share with a teen. (If you are bilingual, please select one of the pieces that will showcase that skill.)

Please answer the following two questions in your cover letter:

1. Tell us how your previous work history has prepared you for this role.
2. Tell us if the compensation and benefits information listed above meet your needs.

To learn more about JoyRx | Children’s Cancer Association, watch Digital Music pitch video_v.3.mp4 or  Day in the Life of a JoyRx Music Specialist.mp4 or visit /JoyRx.org.

Watch Founder and Chief Joy Officer Regina Ellis’ TEDx Talk on the Joy Effect