Content Manager (EEMC)

We are looking for a Content Manager to lead the ongoing development and curation of Essential Elements Music Class (EEMC), Hal Leonard’s flagship K–8 general music platform. EEMC provides thousands of interactive, standards-based resources—songs, sequential lessons, assessments, SEL integration, and supplemental materials—used by music educators across the country.

In this role, you’ll shape the content roadmap for a growing digital platform that serves elementary and middle school music classrooms. You’ll work directly with authors, composers, consultants, and the product team to ensure every resource meets the highest pedagogical and editorial standards.

What’s in it for you?

Shape the Future of Music Education: Lead content strategy for one of the most comprehensive K–8 general music platforms available, directly impacting how music is taught in classrooms worldwide.

Creative & Strategic Autonomy: Define how elementary music content is built, scaled, and enhanced, incorporating AI-assisted models and tools, and collaborating with talented authors, composers, and curriculum specialists, to produce engaging, pedagogically sound resources.

High-Impact Collaboration: Work closely with product, design, and education experts in a fast-moving environment where your decisions are visible.

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Key responsibilities

• Own the content roadmap for EEMC, prioritizing new lessons, assessments, song additions, interactive resources, and feature enhancements across K–8 grade levels

• Manage the full content lifecycle—from concept and commissioning through authoring, review, revision, and publication on the platform

• Identify, test, and integrate AI tools into content development and curation to accelerate production cycles and improve consistency

• Recruit, onboard, and direct external authors, composers, arrangers, and curriculum consultants; provide clear creative briefs and constructive editorial feedback

• Ensure all lessons maintain vertical and horizontal alignment across six core musical concept strands (Beat/Rhythm/Duration, Meter, Pitch/Melody/Harmony, Timbre, Form, Expressive Elements)

• Maintain accurate and current standards correlations for National Core Arts Standards (NCAS) and state standards (e.g., TEKS), updating alignments as standards evolve

• Oversee the continued integration of Social-Emotional Learning (SEL) competencies across all lesson content, aligned to the CASEL framework

• Review and edit musical notation, lesson scripts, teaching plans, lyric sheets, and multimedia assets for accuracy, clarity, and pedagogical quality

• Collaborate with the product and UX teams to ensure content displays and functions correctly across devices, including interactive whiteboards, tablets, and desktops

• Monitor educator feedback, usage analytics, and market trends to inform content decisions and continuous improvement

• Develop AI‑led approaches to analyze EEMC’s alignment with national standards and inform content‑development strategies

• Coordinate with the Hal Leonard licensing team to secure rights for new song additions, including Disney, Broadway, pop, folk, and culturally diverse repertoire

• Contribute to marketing and professional development efforts by creating educator-facing materials, webinar content, and conference presentations

• Manage content schedules, budgets, and vendor relationships to ensure on-time, on-budget delivery

Required experience

• Bachelor’s degree in Music Education or a closely related field

• Minimum of 5 years of K–8 general music classroom teaching experience

• Deep knowledge of general music education curriculum design, including sequential concept development, Orff, Kodály, and/or other established pedagogical approaches

• Strong familiarity with National Core Arts Standards (NCAS) and state-level standards frameworks; experience mapping content to standards and maintaining correlation documents

• Demonstrated experience managing creative contributors—authors, composers, arrangers, or freelance educators—through a structured editorial or content development process

• Excellent written and verbal communication skills, with the ability to provide clear, constructive feedback to creative professionals

• Experience with and enthusiasm for AI, using LLMs to drive productivity in the production process

• Proven ability to manage multiple projects simultaneously with strong organizational and time-management skills

Nice to Have

• Music editorial experience: proofreading notation, preparing scores for publication, etc.

• Experience with music notation software (e.g., MuseScore, Finale, Sibelius, Noteflight, StaffPad)

• ​​Familiarity with middle school general music curriculum design and instructional techniques, including exploratory courses such as classroom guitar, modern band, and world drumming

• Fluency with digital content platforms, learning management systems, or ed-tech product development

• Experience integrating Social-Emotional Learning (SEL) into music curriculum

• Knowledge of music licensing, copyright, and permissions processes

• Master’s degree in Music Education, Curriculum & Instruction, or a related field

• Kodály, Orff, or similar methodology certification

• Presentations or leadership experience at state or national music education conferences (e.g., NAfME, TMEA, The Midwest Clinic, etc.)

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