June 2019

Useful information – post of Piano / Keyboard Teacher

For many years, has been extremely proud of the achievements of its vibrant, successful and lively Music Department. Our choirs, bands and ensembles are recognised locally as outstanding and there are constant requests for our talented and enthusiastic students to perform at various events around the area.

Previous joint productions with the Drama Department which have included Les Misérables, West Side Story, Oliver!, South Pacific and Footloose are eagerly awaited by our wider community and are always sold out. In December 2018 we presented our latest production: the musical ‘Grease’.

The Music Team consists of the Head of Department (Val Mizen); two other members of staff and a team of dedicated visiting peripatetic teachers who help our youngsters learn a wide selection of musical instruments on a weekly basis and help run a variety of extra-curricular ensembles.

We annually hold two full School Concerts, a Carol Service in the beautiful local , and a Battle of the Bands competition. All of our concerts / services are well attended and enthusiastically supported by both parents and staff. The Department also participates in numerous other musical events throughout the year both locally and further afield. E.g. The nationally acclaimed Sherborne Abbey Music Festival and charity fundraising performances for the British Legion; for Sherborne Rotary Club’s Youth Makes Music; and for the Sherborne Foodbank through our annual Christmas Carols collaboration with the Sherborne School for Girls in Waterloo Station, London.

We seek an enthusiastic, committed, reliable, qualified and inspirational professional to teach Piano and Keyboard from September 2019 who enjoys working with young people in a secondary school environment: a teacher who believes in promoting piano / keyboard playing pro- actively, and in making piano / keyboard accessible to any student of any age and ability to as high a standard as possible. Our students have been used to learning and performing a variety of musical styles / genres (such as classical, Jazz and Pop) so the successful provider will be expected to continue to provide this broad range of opportunity and to avoid a narrow stylistic focus.

You would be expected to liaise with members of the Music Team to encourage and prepare students for exam course-related performances, performing at school concerts and various other musical events and opportunities that present themselves throughout the school year.

Piano / Keyboard lessons take place during the school day on a rotation timetable and mostly last twenty minutes, except where some students have opted for a thirty-minute lesson. The current piano / keyboard teaching commitment is six hours spread over two days with potential for further increasing numbers (although student numbers for the next academic year cannot be guaranteed nor confirmed currently).The actual teaching days are reasonably negotiable prior to commencement. This position could potentially also provide good opportunities to teach piano / keyboard in some of our local Primary schools.

Depending on experience and interest, applicants might also be interested in the opportunity to take on the weekly 30-minute Music Theory Club in addition to teaching piano / keyboard. However, should an exceptional candidate not wish to take on the teaching of Music Theory on offer with this post, their decision will not preclude them from being appointed to teach piano / keyboard.

The person selected will be inspirational and motivational, able to maintain and develop the current standard of our existing learners. It is essential that potential providers are entirely proficient, so as part of the selection process will be asked to:

• perform two short pieces of contrasting style / genre to demonstrate playing technique • give a 15-minute piano lesson to a Gryphon student to demonstrate teaching ability • attend a formal twenty-minute interview with the Head Teacher (Mrs Edwards) and the Head of Music (Mr Mizen)

All of our peripatetic staff work on a self-employed basis via a contract of service with the school, with the requirement to invoice parents direct. It is therefore essential that applicants possess the personal integrity, experience and organisational / administrative skills necessary for invoicing and liaising with parents in an appropriate manner and on a regular basis.

The school’s current cost of lessons guide price is £30.00 per hour, but it is the decision of the successful candidate as to what the appropriate and fair rate to be charged will be at the start of each academic year.

If you are interested in applying for this post, an application form is available either from our school website under staff vacancies: www.gryphon..sch.uk ; or by contacting Rachel Dean via email: [email protected] ; or by telephone: 01935 810101.

Completed application forms should be returned to Rachel Dean by the closing date of Monday 10 June 2019, with interviews by invitation being held on Friday 21 June 2019. Please provide details of relevant musical qualifications. References will be sought from both referees prior to any formal appointment.

Should you have any queries regarding the information presented here, or wish to discuss the position, please do not hesitate to contact (Mr) Val Mizen, Head of Music, at the School, on 01935 813122.

The Gryphon School has an absolute commitment to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children and follows the national and Dorset policies and procedures for child protection and security. The selection process will include questions about safeguarding children and references will be sought before the final selection of a provider is made. The successful provider will be required to undertake an enhanced DBS disclosure check with the Disclosure and Barring Service.

The Gryphon School is committed to equal opportunities and positively encourages applications from all sections of the community.

www.gryphon.dorset.sch.uk

Headteacher Mrs N J Edwards  A Secondary School The Gryphon School A Company Limited by Guarantee  Registered in England Company Number 08130468 2