Head of Performance Music

THE VACANCY

Bloxham School seeks to appoint a knowledgeable, positive and energetic Head of Performance Music to join a well established and successful department. Playing a full and active role, the candidate would be a team player who has a proven track record in directing and establishing choirs and ensembles as well as organizing and leading concerts to the highest standards across all ages and abilities. This role would suit a more experienced teacher of music who has aspirations for excellence in performance and or to go on and become a Director of Music.

THE MUSIC DEPARTMENT

The department understands the power of music as a force for good and fosters a love of all music by creating opportunities for all pupils to experience top quality musicianship firsthand.

A series of visiting professionals run workshops and adjudicate competitions throughout the year whilst every first former learns an instrument and sings in a choir within the first six weeks of joining the school. 210 music lessons are taught every week by a team of 20 experienced Visiting Music Teachers, who have high aspirations for their pupils.

A series of 27 concerts for all ages and abilities enable musicians to be celebrated from Award Holder Recitals to Faculty Concerts. House Music is the biggest musical event of the year when the whole community comes together in a terrific evening centered around quality performances. Alongside Orchestra, Brass Ensemble, Show Choir, String Band, String Trio and multiple Jazz Bands, there are also weekly coaching sessions and scheduled practice times for musicians to progress.

The Chapel Choir has gone from strength to strength with tours to Vienna and Rome in the past five years alongside its annual engagement at St Johns, Hyde Park. The classroom curriculum enables pupils to broaden their musical horizons and interests whilst developing key skills to access the joy of music. GCSE and A-Level numbers are well above the national average with recent A-Level students going on to study music at the Birmingham Conservatoire (2020), York University (2021) British Institute of Modern Music (2022), Liverpool and Durham (2023).

KEY INFORMATION

Start Date: January 2025

Accountable to: Director of Music

Working Hours: Full time, term time only.

Salary: Bloxham salary scale, dependent on experience

Closing Date: 09:00am on Friday 20th September

BENEFITS

• Strong, supportive staff community
• Opportunities for continuous professional development
• Enrolment in the School's defined contribution pension scheme
• Meals and refreshments provided during working hours
• Access at no charge to the School's sporting, swimming and fitness facilities, including gym and tennis courts
• Free parking on site

JOB DESCRIPTION

• To ensure excellence in the delivery and planning of the performance music curriculum, including directing oversight and promoting choirs, orchestras, ensembles and concerts to the highest standards across the ages and abilities.
• To be an inspirational teacher of Music; to model excellence ensuring enthusiasm for the subject and leading to high value-added results for students in external examinations.
• To prepare dynamic and engaging lessons to enhance and promote music in the academic and broader curriculum.
• To follow the department’s assessment, reporting and tracking procedures relating to students’ attainment, progress and achievement, and use information to inform teaching.
• To contribute to the wider professional responsibilities of the department, including working closely with colleagues to support student progress and attainment, attending meetings and following the department’s policies and procedures.
• To participate in the school CPD Programme and to engage in updating professional knowledge and expertise where appropriate, including subject knowledge and teaching methods.
• To promote music in the wider School and create excellence in performance music.
• To work with the Director of Music to lead and manage Visiting Music Teachers.
• To contribute to the life of a busy boarding school giving support to the pastoral/academic/broader curriculum needs. Teachers will be required to be a tutor, undertake a weekly evening boarding duty and participate in the broader curriculum programme of the school. 

PERSON SPECIFICATION

• The successful applicant will be a talented musician in his or her own right, an inspirational teacher and a capable, positive team player with a passion for education, music and its performance. The ability to teach a second subject would be a distinct advantage.
• The person appointed will be an exceptional classroom practitioner and will ideally have:
• The ability to inspire, lead and drive performance music to the level of excellence.
• Be able to demonstrate inclusive leadership of ensembles through a diverse knowledge of music from a wide variety of genres.
• Experience of leading choirs, orchestras and ensembles of all ages whilst also challenging the most able musicians to a proven high standard.
• A very high level of keyboard skills allowing the accompaniment of rehearsals, Chapel services and individual performance.
• Strong organisational skills to meet the demands of an active department, including leading music tours and residential rehearsals.
• Good working knowledge of the exam specifications at GCSE and A level.
• Experience of teaching pupils from year 7 up to A level.
• The ability to champion and figurehead the cause of music within a busy school environment.
• To be a team player with the capacity to support the Director of Music in all areas of music at Bloxham School and in promoting the department within the wider community.
• The highest expectations of themselves and others at all times, especially musically.
• The ability to stretch top end musicians

HOW TO APPLY

To apply for this role please complete the Bloxham School support staff application form. Applications will be assessed upon receipt, and we reserve the right to interview and appoint prior to the closing date. Therefore, an early application is strongly advised.

For further information please visit the Bloxham School website. If you have any queries, please contact the HR Department on 01295 232071 or at recruitment@bloxhamschool.com.

We look forward to receiving your application.