St Paul’s Cathedral is seeking an enterprising and gifted musician, artistic director, educator and communicator to lead its Choral Partnerships Programme with schools and communities, including Hackney Choral.

The purpose of this job is to deliver the Choral Partnerships Programme for the Cathedral in two key areas:

1. Choral Music - developing school partnerships grounded in music offered by the Cathedral tradition (including that of currently under-represented composers)
2. Advocacy – CPD for teachers, and advocacy for Cathedral Music amongst a diverse range of stakeholders

The Programme is designed to build sustainable partnerships with schools, communities and churches in areas where musical provision is limited or non-existent, especially those in financially deprived areas across the Diocese of London. The Programme builds on the living tradition of St Paul’s Cathedral Choir, enabling London children to connect meaningfully with it, giving them a voice in the Cathedral and in their wider communities. It is envisaged that the Programme will create new pathways for a diverse range of girls and boys to pursue choristership.

The role also manages and is supported by an Administrator and Community Development Worker, and works collaboratively with the Organ Education Lead.

Hackney Choral

• Direct the Hackney Children’s Choir (7 – 11 year olds) and Hackney Senior Choir (11 – 18 year olds)
• Recruit children from partner schools using a range of methods, including assemblies, workshops and advertising
• Lead rehearsals on Mondays during term time
  • 4 – 5pm, Hackney Children’s Choir
  • 5 – 6pm, Hackney Senior Choir
• Conduct the choirs in services and performances, including occasional weekends
• Manage the musical and pastoral team comprising accompanist, musical assistant, Pastoral Lead and volunteers
• Work with the Hackney Choral team and the Steering Group to secure and deliver 3 – 4 performance opportunities per choir per term, including developing links with community and national charities
• Book supplementary professional adult singers when necessary in line with the annual budget
• Lead a summer choral course for children aged 8 – 18 in the last week of July each year, based at St Paul’s West Hackney, culminating in Choral Evensong at St Paul’s Cathedral

Choral Partnerships

• Design a termly choral curriculum for partner schools based on the liturgical year, covering a broad range of styles, including music by under-represented composers to cover:
  • Whole school hymns
  • 2 – 3 choral pieces per class
  • School choir repertoire
• Work with Head Teachers to align the choral curriculum with the school’s curriculum requirements, to satisfy the Model Music Curriculum
• Recruit, nurture and manage relationships with partner schools, including developing a partnership agreement for each school based on their needs, renewable each academic year
• Embed evaluation to ensure:
  • pupil and teacher voices shape the choral curriculum;
  • this information can be used to demonstrate impact and assist with funding applications
• Collaborate with the Organ Education Lead to explore ways of working together, ensuring strategic delivery of the broader education offer
• Recruit and manage choral directors to work in partner schools
• Develop a sustainable financial business model for choral partners

Relationship Management

• Chair weekly team meetings with the choral team to ensure programme success, including delegating tasks
• Participate in termly steering group meetings to plan school partnerships, services, concerts and events at least a term in advance
• Agree strategic areas across the Diocese in conversation with the Diocesan Board of Education
• Manage an Administrator (0.6 FTE) and a Community Development Worker (0.6 FTE) and conduct appraisals
• Write an annual Project Evaluation to be sent to funders
• Work with the Development Team to secure grant funding for project-specific areas which might attract external funding

Cathedral Choir

• Support the work of the Cathedral Choir as required by the Director of Music, including promoting chorister recruitment and occasional teaching of probationers as required
• Support the wider music department at the behest of the Director of Music

Other

• Manage the annual budget and track spending

• An outstanding musician, educator and communicator
• A high degree of specialisation in engaging children and schools with music
• Can communicate in a timely, confident and clear manner with external organisations, teachers, parents and children, both in writing and verbally

• Comfortable with a high level of autonomy both in working practices and decision-making
• Financially responsible and accountable. Solid experience of managing budgets
• Good IT skills
• Line management experience
• Displays a consistently professional attitude to work and to the ethos of the Cathedral
• Is an ambassador for St Paul’s with external stakeholders
• Enthusiastic and positive
• Is supportive of all colleagues
• Able to work effectively and collaboratively as a member of the Music Department and engage effectively with the wider Cathedral Community
• Will share in the Cathedral’s commitment to protecting children, young people and vulnerable adults by being fully compliant with the Cathedral’s Safeguarding Policy, in addition to all other relevant Cathedral policies

St Paul’s is an equal opportunities employer and holds together a very diverse set of activities and aspirations. It is the Cathedral of the Diocese of London and the seat of its Bishop, a vibrant church and an international spiritual focus, a space for worship and holiness, a place of learning, debate and challenge, a national treasure, an icon of resilience in the face of adversity, an architectural heritage centre, a partner in the City of London, and a commercial enterprise. In addition to offering acts of worship throughout the day, St Paul’s is open for prayer seven days a week and for sight-seeing six days a week.