Bristol Plays Music Senior Freelance Music Practitioner –
Project Brief Music Centre West
Bristol Music Trust utilises a team of Freelance Music Practitioners to provide high quality music learning and music making opportunities to young people through its various Bristol Plays Music education programmes. Freelance Senior Music Practitioners have particular experience of leading, conducting and inspiring youth orchestras and ensembles and enabling young musicians to achieve their potential.
Members of this team are included on the Bristol Plays Music Register of Music Practitioners. Individuals on the register may be offered ad-hoc work as a Music Practitioner, or be invited to tender for specific educational projects, as and when there is a requirement and according to their specialist musical tuition and group facilitation skills across various settings and age-groups. Please note that inclusion on the register is no guarantee of project work. Please note that the register will be reviewed on an annual basis and those individuals who have not been offered work for the past year will need to reapply upon request.
Scope of Work:
As Freelance Music Practitioners (see Freelance Music Practitioner Project Brief) and Freelance Senior Music Practitioners work for BPM can be split into two roles:
· Freelance Music Tutor or Freelance Senior Music Tutor - sessions and projects generally delivered in schools or Music Centres
· Freelance Music Leader - sessions and projects generally delivered at, or on behalf of, Colston Hall
As a Freelance Music Practitioner or Freelance Senior Music Practitioner you may be required to deliver either role, depending on your particular skills set and business requirements. There are a number of types of work within each role and the Freelance Senior Music Practitioner role is developed from those.
Freelance Senior Music Practitioner
The Freelance Senior Music Practitioner carries out work within Music Centre and the role requires particular experience of enabling young musicians to achieve their potential and a high level of experience of leading, conducting and inspiring youth orchestras and ensembles.
This role is led by and under the support and guidance of the Access and Music Centre Manager for Bristol Plays Music. The role will include;
· Delivering 30 sessions during the academic year (September 16 – July 17).
· Supporting Freelance Music Practioners (Music Tutors) and Freelance Music Centre Assistants.
· Supporting recruitment for new pupils at the centre.
· Ensuring effective communication with all participants in the Music Centre.
· Supply statistical information about the Music Centre as requested by Bristol Plays Music.
· Maintain regular communication with Access and Music Centre Manager. This will include discussing and agreeing any purchases required for the Centre, such as equipment or music.
· Ensure any rooms used are left in a tidy manner, and any equipment is returned to the appropriate place.
· The coordinating of concerts in liaison with the Access and Music Centre Manager.
· Ensuring all programme details are decided 4 weeks prior to a concert in order to be signed off by the Access and Music Centre Manager.
· Ensure health and safety and risk assessment requirements identified by Bristol Plays Music are adhered to.
· Ensure BPM Safeguarding standards are met at all times and by all staff, and refer any concerns to the DSL.
· Ensuring registers are passed to the Centre Assistant at the end of each session.
· Maintain high qualities of teaching and learning within the centre.
· To actively promote BPM within the centre and throughout Bristol.
Key Freelance Senior Music Practitioner Attributes:
· Experience of developing young players and allowing them to achieve their potential.
· Experience of teaching and playing musical instruments to a high standard.
· Experience of leading, conducting and inspiring youth orchestras and ensembles at a high level.
· The ability to motivate and interest young musicans at all levels.
· Ability to work well as a member of a team, ensuring progression routes for pupils are well managed.
· Excellent communication and listening skills.
· A positive philosophy of the impact of music on a child’s development.
· Knowledge of behavioural management strategies.
· Awareness of and up to date training within Safeguarding.
· A current enhanced DBS check is essential.
Music Centres
BPM run weekend and evening Music Centres across the city, Current Music Centre sessions timetable is as follows. (These sessions may be subject to change, there is no guarantee of work, and you may be offered work at any of the Music Centres):
Bristol Music Centre, North
Henbury Secondary School, Station Road, Henbury
Saturdays 9.30am – 12.30pm
Bristol Music Centre, West
Bristol Plays Music, Stanton Road, Southmead
Saturdays 9.30am – 11.30am
Monday – Thursday
Current timetable: Monday: 5.00pm - 7.00pm
Tuesday: 5.00pm - 7.00pm
Wednesday: 3:30pm - 7.00pm
Thursday: 5.00pm - 7.00pm
Friday: 4:30pm - 5:00pm (may extend to Friday evenings)
Choral Centre
Cotham Secondary School, Cotham Lawn Road, Cotham
Fridays 4.00pm – 6.30pm
We are currently particularly looking for cover within Bristol Music Centre West, at Southmead. This Music Centre has been successfully running for more than 30 years and it is home to the Bristol Junior Strings Orchestra and it’s two feeder string ensembles. Musicans have the opportunity to progress through the ensembles as their playing develops.
Sessions are split between sectional coaching and performance rehearsals. Performances take place approximately three times a year in venues such as Colston Hall, the Victoria Rooms and St. George’s Bristol.
Timescale and hours of work:
The Music Centre, West, runs on Saturday mornings from 9:30am – 11:30am, for 30 sessions over an academic year to include travel, delivery, planning and support. The Senior Freelance Music Practitioner will be expected to arrive on site in good time and to ensure the sessions start on time.
Special Projects:
In addition to work detailed above, Freelance Senior Music Practitioners may be invited to deliver specific projects as required by BPM. These will be agreed on a case by case basis, and may attract different rates of pay or a set project fee. A separate Project Brief will be sent out for this work.
Background Information:
Bristol Music Trust
Launched in May 2011 the Bristol Music Trust is an exciting independent charity with two distinct aims.
The first is to manage the operations of Colston Hall, Bristol’s largest concert venue, where people have been enjoying music since 1867; developing a diverse musical programme, leading a major capital refurbishment programme and securing its commercial success. The Hall presents a wonderful opportunity to build a diverse Music & Arts Centre; comprising a traditional concert hall, a smaller intimate hall and an inspiring newly built foyer.
The second aim is to drive forward music across Bristol; working in partnership with city wide organisations; leading on musical education with the creation of Bristol Plays Music, commissioning new works, supporting local musicians, and promoting music across all communities to build on the vibrant talent already in the city. Much more, we want the Bristol music scene to stand out with its own unique culture and internationally renowned reputation.
Bristol Music Trust’s vision is to put music at the heart of Bristol life, and to lead a strategic, holistic, citywide approach to promoting music so that it flourishes through performance, composition, participation and education.
Bristol Plays Music
Bristol Plays Music (BPM) is the Arts Council England’s Music Education Hub for the city of Bristol. Created from a strategic partnership between Bristol Arts and Music Service and Colston Hall Education, it delivers a broad range of high-quality music education opportunities to both schools and the wider community.
BPM aims to ensure that every young person has access to music education activities and a platform for musical expression. BPM leads delivery on the core and extension roles of the National Plan for Music Education. This includes providing the first access music programme for schools (whole class music tuition for every school child at Key Stage 2), individual and group instrumental tuition, formal and non-formal ensembles and other opportunities to make music with others, access to professional performance and artists, and the delivery of a singing strategy in Bristol.
BPM works with partners across the city to join up the opportunities for teaching, learning and performance and promotes an inspiring shared culture of music making whilst drawing upon the extraordinary richness of talent across the city.
Page 2 of 4
BPM Freelance Senior Music Practitioner Project Brief Music Centre West Last Updated 24/03/2017