General Board Member

To broaden the horizons of children and young people facing disadvantages through arts and culture programs in and around elementary and secondary schools. That is the goal of the Méér Muziek in de Klas Foundation and the Méér Kunst en Cultuur in School en Omgeving program. In this way, we aim to contribute to the cognitive, social, and creative development of this target group. We do this by drawing attention to the positive effects of arts and culture education, collaborating with schools, teacher training colleges, vocational education programs in pedagogy, and arts programs, and above all by working closely with a wide range of national, regional, and local cultural and educational organizations.

The More Music in the Classroom Foundation is a public-private, accredited fundraising organization that adheres to the Cultural Governance Code, the Fair Practice Code, and the Diversity and Inclusion Code. The organization consists of an unpaid board, a director, and an administrative office. Day-to-day operations are managed by the director and the administrative office. The director is (jointly) responsible for achieving the foundation’s objectives, draws up plans and budgets to that end, and submits them to the board for approval. Accountability for the substantive and financial results achieved is provided through the board report and financial statements. Here too, the board makes decisions based on a proposal from the director.

Due to the departure of one of the board members, there is a vacancy effective December 1 for the position of:

General Board Member

In practice, the board acts as a supervisory board, with the necessary tasks delegated to the director. The board meets approximately five times a year. The board currently consists of seven members, who hold the following positions: chair, vice chair, treasurer, and general board member. The following areas of expertise are distributed among them:

• public administration and politics (government)
• legal matters
• artistic vision / innovation / educational programs
• education/youth/inclusion
• sponsorship/fundraising/philanthropy
• Finance/Entrepreneurship
• media/communication

The new board member has proven expertise and professional experience in the areas of artistic vision or innovation and education, and, within those fields, a keen eye for staying connected to the professional community. For more specific information about the profile, see below.

All members of the board have:

• a commitment to the mission, vision, and objectives of Méér Muziek in de Klas;
• a broad interest in culture and society;
• have relevant experience or networks and are willing to use them to further the foundation’s mission;
• a general understanding of strategy and policy;
• administrative/supervisory skills and an understanding of complex organizations;
• an understanding of the responsibilities and roles of the board and the director, and familiarity with the elements of governance;
• independence from the director and from the other board members, both in a formal sense and in terms of mindset;
• the ability to ask good questions, to probe further and intervene when necessary, and to stand firm when making difficult decisions;
• demonstrate integrity and set a good example;
• enough time to attend meetings and prepare for them;

Note: The board values diversity and inclusion. Therefore, it actively seeks to ensure a diverse mix of board members in terms of gender, age, and cultural background.

Profile of a General Board Member

In addition to the general qualifications, the new board member must also:

• a solid background in education and/or experience in the areas of artistic vision, innovation, and education, with a keen eye for equity, diversity, and inclusion;
• has administrative experience and knows how to interact with various stakeholders;
• a commitment to equal opportunities for children and young people in primary and secondary education;
• Preferably an affinity for public-private partnerships.

The general board member serves as an advisor and sounding board to the director on the themes and areas of work within the board member’s portfolio. Together with other board members, the member provides advice on strategic and substantive decision-making regarding these themes. The member identifies opportunities to further strengthen arts and culture education in (after-school programs for) primary and secondary education along the aforementioned action lines and provides both solicited and unsolicited advice in this regard.

Practical information and procedure

If this profile sounds like you, we’d love to hear from you. The application process consists of a screening based on a (short) cover letter and resume, followed by an introductory interview with the board committee.

Please send your (brief) cover letter and resume by email, with the subject line “Application for General Board Member,” to info@meermuziekindeklas.nl, addressed to Carolien Gehrels, Chair of the Board. For more detailed information about Méér Muziek in de Klas, please visit www.meermuziekindeklas.nl. You can also read our Board Regulations and Executive Regulations. For specific questions about the job description and/or the application process, please contact Jantien Westerveld, Director of Méér Muziek in de Klas, by phone at 020 - 82 04 734.

We look forward to receiving your response by Wednesday, November 1, 2023. The first interviews will take place in mid-November 2023. The appointment is scheduled to take effect on January 1, 2024.

About More Music in the Classroom

The More Music in the Classroom Foundation was established in 2015 at the urging of the Ministry of Education, Culture, and Science to—initially—promote music education in elementary schools. When the More Music in the Classroom Foundation was founded, its goal was “structured music education for all elementary school children in the Netherlands and the Caribbean.”

The More Music in the Classroom Foundation operates on a needs-based approach, focusing on the following areas of action:

• raising awareness and highlighting the importance of arts and culture education for the development of children and young people, especially those from disadvantaged backgrounds;
• promoting the professional development of current and future (art) teachers in collaboration with teacher training programs and art teacher training programs;
• the development of modern teaching methods;
• local engagement, in which stakeholders in regional hubs work together to promote arts and culture education at the target schools in their region.

We are by no means doing this on our own. The foundation was explicitly established within a public-private partnership framework: only by collaborating with national and local partners—in terms of content, resources, and funding—can we achieve our goal and secure the necessary funding to normalize and ensure the long-term sustainability of arts and culture education for our target group in and around primary and secondary schools.

In its mission, "More Music in the Classroom" is supported in word and deed by ambassadors representing all parties committed to equal opportunity and arts and culture education. Queen Máxima serves as the foundation’s honorary chair.

Since 2015, the foundation has reached nearly 1 million children, 54,290 teachers, 5,737 schools, 165 municipalities, and 100% of the 42 teacher training colleges, the three teacher training programs in the Caribbean part of our country, and 9 conservatories. This is a result we could only achieve together with our national and regional partners; a result we are proud of. At the same time, we strongly felt that we were not yet reaching enough children facing educational disadvantages.

Starting in the 2023/2024 school year, we will launch our new program, “More Art and Culture in School and the Community,” in alignment with the Ministry of Education, Culture, and Science’s “School and the Community” program and in partnership with the Equal Opportunities Alliance. We are expanding our activities to include more cultural and creative disciplines, such as fashion, cooking, dance, and theater. In doing so, we focus on children and young people from disadvantaged backgrounds. Our program focuses on lessons and activities in the after-school environment of primary and secondary education. The goal is to broaden the world of students for whom access to arts and culture is not a given, thereby contributing to their cognitive, social, and creative development. In addition, we will continue to safeguard and monitor the successes achieved in the region regarding structured music education and (music) teacher training programs.