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Details of the post of

ASSISTANT DIRECTOR OF MUSIC

at The King’s School, Worcester

The Music Department at King’sMusic has occupied a significant place in the life of The King’s School, Worcester for centuries. The Music Honours Board in the foyer of Castle House provides evidence of former pupils who have gone on to occupy prominent positions in the musical world including; Stephen Cleobury (King’s, Cambridge), Nicholas Cleobury (Orchestral and Operatic Conductor), Stephen Darlington (Christ Church Cathedral, Oxford), Adrian Partington (Gloucester Cathedral), Allan Clayton (International opera singer) and, more recently, David Newsholme (Canterbury Cathedral) and Peter Holder (Westminster Abbey). Music Scholarships in the past two years have been awarded to pupils going on to study at The Royal Academy of Music, Gonville and Caius College, Cambridge, Bristol Cathedral, Royal Holloway and Guildford Cathedral. The King’s School is privileged to enjoy the musical benefits of being a Choir School and educating musically gifted pupils. There is a close relationship between the School and Cathedral Music Departments. All of the boy choristers are educated at the school and approximately half of the girl choristers are current pupils. Many pupils are involved with music outside school including county ensembles and local youth music theatre, National Youth Choir, National Youth Music Theatre and the RSCM Millennium Youth Choir. Pupils often attend regional and national courses and summer schools.

The ethos of the music department is to ensure that the school is a vibrant centre for music-making, whether this is in the classroom, practice room, ensemble rehearsal or concert. On one level we provide the opportunity to encourage pupils of all abilities to develop their musical skills. On another level we expect high standards from pupils in academic lessons and ensembles particularly from the thirty Music Scholars.

There are many performance opportunities throughout the year including ensemble and solo concerts, most of which take place in College Hall. Numerous, whole-school services take place in the Cathedral each term and feature the School Choir as well as annual visits to sing Choral Evensong. The main ensembles are; School Choir, First Orchestra, Wind Band, Chamber Orchestra, King’s Swingers, Keys Choir, Second Orchestra and Fourth Form Choir. Smaller ensembles, including flute groups, guitar group and a wind quartet, are directed by peripatetic staff. Open Mic Nights were introduced recently and have become very popular occasions. A recent leaver won a national Open Mic UK competition and has just released his first album. Another pupil recently won a BBC composing competition and has had his music performed on Radio 3 and recorded by the BBC Singers. Musical Theatre is strong at King’s. Fourth Form (years 7 and 8) and Senior musicals alternate each year. The last two Senior productions were ‘South Pacific’ and ‘The Sound of Music’. Recent Fourth Form productions have been ‘Joseph’ and ‘High School Musical’. The band for the Senior productions is comprised mainly of pupils.

There is a biennial music tour for the School Choir and Chamber Orchestra. Paris was visited in 2016 and included singing Mass at Notre Dame and concerts at La Madeleine and St. Sulpice. Venice is the next venue in February 2018 including participation in Mass at St. Mark’s Basilica. The tours are well attended by pupils. The pupils at King’s are friendly and hard-working and committed to setting high standards and tours are a great way to celebrate music at King’s.

Over 500 vocal and instrumental lessons are taught in school each week. In addition, many pupils have private lessons outside school. Pupils are encouraged (but not expected) to take music exams and both ABRSM and Trinity Guildhall sessions take place in school. Rock School and LCM exams are taken externally. Last year there were 200 exams taken with 30 pupils passing grade 8 as well as 10 pupils passing diplomas. The peripatetic staff are a hard-working team of 22 teachers.

The Music Department is staffed by a Director of Music, Head of Strings, Music Administrator (part-time) and a Gap Year Music Assistant. The new post of Assistant Director of Music has been created to allow for further development of the department. We would welcome applications from recently qualified teachers as well as those with more experience.

The Role of Assistant Director of Music The successful candidate will be a music specialist with considerable personal enthusiasm for the subject and the ability to inspire and motivate pupils of all musical abilities across all age ranges. They should have excellent piano skills as a major aspect of the role is to accompany pupils for grade exams and concerts. Excellent sight reading skills are vital. They should have a willingness to develop their professional skills in a department that combines experience with innovation, taking a lead in developing certain areas of the academic curriculum and moving the extra-curricular life of the department forward. They will have the ability to adapt to the needs of pupils and colleagues; the skills of leading and motivating others while also being a good team player, along with good emotional intelligence and a sense of humour, are essential. The classes taught are likely to range from Year 7 to Year 13.

As this is a new post, the main responsibilities of the role can be adjusted to suit the skills of the successful candidate. Below is a list of potential responsibilities. Excellent piano skills are essential.

• To be the lead accompanist for exams and concerts. The ability to play the organ to a high standard would be desirable but is not an essential feature of the post.

• To teach across the range of year groups from year 7 to 13.

• To take responsibility for the development of one area of the curriculum, such as the Fourth Forms (years 7 and 8) or the Lower Remove (Year 9).

• To be responsible for coaching individual pupils for aural tests for Grades 6-8.

• To direct a number of ensembles as agreed with the Director of Music. This is likely to be two of the main ensembles.

• There is the option to direct one of the annual musicals.

• To develop the marketing and online presence of the Music Department. There is a popular Soundcloud page (https://soundcloud.com/ksw-music) but creating more music news

through Twitter, the school website and other media is an area for development.

• To take a lead in the development of the department’s chamber music provision.

• To take an active interest in the musical life of the two Junior Schools (King’s St Alban’s and King’s Hawford). There is scope to develop closer links through collaborative work.

Person Specification

CRITERIA ESSENTIAL DESIRABLE

QUALIFICATIONS:

• Good degree in Music

• Masters or higher level qualification

• PGCE

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EXPERIENCE:

• Running extra -curricular ensembles and inspiring participation

• Experience of accompanying to a high level

• Teaching music across the age range

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KNOWLEDGE & SKILLS:

• Strong subject knowledge and an enjoyment of a wide variety of musical genres

• Excellent piano skills

• Strong ICT skills

• Advanced level of music technology skills such as Cubase or Sibelius

• A willingness to develop skills in the latest use of music technology

• High level of ability as an organist or orchestral player

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PERSONAL:

• An interest in working with young people and an ability to establish a connection with them

• Enthusiasm, energy and commitment to music in and out of the classroom and ability to work in a team

• Willingness to be involved in the wider life of the school

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Application procedure All applications will be acknowledged. The closing date for this post is 9th February 2018. All applicants will be notified after the closing date whether or not they have been invited to an interview. Successful applicants will be advised of the date and time of the interview. The interview process is likely to include candidates taking an ensemble rehearsal, teaching a class as well as coaching and accompanying one of the senior pupils. References will normally be taken up prior to interview and candidates should be aware that referees will be asked to comment on a candidate’s disciplinary record and whether or not the candidate has been subject to any child protection concerns. Qualification certificates (originals not copies) will be required at interview, as will proof of identity.

Candidates unsuccessful at interview will receive written notification.

The school is required to ensure that the successful candidate is checked by the Disclosure and Barring Service. Details of the school’s policies on safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children as well as equal opportunities are available on request. References will be obtained and verified prior to the appointment being confirmed.

How to apply Please complete an application form (Teaching staff) available on the vacancies page of the school website www.ksw.org.uk/vacancies and return it with a covering letter detailing your relevant experience, how you would intend to meet the challenges of the role and the particular qualities and strengths which you would hope to bring to the post. Please send this to; The Headmaster, The King’s School, 5 College Green, Worcester, WR1 2LL or email; headmaster@ksw.org.uk.

There is no requirement to include a CV, although you are free to do so in addition to your application form if you think it would be helpful in assessing your achievements and experience.

Start date: September 2018

Closing date for applications: Friday 9th February 2018

Interview date: Wednesday 28th February 2018

www.ksw.org.uk© 2018 The King’s School, Worcester

The King’s School, Worcester: a company limited by guarantee. Registered Office: 5 College Green, Worcester WR1 2LL. Registered in England: Company Number 4776324 Registered Charity Number: 1098236.

King’s Worcester

@KingsWorcester

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