Director of Music

Due to an internal promotion, we are seeking to recruit a full-time, permanent Director of Music to commence in post from August 2025. This is an exciting opportunity for a dynamic, innovative and inspirational professional who has the aspiration, integrity and ability to support, promote and develop music across the school and achieve the Headmaster’s vision for the future.

The successful candidate will be an ambitious professional with a proven track record in subject leadership, progress and attainment. The Director of Music will be able to demonstrate a sheer love of music and be committed to nurturing talent and implementing educational excellence across Strathallan School.

Music at Strathallan

Music is integral to life at Strathallan. When walking around at Strathallan in term time, music is regularly heard drifting across the campus in a variety of forms and from many locations – practice rooms, classrooms, Chapel, studios, boarding houses, common rooms and halls. A student roll of c. 590 enjoy 400 individual weekly music lessons with participation reaching nearly 70% of pupils. Twenty seven ensembles practice regularly and staff take part in some of these alongside pupils, notably the School Choir, which as a choir is as much for fun as it is for performance. Music is played, rehearsed and enjoyed, often for its own sake or for its social and restorative benefits as much as it is for performances, Associated Board exams or major concerts. Music lifts the spirit and gives voice and expression to our feelings and emotions and at Strathallan, it is supported, encouraged and celebrated precisely because of these very human needs.

Singing is key here. The school sings well together in Chapel – not just heartily but tunefully too, with a distinctly Scottish lilt heard in favourites like Amazing Grace, and the unofficial school hymn, I Vow to Thee My Country. Singing matters to the Head Man (how the pupils refer to the Headmaster). ‘It’s the one thing we all do together, regardless of age, identity or ability’ he regularly says. In an inclusive and diverse school, this is a central unifying feature that matters. And on the big occasions – Remembrance, Carol Services, Valedictory and so on – the school always ‘steps up’.

With the strength of co-curricular activities and opportunities key to Strathallan’s pursuit of all-round holistic education, a strong focus on pupils’ academic work actually increases engagement in these opportunities, not the other way round. Music enjoys some protected time too to ensure major ensembles – Chamber Choir, Orchestra, Jazz Band – can call on all the talents. Our school terms enjoy small, informal and developmental recitals and mini-concerts as well as major events like ‘Head Man’s Music’ in the Perth Concert Hall, performed to parents, staff, pupils and members of the public alike. Carol Services in school, in Edinburgh and in London each year are well supported and attended and allow music to travel out from Forgandenny just as the weekly community outreach at local primary schools does too. Prep School recitals ahead of their leave-out weekends are also hugely popular and showcase developing instrumentalists and vocalists as well as the Prep ensembles that practice regularly. Music Scholars at the school lead well and perform regularly and input from the Director of Music for their programmes is essential, yielding excellent results and lifting the overall levels of performance in the school as a result. These scholarships are sought after as a result.

Music at Strathallan is both traditional and innovative. It celebrates the school’s heritage and marks the year at key stages, but always finds new ways to add, adapt and develop the talents and interest of musicians here and now. Music binds the community, it thrills and impresses and it salves and supports at times when that is needed too. As in society at large, music in a community gives expression and feeling to hopes, fears, dreams and more and is a unifying force. The Director of Music at Strathallan therefore occupies a key role that goes to and sits at the heart of our community.

• Interviews will be held week commencing 31st March 2025.
•  The selection process will include a tour of Strathallan, interviews with key stakeholders, informal meetings with the current Director of Music and the Music department, a teaching observation, and conducting a piece of music.