Director of Music

JOB DESCRIPTION

Job Title:

Director of Music

Department:

Music

Hours of Work:

Term Time, Full-Time

Responsible To:

Assistant Head Co-curricular
Assistant Head Curriculum

Responsible For:

Music Dept

Music is an important part of the life of Woldingham and part of an exceptionally strong performing arts
experience which is a true strength of the school. In the latest development plan, there is a renewed
commitment to the flourishing of the performing arts at Woldingham, and the time is right to appoint a
charismatic, visionary and brave Director of Music. All forms of musical excellence are valued at Woldingham,
and we believe there should be a place for every musical ambition.

Summary of Role
As an inspirational and visionary leader of music, the Director of Music will play a central role in realising
Woldingham’s ambitious strategy to become a recognised centre of excellence for music within the independent
sector and beyond. This is a rare opportunity for an outstanding and forward-thinking musician to shape, grow
and elevate a thriving department to the next level of artistic, academic and reputational distinction.

The Director of Music will provide strategic leadership across all aspects of music at Woldingham; curricular, co-
curricular, performance, scholarship and outreach, ensuring that musical excellence is embedded in the daily life
of the school and celebrated both internally and externally. The successful candidate will combine artistic
credibility with strategic vision, building a culture of aspiration, performance excellence and inclusive
participation.

The Music department is housed in the Millennium Centre, a modern, state-of-the-art facility for the Performing
Arts, with a 630-seater auditorium, a recital room, practice rooms, offices, music classrooms etc. The Director of
Music will maximise the potential of these exceptional facilities, developing a varied, dynamic and ambitious
programme of concerts, partnerships, tours, competitions and high-profile events. Working collaboratively with
the Director of Drama and Senior Leadership Team, the Director of Music will ensure that music occupies a
position of cultural prominence within the school and enhances Woldingham’s reputation locally, nationally and
internationally.

The Director of Music will also lead the strategic development of music scholarships and elite pathways, nurturing
exceptional talent while ensuring broad participation and access. A key part of the role will be to strengthen
recruitment, build partnerships with leading musical institutions, and expand outreach to local prep schools and
the wider community.

The Director of Music (DoM) takes operational responsibility for the smooth running of the Music department in
all its aspects. Music is taught to all students in Years 7 & 8, is an option in Year 9 and is offered at GCSE and A
level.  As an outstanding, practising musician with excellent subject knowledge and experience, you will be
responsible for teaching all levels of ability up to Oxbridge entrance.  The Director of Music also has a key role in
working with other key staff within the department to sustain and develop the school’s choral tradition (in 2023
the school was Runner Up in the national GSA Choir Competition).

The DoM will be an able and experienced musician, and an effective teacher and communicator.  They will be able
to inspire students and staff to achieve highly across all areas of the school’s music making.  They will be a
competent keyboard player if their main instrument is not piano or organ.  They will be able to teach across the
age range of the school, up to and including GCSE and A Level.  Conducting skills and a lively, motivational

rehearsal manner are essential, and candidates should have a good, working knowledge of the repertoire
available for choirs and instrumental ensembles of varying standards.  Above all, enthusiasm, commitment and
the ability to organise and harness the individual skills of the girls is paramount. There is a part time
administrative assistant in the department.

A high level of commitment is required of all the teaching staff.  Woldingham is a thriving school and much of the
music-making takes place after school, during some evenings and often at weekends.  Music also plays an
important part in the liturgical and spiritual life of the school. An appreciation of the key role music can play in the
Catholic liturgical life of the school will be an advantage for the successful candidate. Accommodation may be
available for a candidate prepared to immerse themselves in the life of the school

General

•  Develop and implement a clear three-to-five-year strategic vision for Music aligned with the School

Development Plan

•  Develop partnerships with conservatoires, professional musicians, ensembles and arts organisations
•  Promoting and maintaining high standards in all aspects of the musical life of the School
•  Exercising overall responsibility for the work of the Department, including overseeing curriculum music,

extra-curricular music, and individual tuition

•  Explore innovative curriculum and co-curricular developments, including music technology, composition,

contemporary performance styles and cross-disciplinary collaboration

•  Attracting applications for music scholarships and coordinate a mentoring programme for scholars
•  Guiding and overseeing the work of full-time, part-time, and VMTs
•  Manage budgets and resources for the music department.
•  Playing an active part in the school liturgies.

Curriculum

•  Quality assurance of all curriculum work
•  To attend HoD meetings

Extra-curriculum and individual Music Tuition

•  Overall responsibility for organisation and performance of extra-curricular activities, concerts, and

productions with drama

•  Arranging the weekly rehearsals of choirs, orchestras and other musical groups
•  Selecting repertoire for choirs and orchestras, including the musical content of all concerts
•  Organising music for chapel services throughout the year, as well as Speech Day, the Carol Service and

other special occasions

•  Have an overview of individual music tuition provided by visiting music teachers, including recruitment

and staffing

•  Collaborate with other departments and organizations to expand our music programmes and reach new

audiences.

Outreach

To design and implement a strategic outreach programme that:

•  Strengthens Woldingham’s profile as a musical hub within the region.
•  Builds sustained partnerships with local primary and secondary schools.
•  Creates aspirational pathways for talented young musicians.
•  Positions Woldingham as a host venue for festivals, competitions, masterclasses and professional events.

Specific Responsibilities:

(1) QUALITY ASSURANCE: To secure and maintain high standards of teaching and learning in the subject. To
ensure that the quality of the educational experience provided within the department for all pupils, regardless of
ability, serves as a positive advertisement for Woldingham School.

(2) PUPIL ASSESSMENT AND MONITORING: To establish maintain and review practices for the close monitoring of
every individual pupil’s progress.

(3) LEADERSHIP OF STAFF: To support, guide and motivate all teachers within the department. To work closely
with the School Leadership Team (SLT) to identify, anticipate and resolve any problems affecting the morale of
the staff in the department and their ability to perform their jobs to a high standard. To take an ongoing interest
in the professional development of all staff in the department.

(4) EFFECTIVE STRATEGIC THINKING: To continually evaluate the effectiveness of teaching and learning practices,
schemes of work, qualifications and courses on offer in order to ensure that pupils are always being provided with
the best learning opportunities available. To identify and anticipate needs in the subject and consider these in
relation to the overall needs of the school.

(5) RESOURCE MANAGEMENT: To ensure that human and other resources within the department are always
employed to maximum positive effect.

(6) MARKETING AND PUBLIC RELATIONS: To work closely with SLT and the Marketing Department to advertise the
strengths and achievements of the department and the school.

(7) CONTRIBUTING TO WHOLE SCHOOL LIFE: To share in all aspects of school life. All staff are expected to
contribute to the extra-curricular programme at Woldingham.

Under Objective 1
•  To hold regular fortnightly department meetings which include routine sharing of good practice and

resources.

•  To clearly communicate the teaching and learning standards and objectives of your department and the

whole school to members of staff under your leadership.

•  To develop an atmosphere of intellectual enthusiasm and the open sharing of ideas and good practice within

your department.

•  To carry out a regular annual calendar of quality assurance activities within the framework laid down by the

school.

•  To respond to concerns regarding any aspect of the teaching of a member of department with swift,

effective and fair quality assurance activities.

•  To ensure that the appropriate members of SLT are kept promptly and fully informed of any serious quality

assurance concerns.

•  To ensure that appropriate differentiation is occurring in all classes within your subject.
•  To ensure that – both within and outside the classroom – those pupils that show a particular aptitude for or

interest in your subject are provided with appropriate opportunities for academic extension and enrichment.
•  To have a clear and practical set of strategies in place for dealing with underachieving pupils in your subject.

Under objective 2
•  To ensure, through standard quality assurance activities, that assessment is being carried out according to

the criteria laid down in the academic section of the staff handbook.

•  To work with the Deputy Head (Academic) to use baseline data such as CEM test scores and predictions to
inform teaching and learning, grade predictions for pupils, setting/banding of pupils and intervention to
support underachieving pupils.

•  To ensure that all reports produced by members of the department meet the criteria laid down in the

academic section of the staff handbook.

Under objective 3

•  To ensure that all the staff under your leadership – particularly those who are new to the school – know

what is expected of them.

•  To ensure that any new members of your department know where to access all the information they need,

and are closely monitored and supported during their initial months.

•  To support staff who are facing a challenge in a particular area of their teaching with a professional blend of

firm direction and emotional support.

•  To get to know the particular strengths and interests of your staff and to ensure that these are recognised,

employed and developed.

•  To ensure that staff CPD is a part of your annual cycle of quality assurance. To have a clear record of which

INSETS and CPD opportunities your staff are attending.

•  To take responsibility for, and work with SLT to successfully intervene in, any tensions that arise among the

staff under your leadership.

Under objective 4
•  To continually review the effectiveness of all of the following:

o  The courses offered by your current exam board in relation to those on offer from other exam boards.
o  Departmental SoWs for each year group.
o  Departmental trips, visiting speakers and other such enrichment activities.
o  Technologies, textbooks and all other non-human resources used by the department.
o  Teaching practices employed within the department.

•  To communicate any proposed strategic changes to the appropriate members of SLT in a clear and concise

fashion that sets out the advantages, costs and risks of any proposed change.

•  To be open to new technologies and teaching practices that are proposed by others, whether from within or

outside your department.

•  To make use of student-voice when undertaking strategic reviews.

Under objective 5
•  To nurture the staff under your leadership as laid down under objective 3.
•  To review physical resources as laid down under objective 4.
•  To ensure that, as far as possible within whole-school timetabling constraints, the departmental timetable is
employing all staff where their particular strengths and enthusiasms will have the most positive impact.
•  To anticipate future resource needs (whether staffing or non-human) as accurately and early as possible, so

as to aid whole-school recruitment and budgetary processes and help ensure that your needs can be
effectively met by SLT.

•  To liaise closely with the Library Manager, and to keep abreast of paper and electronic resources in your
field, to ensure that students have access to – and training in – research opportunities beyond the use of
standard textbooks etc.

Under objective 6
•  To ensure that the profile of your subject is sufficiently prominent, both within and beyond the school.
•  To use academic enrichment events and/or subject-related societies to combine academic benefit for the

pupils with effective marketing for your department and the whole school.

•  To ensure that your department contributes fully to the positive image of the school on occasions such as
Open Days - through careful preparation of the staff under your leadership, of physical displays and
resources and of any activities on offer to visitors.

•  To ensure that the department is well organised for the preparation and marking of entrance and scholarship

papers.

•  To ensure that all requests for the updating of course booklets and other materials for existing and
prospective parents are responded to with due care and attention and carried out to-deadline.

•  To ensure that all your staff are well prepared for parent-teacher meetings.
•  To ensure that any staff absences from parent-teacher meetings are, as far as possible, flagged up in

advance, and that any absences are compensated for by swift and useful communication to parents both
before and after the event.

•  To ensure that any communications from parents (whether direct to you or passed on from Heads of Year or

SLT) are dealt with in a prompt and thorough manner.

Under objective 7
•  To communicate with SLT regarding whole school developments or procedures in a way that is honest but

constructive.

•  To be sensitive to whole-school perspectives when engaged in dialogue concerning allocation of time or

physical resources for your department.

•  To take an active and positive role in whole-staff sharing of educational ideas and initiatives. To encourage

the staff under your leadership to do the same.

•  To undertake any additional duties, as laid down by school policies (e.g. study supervision) or as reasonably

requested by the Headmistress.

PERSON SPECIFICATION

Essential

Desirable

•  Other music or leadership
qualifications e.g. choral
leadership

•  Strong composition skills are an

advantage.

•  Considerable experience of

music performance at a high
level

Operational Excellence

•  Experienced teacher with a proven track record of success.
•  Well qualified graduate with a music degree or equivalent.
•  The ability to nurture and develop musical talent with pupils.
•  Strong understanding of music pedagogy and current research

and thinking on current assessments.

•  Good understanding of the use of IT with music.
•  Strong keyboard skills

Personal Behaviours

•  Communication  Skills  –  the  ability  to  communicate  effectively

with a range of staff, pupils and parents.

•  Ability to build and maintain strong working relationships.
•  Dynamic and creative with the ability to challenge and offer new

ideas.

•  Team player working well with staff across the School.
•  The ability to anticipate and solve problems.
•  Confidence to make decisions within the wider context of the

School.

•  Flexibility to work the hours of the Music department.
•  Excellent organisational skills – the ability to ensure that the
programme of events/concerts is well-planned with staff and
students

Ethos and Whole School Values

•  Able to operate at the heart of the school community
•  Committed to the Sacred Heart Values
•  Commitment to Woldingham as a school with high academic

standing providing a holistic education and outstanding pastoral
care

Safeguarding and Pastoral

•  Committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of

children and young people.

•  A satisfactory Enhanced Disclosure from the DBS.

Leadership and Management

•  Understanding and able to contribute to the development of the

vision for the Music department.
Inspirational leadership to encourage pupil development.

•
•  Strong management skills.

Experience as an Assistant
Director of Music or Head of
Section