Do you want to use your music to enrich the lives of public school children – while getting paid? Here’s some news: the Actors Fund has come up with a very creative way for musicians and other artists to do part-time teaching gigs in the New York City public schools through the Actors Fund Work Program.

It’s not without some fine print, but it just might turn out to be a positive experience for you and a way to increase your income.

The program is called STARRRS, and it stands for “Substitute Teachers for the Arts and the Three R’s.” The idea is that musicians, actors and other performing artists are sent into the New York City public schools as substitute teachers.

But instead of following a standard curriculum, you are allowed to use your music as a teaching tool. You may even give mini-concerts. It’s ultimately up to the principal what you are allowed to do, but the idea is that you use your artistry in the classroom.

The pay is $154.97 for a full day of teaching, minus taxes. That means getting to a school around 8:30 and getting out around 3. On top of this, there may be opportunities for additional work at an hourly rate. Subs are members of the United Federation of Teachers and are covered by its union contract.

Although the current budget situation has meant that some schools are not using substitutes, a number have expressed an interest in those from STARRRS – in fact, many principals have expressed a specific interest in musicians.

Here’s the fine print.

• You have to attend a generic orientation session about the Actors Fund Work Program, which lasts 2.5 hours. (If you’re already a member of the Actors Fund Work Program, call your career counselor now and ask about the STARRRS program.)
• Working with a career counselor, you will determine whether STARRRS is appropriate for you. (Remember, the Actors Fund Work Program is there to help you find a meaningful sideline or new career, so if STARRRS isn’t right for you, the program will help you find another fit.)
• You must attend a separate STARRRS orientation and audition/selection process.
• There is a substantial training commitment. Training takes place three days a week, for four weeks. All participants must attend all sessions. The training lasts all day, but you’ll get out of training in time to do evening gigs.
• You’ll have to take a child abuse and violence prevention workshop.
• You’ll have to take 20 hours of online training.
• You’ll have to take the LAST (liberal arts and science test).
• It will ultimately cost you about $350 in fees, but at the end of it all, you will have your substitute teacher’s license for the New York Public School system. (Part of the cost covers fingerprinting fees. If you’ve already been fingerprinted in the past from teaching or sub work, you don’t have to be fingerprinted again and can knock about $115 off the required fees.)
• There are some re-certification requirements if you want to do it again each year.
• If you finally make it through the program, the expectation is that you will commit to at least two teaching days a week. (Remember, each teaching day is 8:30 to 3, approximately.)

Local 802 member Paul O’Keefe is a freelance musician who has worked on and off Broadway playing keyboards and guitars. He also sings and leads his own original groups. O’Keefe first learned about STARRRS through the Actors Work Program, which he says is a wonderful resource.

O’Keefe’s first teaching assignment through STARRRS was to create and teach an after-school program in beginning guitar and voice for 20 students from grades 3 to 7 in Broad Channel, Queens. He also works as a full-day substitute teacher in upper Manhattan and the Upper West Side.

O’Keefe told Allegro, “I have discovered many ways to work the most basic of music concepts into lessons. Most students are passive consumers of music. So showing them a simple beat they can clap to – and explaining time, tempo and measures – sparks interest because it’s something they’ve experienced but no one has explained to them. Teachers and staff have welcomed and been supportive of me, which was a relief!”

O’Keefe said he would recommend the program to other Local 802 members: “It won’t interfere with any gigs you might pick up, because you can control the amount of work you accept. You might lose some sleep, however!”

Michel Gohler, a member of Local 802, is a woodwind doubler and freelancer. He read about the STARRRS program in Allegro when we first published an article about this program and decided to give it a try because he was interested in teaching in a classroom and this was a way to dip in part-time.

Gohler reports that the training he received was excellent. His first day in school was up at P.S. 173 in the Bronx. He notes that the school is situated in perhaps a tough neighborhood, but he felt safe. “School started at 8, but I got there at 7 to be prepared,” he told Allegro. “They were just unlocking the doors!”

Gohler did not realize he would be assigned a classroom made up of second grade children with special needs. However, the regular teacher was there along with two aides.

For the first three sessions that day, Gohler just observed. Afterwards, the regular teacher left to attend a workshop, and Gohler stepped up to the plate: “I started by unpacking my flute and relating the names of the flute parts to the parts of the body…head, mouthpiece, body, and so on. Then I started playing.”

The students were interested at first, and then when they became a little rowdy, Gohler had them march around the room. In a second class, he took out his sax and repeated the concept.

Gohler points out that one of the greatest perks of the STARRRS program is simply getting your New York City substitute teacher’s license. It’s very hard to get one on your own, Gohler says, and the Actors Fund really acts as your agent and walks you through the process. You can use your sub license to do any kind of sub work, not just through STARRRS.

“I would recommend the STARRRS program to other members, but you must have an interest in teaching,” Gohler says. “It’s quite challenging and usually with schools in the greatest need. These aren’t cushy assignments. Most of my STARRRS colleagues concur that these assignments are super challenging and also really rewarding. It’s really not an easy way to make money on the side: you’re in it for real, but I’m glad that I did it.”

Local 802 member Clare Cooper would agree. She worked for three different placements in the STARRRS program.

“I was put in some very difficult situations and since I don’t have a lot of experience dealing with kids, I had a hard time,” Cooper told Allegro.

Cooper added, “I would recommend this program to other musicians who have teaching experience or are parents and know how to deal with children. I am grateful for the work during a time when gigs were scarce.”

Another member, violist and violinist Janet Lucy, came into the program with a lot of teaching experience, but not much subbing experience. She, like Michel Gohler, was a newcomer to STARRRS. Lucy told Allegro, “I have enjoyed the moments where I have made a connection with a child – and there have been a fair amount for someone new at this. The children seem excited to have a teacher who does music with them, even though they also have a regular music teacher. I also have enjoyed the positive responses from some of the staff who make it clear that the school values music!”

Lucy added, “I would recommend this experience to musicians who are really interested in teaching school-age children and who feel fairly comfortable presenting what they do for classroom environments. One thing to know is that in my classrooms, there have been floating assistants who can help with discipline, which has been a crucial element. If the children’s focus isn’t with you, they won’t listen to music well. On the other hand, I found my violin to be a good starting point for listening. I think the public schools are particularly hungry for the arts right now, especially the ones with principals who place a real value on them.”

Violist and Local 802 member Pedro Libert was born in Aruba and raised in Curaçao. As a teenager, he traveled to the Netherlands to study music, where he earned degrees in conducting, music theory and viola.

In 2011, Libert told Allegro, “During my time at STARRRS, I taught a music/art lesson for seventh graders. This class included some children with special needs. For one of my lessons, I used the story ‘The Zax’ by Dr. Seuss. I had four students form a band, playing some small percussion instruments I had brought in to accompany the story. I thought that by involving the students in some physical activity, I could stir their motivation. Adding a band proved to be good for a spirit of teamwork. Some students suggested modifying the end of the story and integrating a dance. Eventually several students wanted a turn to play the Zax role or to have a round in the band. Later, I was assigned to a classroom where I was in charge when the main teacher took kids out of the room for assessments and testings. During these times, I used some the creative techniques, but I also managed the classroom and helped students like a traditional substitute teacher.

“I ultimately took a break from the STARRRS program so I could finish my dual master’s degree from Lehman College in teaching and special education. After graduating, I found work first as a high school sub. Finally, I got a full-time job at the same school teaching special education and creative arts.

“The STARRRS program was invaluable to me. It enabled me to start my teaching career and earn my sub license. That’s one of the best things about the program: it helps you through the licensing process from start to finish.”

NEXT STEPS

Are you still interested? If so, the first step is to immediately attend one of the Actors Fund Work Program orientation sessions. These sessions are not specifically about the STARRRS program, but you must start the whole process by attending one of these. They take place every Monday from 12 noon to 2:30 p.m. at 729 Seventh Avenue, between 48th and 49th Streets, on the 10th floor. (You must arrive on time: no latecomers permitted.)

After you do that, the next STARRRS orientation and auditions are planned immediately.

If you need any more information, please contact the Actors Fund Work Program at (212) 354-5480. Ask for extension 272 to get information on the general orientation session, which is your first step. Even if you’re not interested in the STARRRS program itself, but you want more information on career development, call the Actors Fund Work Program. It is a valuable resource for musicians and all performing artists.