We are seeking composers who are passionate about working with young people and facilitating their creative ideas. Join a dynamic, reflective and committed cohort of composers working with students, teachers and musicians to transform how composition is taught in secondary schools.
WeCompose is our transformative in-schools composition project: a collaboration between teachers, professional composers, outstanding ensembles and leading music educators. Developing high quality resources and approaches, we work directly in schools in Sheffield, Barnsley, Doncaster, Rotherham, the East Riding of Yorkshire and the wider northern region as well as in Barking & Dagenham, Milton Keynes and Portsmouth. Our first two years have reached over 750 students, and in 2024/25, we aim to reach 2,460 young people across the country. Beyond the three years of currently funded delivery we will share our learning as widely as possible, making resources, approaches and training available to all teachers who wish to use them.
We are seeking a team of composers whose role will be:
- To attend and participate in in-person and online training throughout 2024/2025 (starting 18 September 2024).
- To make two visits to each school in autumn 2024 (days will usually be organised into approximately 3 schools each day) to facilitate students to develop their ideas. This includes leading group activities and providing one-to-one feedback.
- To make a final visit to each school in February 2025 (days will usually be organised into approximately 3 schools each day) to support students in finalising their pieces.
- To remotely review student scores in March 2025 and make up parts for the musicians
- To be part of culmination events in each region from March 2025 onwards to facilitate a composer workshop alongside the ensemble and celebrate the work of the young people.
In advance of visiting schools:
- To familiarise yourself with the WeCompose resources and Key Repertoire in order to run the project and advise teachers and students on how to work within the project framework and be ready to help teachers based on these resources.
- To revise the KS3 and KS4 composition curriculum (first introduced in the training on 18 September 2024).
- To familiarise yourself with the needs and challenges of the classroom, as described by the teacher in an initial evaluation.
- To read and listen to initial student ideas, as sent through by the teacher on Microsoft Sharepoint, in order to plan your first session.
After visiting schools:
- To document the progress of young people and keep simple, precise records using a central format, to enable appropriate support and adaptation of the project.
Please see the link for a full description of the role.