Teacher of Music

Barney has a busy and thriving Music Department, offering a range of outstanding opportunities to the pupils that study here. The Department aims to foster a love of music in every pupil with the intention of encouraging a culture of aspiration and high standards alongside enjoyment for music. At the heart of the department is the firm belief that every child is a musician.

The department is currently staffed by five full-time members of staff: The Director of Music, The Bandmaster & Head of Woodwind, a Teacher of Music, a Graduate Teacher of Music and a Gap Year Musician. There are also 17 Visiting Music Teachers who teach around 250 individual lessons each week. Many pupils in the school learn at least one musical instrument, and this is aided by schemes that offer free or subsidised instrumental lessons in particular instruments. 

Facilities for Music include a Recital Room, two class teaching rooms, 5 practice rooms and a Music Library. Large-scale concerts take place in Big School (the main school hall), which has recently been refurbished, and the School Chapel, which contains a fine, two-manual Fr Willis organ. As a result of our location, Barney is also able to hold performances in outstanding local venues such as the Bowes Museum and The Witham in Barnard Castle. Plans are underway for the development of a new Performing Arts Centre.

The Music Department has a superb relationship with the Drama Department. The two departments regularly join together to go on school trips, and recent musicals performed in school include Oliver!, Made in Dagenham; One Man, Two Guvnors and Seussical.

Academic Music

All pupils in Years 7-9 study music for either one or two lessons per week as part of Barney’s core curriculum. Music is a popular subject at GCSE, where pupils study the Eduqas course. A number of pupils also go on to study Music at A Level (Eduqas) and degree level. There is also a strong tradition of pupils taking up choral and organ scholarships at Oxbridge and other universities and conservatoires.

Co-Curricular Music

Music is a hugely important part of life at Barney, and pupils are encouraged to participate in a range of co-curricular activities each week. 

Alongside individual music lessons, there are also a range of ensembles for pupils of all levels to take part in. Usually, these include Prep School Orchestra, Junior Orchestra, Senior Orchestra, Wind Band, Jazz Band and Rock and Pop Bands, as well as a number of smaller ensembles, which include Sax Ensemble, Senior Wind Ensemble, Junior Wind Ensemble, Brass Ensemble, and Chamber Ensembles.

There is a strong history of choral singing at Barney. The 60-strong Chapel Choir sing for services both in and out of school, and have recently sung at Durham Cathedral, Newcastle Cathedral, Hexham Abbey and St Paul’s Cathedral. The smaller, auditioned Chamber Choir learn more secular repertoire and perform regularly in concerts. The recently formed Prep School Chamber Choir has attracted 36 pupils in its first term. There is also the 70-strong school Choral Society made up of pupils, parents, staff and members of the local community. 

Pupils are offered regular opportunities to perform both as soloists and as part of ensembles. Each term ends with at least one large-scale concert, and there are many other smaller concerts throughout the year. These include the popular Friday Lunchtime Concerts in the Music School, Music Scholars’ and Diploma Concerts and Showcase Concerts at The Witham. There are also masterclasses, workshops and concerts given by high-profile external musicians. Recently, the Chapel Choir were able to work with the Gesualdo Six prior to singing for the four Festival of Nine Lessons and Carols services, and the group gave an evening concert in the School Chapel. In March 2022, the whole school will travel to the Sage Gateshead for a concert in which every pupil will take part.

Music Scholarships

Each year, Music Scholarships are awarded to pupils at 11+, 13+ and 16+ entry. These young musicians are ambassadors for music in the school, and hold important roles within the life of the Music Department. As part of the Music Scholarship, pupils receive individual support and guidance, and are able to attend a range of trips free of charge. They also receive free instrumental tuition in their principal instrument. There is also a Young Organist Scheme, which each year offers free organ lessons to pupils in the Senior School that wish to begin learning the instrument. There are currently eight pupils learning under this scheme.

To see what our busy department gets up to on a day-to-day basis, please visit the Music

Department Twitter account: www.twitter.com/music_barney 

The Role

Barnard Castle School is looking to appoint an energetic, enthusiastic and inspiring Teacher of Music to join our Music Department in September 2022. The successful candidate will be expected to teach in both the Prep and Senior Schools and contribute fully to department life. This is a full-time role

At the heart of the music department is the firm belief that every child is a musician, and we aim to cultivate a culture in which all pupils enjoy making music on a weekly basis. Every single pupil in the school takes part in weekly singing sessions, and a high proportion of pupils learn one or more instruments. There is a broad range of instrumental and choral ensembles for pupils to take part in, and music is taught at both GCSE and A Level.

The successful applicant will be enthusiastic, well-organised, and keen to motivate and inspire young musicians of all abilities. They will have consistently high expectations of themselves and their pupils, and should demonstrate excellent classroom management and pastoral skills. The ability to play the organ and piano to a high standard alongside strong sight-reading skills would be particularly welcome, but candidates with a high level of playing in non-keyboard instruments are still encouraged to apply. The post would be equally suitable for someone seeking a first appointment or an experienced teacher.