The same thing everyone else says - Administrative Harmony Project Employee Review

Executive leadership has been a positive for me. From my onboarding, to integration to developing real-time working synergies, it has been a positive experience. The executive director has been empathetic and that is always a plus! Another positive has been the support I've received from colleagues. Everyone has been gracious in their willingness to provide insight or a helping hand when needed. It seems to me fostering a positive culture is a significant priority at Harmony Project, whereas that is not always the case in other organizations. Lastly, another positive is the ability to work with children who want to learn. To be able to help empower children and create spaces for them to be creative has been a wonderful/rewarding experience.

There aren't any cons that stand out to me at this particular moment. I do recognize the nonprofit sector can get hectic at times, but leadership has made a concerted effort to promote a healthy work environment.

In theory, the mission of Harmony Project should be a Pro. Unfortunately, I witnessed senior leadership exploiting children and their families countless times in order to please a single donor who has unbelievable influence over everything the organization does.

The former Director of Development/current CEO is perhaps the most toxic person I’ve ever worked with. The culture of fear, favoritism, distrust, and overall ignorance is so prevalent that even the most committed teaching artist and staff members end up leaving in a state of frustration, disappointment, and emotional distress. Many staffers, especially those working directly under her supervision, have not only normalized this behavior but intentionally looked the other way when serious mistreatment takes place. During my time at Harmony Project, I colleague of mine was in such psychological state as a consequence of this culture that they required psychiatric intervention after leaving the organization. Ironically, Harmony Project has historically attracted some of the most talented and accomplished professionals in the field, from exceptional teaching artists to seasoned administrators, however, the CEO’s reluctance to acknowledging her own ignorance in the music field as well as her consistent shortcomings as an administrator end up pushing them away. Sometimes gently, sometimes more radically.