Work with us: Programme Producer, Identifying Musical Talent and Potential

Programme Producer

Job title:?Programme Producer, Identifying Musical Talent and Potential

Reports to:?Partnerships Manager, Awards for Young Musicians

Hours of work:?14 hours per week

Contract:?Two year?fixed term contract from 1 February 2024 to?31 January 2025 (with potential for renewal, subject to funding).

Salary:?￡28,350 pro rata, equating to ￡11,803 per annum.

This is a home-based, flexible position, although regular travel will be required.?

About Awards for Young Musicians

Awards for Young Musicians (AYM) exists because musical talent is everywhere but opportunity isn’t: family finances and other obstacles too often get in the way. We’re here to change this in two key ways:?

• We support young musicians from low income families with funding and other help
• We support music education through training, advocacy and research.?

Established in 1998 we work across genres and across the UK. Our four programme areas are:

• Identifying Talent:?training teachers in how to spot young people’s musical potential
• Furthering Talent:?targeting and sustaining young people’s emerging talent through strategic support?
• Awards:?funding young talent UK wide through annual grants and tailor-made help for individual musicians?
• Innovation and Research:?leading new thinking and action on talent development?

More about Identifying Musical Talent and Potential?

This training invites teachers – both music specialists and non-specialists – to explore how they can ensure the way they teach music gives every child the best opportunity to show their musical talent and potential so it can be spotted, nurtured and developed. We know that due to family circumstances, culture or background, there is a difference in the levels of prior musical experience which impacts the way children can engage with music in school.?

The training explores a range of musical games and activities, delving into what they’re really telling us about the young people we work with. We also offer suggestions for making small changes to enable teachers and musicians to spot signs which might otherwise get missed. We look at creative vs recreative activities, diversity over uniformity of sounds and instruments, the importance of a curious mindset, time and space for exploration and noise in the classroom. We discuss strategies for working in large classes and when teaching whole class instrumental programmes.?

The training is underpinned by our 8 Facets of Musical Potential which have been developed in partnership with Lead Facilitator Hugh Nankivell. They’ve been tested in a range of settings including primary, secondary and special schools as well as in the community, and can be applied by someone without any prior musical knowledge. We have a suite of films and other resources to accompany them which illustrate what you might spot and how the facets might manifest themselves.?

We’d invite all applicants to watch?this brief introduction to the programme?from our Practical Progression film series as well as?this film?about one teacher’s experience of the Identifying Musical Talent and Potential training. Do also take a look at our?8 Facets of Musical Potential.

Programme outcomes

• Increased understanding by music leaders of how to identify the key facets of musical potential, unconnected to young people’s instrumental playing or limited experience of a specific instrument within a whole-class setting
• Increased diversity of young people identified as having musical potential who have never played an instrument due to socio-economic barriers
• Increased diversity of England’s talent pipeline, and thus the diversity of its culture.
• Increased support for music leaders in Music Hubs e.g. starting to build peer networks or communities of practice.

Programme expansion

AYM became an?Arts Council England National Portfolio Organisation in April 2023 and also joined an expanded cohort of National Youth Music Organisations?(NYMOs).?We’re therefore expanding delivery of the ITP programme across England, enabling many more music leaders to participate.??They will gain both specific skills to spot musical potential as well as broader learning to support their wider work as teachers more generally.

Facilitation

The training is run in pairs.?Lead Facilitator?is musician Hugh Nankivell, who has worked with AYM to develop the programme since its inception in 2008. He is joined by 9 other?Associate Facilitators.?You can find out more about the facilitator team here:?https://www.a-y-m.org.uk/meet-our-itp-facilitators/

Training settings

Whilst working with Music Hubs remains core to our work, we’ve also delivered sessions for Multi Academy Trusts and other NYMOs, with students at conservatoires and universities and with teachers working in SEND and PMLD settings and we have a remit to work with music leaders in any setting moving forward.?

Training outputs

In the most recent phase beginning in 2022, we’ve run 58 sessions and trained 1200 music educators across England.?

Over the next two years we’re aiming to run a further 80 sessions with at least 1200 teachers and music leaders.?Please see?here for a recent article in Primary Music Magazine.

Resource development

The training utilises a series of film resources which help illustrate the facets of potential in real life music education settings with young people of all ages, including primary, secondary, youth and special schools. These resources are updated from time to time, as is the online delegate resource pack.

ITP Programme Producer: Job description

Who are we looking for?

You will be passionate about increasing access to music making for young people from low income families and committed to helping them overcome the barriers they face to fulfilling their musical potential. You will care about contributing to the development of an innovative, progressive and inclusive workforce across the music education sector. You will be a self-starter, able to work highly effectively, whether from your home office, on the move across England (and potentially the rest of the UK), or with colleagues across the AYM team. You will be adept at managing multiple priorities and enjoy interacting with a broad range of people. We’re a motivated and collegiate team at AYM: we work hard and support each other to achieve the best possible outcomes for the young people we’re here to help.?

Job overview:

To ensure the next phase of the Identifying Musical Talent and Potential programme is successfully delivered, achieving its outcomes and outputs as detailed in AYM’s Business Plan which includes our NPO Activity Plan. You will oversee the ongoing development of the programme, learning as you go and working with the programme team to ensure maximum impact for a range of settings. You will report to the Partnerships Manager, and work in close liaison with Lead Facilitator Hugh Nankivell and the Associate Facilitators as well as the wider AYM team (permanent staff and freelance) and programme partners e.g. Music Hubs and Arts Council England.

Key tasks:

• To work closely with key colleagues and partners, in particular the Partnerships Manager, the Lead Facilitator, Hugh Nankivell and the Associate Facilitators to ensure the Activity Plan is successfully implemented on time and on budget.
• To work with key programme partners to implement an ongoing promotional campaign across a range of settings, from Music Hubs to individual schools and beyond, encouraging them to book their free training?session, ensuring 80 sessions are?delivered within the timeframe.
• Maintain good ongoing communication with each booking on all elements of the training delivery, including booking training dates and venues and agreeing the format most appropriate to each setting e.g. whether a half day or twilight session works best.
• To liaise with the Lead Facilitator and Associate Facilitators to establish their availability across the delivery phase and book and contract them to run training sessions, ensuring as equitable a number as possible for the latter group.?
• To organise and attend the Associate Facilitator training days, working with the Partnerships Manager and the Lead Facilitator to design the content.
• To attend and support a sample number (around 10%) of the training days across the delivery period, to keep a close eye on the quality of delivery.
• To work with the Partnerships Manager, the Lead Facilitator and AYM’s Digital and Communications Co-ordinator to update the existing ITP online resources where funds allow, adding new materials e.g. interviews with Hub leaders whose staff have participated in the training talking about its impact and new films to enhance the training model.
• To work with the above colleagues to update the online ITP training resources, so that delegates can easily access the information they need.
• To agree appropriate Risk Assessments for each training day, in liaison with the host setting.
• To work with the Digital and Communications Co-ordinator and others as necessary to produce communications outputs relating to ITP as part of the organisation’s ongoing communications strategy.
• To manage the programme budget: this will include liaising with the AYM team to ensure efficient cashflow management and that payments are made according to internal financial controls.
• To attend all meetings necessary to ensure successful delivery of ITP: these will be a combination of online and in-person meetings.
• To keep comprehensive records of the programme and its development on AYM’s Salesforce database.?
• To work with AYM’s internal Monitoring and Evaluation Manager and the?External Evaluator?to implement the ITP evaluation plan, to track progress against programme outcomes.?
• To ensure Arts Council England receive full and timely narrative, data and financial reports on the programme’s progress as part of NPO reporting requirements.?
• To report regularly to AYM’s Partnerships Manager, updating her on ITP’s progress, highlighting particular successes and raising any issues that need addressing as soon as they arise so as to increase the programme’s effectiveness.?
• To support ITP’s development in any other reasonable ways, as agreed with the Partnerships Manager.

Person specification

Experience

• At least three years’ experience of successfully managing and delivering complex arts and/or education programmes, ensuring outcomes are met and outputs are delivered according to plan, on time and on budget.
• Experience of working in musical education and with multiple stakeholders, ideally including young people, parents/carers, instrumental teachers, schools, Hub partner organisations, other music/arts organisations, funders etc.
• Experience of people management: specific experience with freelancers would be particularly helpful.
• Experience of working in a professional development context, either running or supporting the running of training programmes.
• Experience of evaluation in the context of complex arts and/or education programmes
• Experience of facilitating work with young people would be desirable but is not essential.
• Experience of remote working would be desirable but is not essential.

Key skills

• Very strong organisational skills
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills?
• Excellent people management skills
• Excellent interpersonal skills and therefore an ability to work with a wide range of people, whether speaking confidently at events, managing any conflict that may arise or responding appropriately in a difficult situation.
• Ability to be adaptable and responsive to a changing music education landscape.
• Experience of Salesforce or an equivalent data management system would be an advantage.

Terms and conditions

• Contract: a 24 month fixed term contract from February 2023 to January 2025 inclusive.?
• Salary:?￡28,350 pro rata, equating to ￡11,803 per annum.
• Hours: 14 hours per week.?This is not a 9 to 5 position, and the post holder will be able to work flexibly although one day a week will need to align with the Partnerships Manager. Weekend or evening work may occasionally be required: however this work can be organised well in advance.?
• Access to a computer and digital storage facilities will be made available if necessary.?
• Expenses including travel costs will be paid monthly in arrears on production of relevant receipts.
• Place of work: From your own home and other locations as required. An ability to travel easily between the session delivery areas is essential to carry out this role (although you don’t need your own transport).

How to apply

Please complete the Applicant Details Form, Application Form and?optional?Equal Opportunities Monitoring?Form, and return these to Georgie White Winter:?[email protected]

Applicant Details Form

Application Form

Equal Opportunities Monitoring Form

Key dates

• The deadline for applications is?Friday 12 January 2024 at 5.00 pm.
• Online interviews will be held on?Monday 22 January 2024. Please note that it won’t be possible to offer alternative dates.?
• The position is available to start in February 2024. A start date will be negotiated with the successful candidate.?