Chamber Music Coaches

About the job

RCM JUNIOR DEPARTMENT

Chamber music coaches

Job reference number: 700-20 

Closing date: 9am Friday 29 May 2020

Interview date: Monday 8 June 2020 (online via MS Teams or Zoom)

Salary: Hourly-paid, £36.35 per hour, Saturdays during term-time only. 

Available from: September 2020

The Royal College of Music Junior Department (RCMJD) is a specialist term-time only Saturday school offering advanced training to musicians between the ages of 8 and 18. Students combine studying at RCMJD with their general education at their chosen week-day school. Students come together at the RCM London each Saturday for a tailor-made programme of individual instrument/voice/composition lessons, chamber music, orchestral and choral training, and general musicianship. Our staff are professional performers/composers as well as teachers and offer the highest standards of tuition and coaching. Most RCMJD students continue their musical studies at the RCM or other major conservatoires/universities.

The RCMJD Chamber Music programme 

Chamber Music is at the heart of our educational and performance programme for every musician at the RCMJD. We offer one of the finest chamber music programmes for young musicians in the UK, with all our students taking part in at least one chamber ensemble and many students being members of two or more. All chamber ensembles receive tuition for one hour every Saturday with our highly accomplished and experienced team of tutors, many of whom are members of renowned chamber ensembles.

There are over 70 chamber ensembles at the RCMJD.  The majority are string quartets, piano trios, piano duos, wind and brass quintets, but we also run a flute group, several violin/cello/bass groups and a Guitar Ensemble. Larger ensembles include Wind Dectet, Clarinet Choir, Recorder Ensemble, Baroque Ensemble, Brass Dectet, Percussion Ensemble and several Jazz Ensembles.  In addition, all students play in an orchestra or other suitable large ensemble.

There are many performance and coaching opportunities for chamber groups both inside and outside the RCM.  There are weekly performance opportunities in our Performers’ Platform as well as a dedicated Chamber Music Day every year, with side-by-side workshops, recitals and masterclasses for chamber groups with internationally acclaimed visiting ensembles. Recent visitors include the Heath Quartet and New London Chamber Ensemble in 2015, the Chilingirian String Quartet in 2016 and the Harlem Quartet & Onyx Brass in 2018.  Another highlight of our programme is the RCMJD Chamber Music Competition, the prize winners performing in our annual Young Artists’ Concert at the Wigmore Hall.  RCMJD string quartets have recently been invited to perform at Saddlers’ Hall, the House of Lords, the Royal Albert Hall Elgar Rooms and for HRH Prince Charles at Sandringham. RCMJD string quartets and piano trios are also regularly invited to participate in senior RCM chamber music masterclasses and concerts.

The RCMJD is seeking to engage accomplished Chamber music coaches to join our vibrant and thriving department. Experience coaching string groups and piano trios would be advantageous.

We are looking for candidates with the following attributes:

• You should be a widely recognised and highly respected practitioner, either as a performer or teacher.
• You will be teaching to an exceptionally high level of technical and musical proficiency, gifted and talented students aged between 8 and 18, so relevant teaching experience at this level is required.
• You should understand the particular demands of the music profession whilst striving to help each student reach the fullness of their potential.

We expect to be able to offer a minimum of 3 hours teaching per week, for approximately 30 weeks per year. Up to 8 hours of teaching per week may be available, depending on scheduling and timetable considerations for next academic year. 

The successful applicant will need to make a regular commitment to the RCMJD on Saturdays during term-time. 

For full details of this position please read the Applicant Information Pack, available to download from the RCM website: www.rcm.ac.uk/jobs

To apply, please send your 1) Cover Letter and 2) full CV, along with our 3) Equal Opportunities Monitoring form to Olivia Towers, HR Advisor at recruitment@rcm.ac.uk. 

In your Cover Letter, please outline how you meet the criteria set out in the Job Description and Person Specification for the role. Please also confirm that you are eligible to work in the UK and hold an appropriate work permit where relevant, as without this information we are unable to process your application.   

Please note - Due to Covid-19, interviews will be conducted online via MS Teams or Zoom.

Please ensure that you include the Job Reference Number when submitting your application. 

The RCM is committed to being an equal opportunities employer and to promoting a diverse and inclusive environment for all our staff, students and visitors.