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Kansas City, MO Edition · Jobs & Careers

Jobs Intelligence

Verified music-education openings with school-level location facts, employer details and evidence-backed guidance for evaluating the market around the job.

Wednesday, September 23, 2026 · Updated as listings and source records change
SBO+ Education Jobs

Elementary Orchestra Teacher- Split between King Elementary and Phillips Elementary

4750 - King Elementary

Kansas City, MO, USA · Full Time · Music Education

Apply through the verified listing

Kansas City Public Schools

Elementary Teacher - Orchestra

Salary Grade: T01 - T06

Department: Curriculum, Instruction and Professional Development

Reports To: Building Principal

FLSA Status: Exempt

Position Summary:

The Elementary Teacher - Orchestra instructs orchestral classes in public elementary schools, fostering a positive and engaging learning environment. This role involves developing and implementing curriculum, assessing student progress, and promoting a passion for orchestral music. The ideal candidate will inspire students, demonstrate expertise in orchestral instruments, and contribute to the school's musical community.

What You'll Be Doing: (Responsibilities)

Instructional Delivery and Curriculum Development

• Instruct students through lectures, demonstrations, and the use of audiovisual aids and supplementary materials.

• Prepare course objectives and outlines following curriculum guidelines and state/school requirements.

• Assign lessons and provide constructive feedback on homework.

Student Assessment and Communication

• Administer tests to evaluate student progress and record results.

• Issue progress reports to inform parents of student achievement.

• Maintain accurate attendance records.

• Meet with parents to discuss student progress and address any concerns.

Classroom Management and Student Support

• Maintain a positive and disciplined classroom environment.

• Counsel students on academic and personal adjustment issues.

• Assist students in selecting appropriate courses of study.

Professional Development and Extracurricular Involvement

• Participate in faculty and professional meetings, educational conferences, and teacher training workshops.

• Sponsor and/or assist with extracurricular activities and student organizations.

• Perform other duties as assigned.

To Be Successful at This Job, You'll Need To: (Minimum Qualifications)

• Bachelor's Degree in Elementary Education from a four-year college or university.

• Missouri State Certification in Instrumental Music (K-12).

In Order to #LevelUp in This Role, You'll Need: (Preferred Qualifications and characteristics needed to excel in role)

• Demonstrated experience and/or training in current techniques and skills in teaching secondary level students.

• Proficiency in playing and teaching all stringed instruments.

• Teaching experience in urban schools.

Benefits: Health and Dental Insurance are provided. KCPS Defined Benefit Pension plan – mandatory 9.0% contribution is required from employees and matched by KCPS; Voluntary retirement savings plans are also available.

Physical Demands: Employees must be able to sit, stand, walk, speak, hear, use hands and fingers, reach, bend, stoop, and lift at least ten pounds. Job requires the employee occasionally to stoop, kneel, crouch or crawl. Visual ability requires mono and color vision, close vision, distance vision, depth perception and ability to adjust focus. Reasonable accommodations are available for individuals with disabilities.

Terms of Employment: 185 day calendar; 8hrs/day, 5 days/week.

Why Join Kansas City Public Schools?

Be a Changemaker. Collaborate with Passionate Colleagues. #LevelUp the Future.

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SBO+ Jobs Intelligence

Kansas City, MO Location Report

By SBO+ Staff · Effective 2026-08-17

View this location on OpenStreetMap →

Opportunity and Market

Kansas City offers a sizable urban school market in a city of 521,220 residents. SBO+ currently has 13 active Kansas City listings, including teaching, fine-arts and coaching positions. The concentration gives candidates several openings to compare without changing markets. [1]

Career Outlook

Education is a meaningful part of the local workforce: educational instruction and library occupations accounted for 5.0% of Kansas City metro employment in May 2024. That was below the 5.8% national share, so the market is substantial without being unusually education-heavy. [2]

Compensation

Educational instruction and library occupations averaged $27.04 an hour in the metro in May 2024. Kansas City Public Schools subsequently announced a 5% increase in certified base pay and a $50,558 starting teacher salary for 2026. Coaching and activity assignments may be paid as stipends on top of a teaching contract, so the specific posting's pay terms matter. [2] [5]

Housing and Cost of Living

Typical rents require real room in an educator's budget. The city's median gross rent was $1,238, while HUD's FY 2026 benchmark for a two-bedroom home was $1,358. That two-bedroom benchmark equals about 32.23% of KCPS's announced $50,558 starting teacher salary before taxes, utilities, insurance and retirement deductions. [1] [3] [5,3]

Commute

Kansas City workers reported a mean commute of 21.7 minutes in the 2020-2024 Census period. School assignments can be spread across the district, so the verified worksite shown with each listing is the better starting point for judging the daily trip. [1]

Community Snapshot

Kansas City is large enough to offer distinct neighborhoods and housing choices, but affordability is a live local issue. KCUR reported that about 69,000 low-income renters in the region were living in homes they could not afford. A planned regional fund aims to create or preserve 3,500 to 5,000 affordable homes, useful progress but far smaller than the reported need. [1] [4]

Local Economy

The metro's mean hourly wage across all occupations was $30.78 in May 2024, below the $32.66 national average. Education and library work averaged $27.04 locally, putting the field below the metro-wide mean as well. [2] [2]

Relocation Considerations

A two-bedroom HUD rent benchmark consumes slightly more than 32% of KCPS's announced starting teacher pay before payroll deductions. A one-income household at the starting rate should budget carefully for utilities, transportation and benefits; a lower-cost apartment or second household income materially changes the picture. [3] [5] [5,3]

What I Wish I'd Known Before Taking the Job

The headline salary and the assignment pay may be different things. KCPS lists a $50,558 starting teacher salary, while coaching and extracurricular jobs can be stipend-based additions governed by a collective bargaining agreement. Read the individual listing's verified-worksite and pay notes before comparing it with a classroom position. [5]

Methodology

This report compares current city, metro, housing and district benchmarks. The 32.23% housing figure divides annual HUD two-bedroom rent by KCPS's announced starting teacher salary; it is a gross-pay comparison, not a take-home budget.

Sources and freshness

  1. U.S. Census Bureau — effective 2025-07-01; retrieved 2026-08-18.
  2. U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics — effective 2024-05-01; retrieved 2026-08-18.
  3. U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development — effective 2026-01-01; retrieved 2026-08-18.
  4. KCUR — effective 2026-07-12; retrieved 2026-08-18.
  5. Kansas City Public Schools — effective 2026-06-16; retrieved 2026-08-18.