Director of Music

ST HELEN'S SCHOOL

St Helen’s is an academically selective independent girls’ day school of more than 1200 students aged 3-18, set in beautiful green space in Northwood, Middlesex.

It draws pupils from a wide area of north-west London, Buckinghamshire, and Hertfordshire with easy access by Underground from central London. 

THE MUSIC DEPARTMENT AT ST HELEN'S SCHOOL

Music plays a central role at St Helen’s, with four class teachers across Prep and Senior Schools, a Music Administrator, Performing Arts Technician, and a team of 20 visiting music teachers led by the Head of Instrumental and Vocal Music. Senior Music is based in a new purpose-built space, opened in 2019, which includes two classrooms, a Music Technology suite equipped with a fleet of iMacs, a Recital Hall, a Recording Studio, and 14 practice rooms.

Pupils in Years 7 and 9 take one 55-minute curricular lesson each week, with Year 8 pupils taking three periods per fortnight; diverse and bespoke schemes of work are based around a practical core, with key strands of Music Technology and Band Skills featuring through the Key Stage. GCSE Music is a popular option (Edexcel) and numbers taking A Level Music are increasing. We also follow the Edexcel course at A Level.

Co-Curricular music is thriving at St Helen’s, with a large number of girls participating in activities on a weekly basis. We offer a plethora of Co-Curricular ensembles including multiple orchestras and choirs, jazz groups, Soul and Pop bands and a variety of chamber and smaller groups. There are many performance opportunities for ensembles and choirs throughout the year, including a large-scale Ensembles Concert (featuring around 200 performers) and a Chamber Concert in each term, two Pop Concerts, a Carol Service and a variety of Tea-Time Concerts held every few weeks. The Department ran a successful tour to Paris in 2022 and this year will be visiting Italy with 60 pupils performing. The Department maintains an excellent relationship with Merchant Taylors’ School and each year stages a Joint Concert, in which the combined choirs perform large-scale choral works (most recently this was a selection of English works, including Tippett’s Five Spirituals and Vaughan-Williams’ Five Mystical Songs). The string orchestras and big bands of both schools also join forces each year for performance, in addition to the combined musical which takes place every other year (most recently, The Addams Family).

Each week, over 250 individual music lessons are taught by the visiting music staff; this has been augmented recently with fully funded instrumental schemes which have enabled many new learners to get started with a new musical instrument.

MAIN RESPONSIBILITIES AND PERSON SPECIFICATION

A list of full responsibilities can be found in the attached job information pack. However we are looking for the following skills, experience and qualifications:

• Degree (or equivalent qualification) in Music or a related subject
• Substantial experience of teaching in a Senior school Music department across KS3/GCSE/A Level
• Experience (or willingness to learn) of managing financial budgets at department level.
• Experience of generating and maintaining external links and partnerships
• A thorough understanding of current developments in music and performance
• Detailed understanding of current developments in the secondary curriculum and assessment
• Competent to teach and lead rehearsals from the keyboard
• Good ICT skills and knowledge of the use of technology within music education
• Excellent written and oral communication skills
• Demonstrates excellent people skills with the ability to build long term relationships with a wide range of stakeholders.
• The ability to form and maintain appropriate relationships and boundaries with young people.
• Entrepreneurial spirit with an eye for new opportunities and an ability to think creatively and laterally.
• Demonstrable passion for teaching Music across all Key stages
• Enthusiastic with the ability to inspire and lead staff and pupils of all abilities.
• Artistic integrity and the ability to inspire the musical life of the whole School leading it forward with vision and energy.
• A clear motivation to work with young people.
• Strong leadership skills, a good communicator, and a team player
• High level of organisational skills with an ability to plan and coordinate complex programmes.
• Ability to mediate and resolve disputes and conflict between a range of different stakeholders.

APPLICATION PROCESS

Closing date: 8.00am Monday 13th May 2024

Please apply as soon as possible as shortlisting/interviews will progress up until the closing date. Should a suitable candidate be appointed, we reserve the right to close the advert early. 

Due to the high volume of applicants, we receive, if you do not hear from us within 4 weeks of the closing date, please assume we will not be progressing your application further on this occasion.

SELECTION PROCESS

Shortlisted candidates will be invited to the school where they will be interviewed by Members of the Executive Team, observed teaching a lesson, participate in a skills exercise, have a tour of the school, and meet other members of the Music team.

St Helen’s school is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children and young people, as detailed in Part 3 (Safer Recruitment) of the KCSIE 2023 guidance document. Applicants will be asked for proof of right to work in the UK and undergo child protection screening, including checks with past employers and the disclosure and barring service.

If you have any queries about this position, please contact the school at recruitment@sthelens.london