Surrey Arts are currently going through a transformation to improve its delivery to the county of Surrey. This transformation includes rebuilding a service that is fit for purpose, creating stronger partnerships with schools so that they can respond to new ways of working and build on recent innovation in the sector. As a result a number of new roles have been created to support this vision.

Sarah Lee, Head of Service says ‘We want to ensure that all young people across Surrey have access to high quality music and arts activities. We have exciting plans to grow, diversify and modernise our offer and to help achieve this we have created a number of new exciting roles.’

If you want to make a difference to music education in Surrey and be part of an inspiring, creative arts service then you may be interested in one of the following roles:

Surrey Arts Area Manager

Surrey Arts are seeking an experienced music educator and leader (in any discipline or music tradition) to develop relationships and manage activity in areas across Surrey. This exciting role requires someone who can forge effective working relationships with schools and communities across the Region as well as being innovative and passionate about achieving outstanding musical outcomes for young people.

You will also work with the Surrey Arts Senior Leadership Team, Surrey’s Property Team and other stakeholders to find a venue for a new Area Centre and will lead its development as a beacon for music and arts education in the area. In line with our commitment to diversify our offer and reach underserved communities, you will share our ambition for a significant part of its programme to be co-created with local people and will be responsible for making this a reality. 

For more information please visit the link at: 

https://www.surreycc.gov.uk/jobs/search/details?id=18969

Music Curriculum Lead Teacher

Surrey Arts are seeking a demonstrably successful music educator and leader with extensive experience of working in school settings to fulfil the position of a Curriculum Lead who can cover secondary, post-16, and SEND schools to support the delivery of the music curriculum.

The successful applicant will join our Curriculum Team for Surrey Arts Music services and will be working closely with the Inclusion Manager, Vocal Strategy Manager and Digital Music Lead. A significant part of the role will be to develop the Schools’ Music Education Plan and undertake supportive conversations with music leads and senior leaders in schools to strengthen their curriculums and schemes of work, which may involve some demonstration and team teaching.

Qualified Teacher Status is required, along with substantial experience of good practice in at least one key stage of your area of focus and an awareness of curriculum requirements at all key stages.

For more information please visit the link at: 

https://www.surreycc.gov.uk/jobs/search/details?id=18972

Instrumental Music Teachers

For teachers with skills and availability to teach one or more of the following:

– Percussion: 1-2 days (Farnham, Guildford and Camberley) daytime and after school teaching as well as Saturday morning. 1:1 and small group teaching; drum kit and orchestral percussion.

– Classical and Contemporary Guitar: 1-2 days (West Surrey, Mid-Surrey or North Surrey) daytime and after school teaching. 1:1 and small group teaching.

– Whole class instrumental teaching: 1-3 days (County-wide) daytime teaching of whole class instrumental learning in ukulele, recorder or orchestral instruments.

– Cello, and some Double Bass: 1-2 days (East Surrey) daytime and after school teaching. Mostly 1:1 with some small group teaching.

– Piano: 1-2 days (East Surrey) daytime and after school teaching. Mostly 1:1 with some small group teaching.

You will teach both online and face-to-face and be part of a forward looking team developing innovative and student centred learning opportunities. For more information please visit the link at: 

https://www.surreycc.gov.uk/jobs/search/details?id=18972

Disabled music charity The OHMI Trust, is celebrating its tenth anniversary in matching disabled musicians with the adapted instruments they need to make music.  

The charity was established in 2011, with no money, only two trustees, and two volunteers. Fast forward ten years, and this small but ambitious charity has much to celebrate.  

It is unique in the breadth of support it offers to disabled child and adult musicians, with its impact felt across teaching, research and development, and awareness raising. The charity’s biennial competition, which supports the development of musical instruments that can be played without the use of one hand or arm, attracts entries from across the globe. Its popular Music-Makers and Inclusive Access to Music-Making programmes gain momentum each and every year, reaching new musicians across England and Wales. Its hire scheme offers an impressive 300 instruments and pieces of enabling equipment; a number that will only grow through the development of further instruments through OHMI’s research partnership with Queen Mary University, London and Birmingham City University. It is this wide-ranging work that led to the charity receiving recognition in The House of Lords.  

These impressive milestones will be marked at OHMI’s 2021 Competition Awards and Tenth Anniversary Celebrations, taking place on Saturday, 25th September. The event, which will be held at Aston University, will also be live-streamed from 6pm BST, and is expected to attract musicians and representatives from musical organisations from around the world. 

The event will include performances from the talented OHMI musical community, as well as an announcement on the winners of the 2021 Competition, along with demonstrations of their equipment. 

Melissa Johns, British actor and disability activist, best known for her roles in Coronation Street, BBC drama Life, and, most recently, Celebrity Masterchef, will be hosting the event.  

As Rachel Wolffsohn, OHMI’s Manager, explains, 

“Melissa is a proud champion of the rights of disabled people, so she was the perfect choice in helping OHMI to bang the drum for inclusive music-making. Hosting the event, for the first time, as a blended live and broadcast event, will allow us to share the celebrations with a global audience, reflecting the truly international nature of the competition entries over the years.” 

Registrations for the event can be submitted here: https://bit.ly/3ANUZ3A.  

Surrey Arts is delighted to share the fantastic news that, in partnership with Big Leaf Foundation, just under £45k in funding has been secured to support displaced children in Surrey.  The funding from Youth Music will support a Syrian Youth Ensemble (Together at Home) and Music Connects, a project which brings asylum seeking children and local young people together to make music together.

Syrian Youth Ensemble 

The project will use music as a tool to increase life opportunities for Syrian refugee children who are now living in Surrey. Surrey Arts will equip the service to deliver one to one ensemble and performance opportunities with supported pathways into future music activities. 

The new programme will support the children with music and life skills so that they can access the diverse range of opportunities available to them through Surrey Music Hub and partners. The programme will fund specialist support for the participants and the embedded professional development ensures that this expertise is shared so that as a service Surrey Arts is better equipped to support more children from refugee backgrounds into the future.

Music Connects 

Music Connects is a collaborative song writing project for young people from local and displaced communities, who will work together across language and cultural barriers to write, perform and record a song reflecting the input of everyone in this diverse group. The project will be led by professional musicians from different musical backgrounds. 

Surrey Arts Inclusion Lead Jim Pinchen said “This funding is highly competitive and we’re delighted and grateful that Youth Music recognises Surrey Arts as an a key organisation to lead on this important strand of work”

This project is backed by Youth Music, thanks to the National Lottery via Arts Council England.

About Youth Music

Youth Music is a national charity funded thanks to the National Lottery via Arts Council England, players of People’s Postcode Lottery and support from partners, fundraisers and donors.

This summer we are partnering with Active Surrey as part of Surreys Club4 programme by providing three weeks of music, dance and food holiday activities for children across Surrey. Each day there will be music and dance activities led by professional teachers and performers and participants will be provided with a hot meal and snacks as part of the course and explore how we can eat more healthily!

Participants aged 8 to 18 years old can register for single days or a whole four-day course and the activities will focus on:

Dance: Street / Jazz / World: Keep active and healthy, dancing to amazing music and performing.

Music: Rock Bands, World Percussion, Your Voice: Each day take part in music workshops exploring and performing in different styles. Play as part of a rock band, sing in the Your Voice choir and perform drumming from West Africa and South America.

Grand finale: Every Thursday at the end of the four-day programme there will be a performance open to friends and family. Participants will perform the music they have learnt and created during the course of the week.

Dates and venues

St Bedes School, Redhill: Monday 26 to Thursday 29 July

Cordwalles Junior School, Camberley: Monday 2 to Thursday 5 August

Three Rivers Academy, Walton-on-Thames: Monday 9 to Thursday 12 August

Times: 10am to 2.30pm

Cost: £45 per day or £135 for 4 days in one week

Free places are available for eligible free school meal children.

Find out about eligibility criteria for low income support,

To register please complete the registration form