St Michael s Church, Framlingham Music Outreach Director of Sing Praise! A Leader for Primary School and Youth Church Choral Music This teaching role works in a special partnership with our church school, Sir Robert Hitcham s CEVA Primary School with just over 300 pupils aged 4-11. Its principal aim is to build on the foundations of daily faith-based school singing by augmenting the range and styles of worship music through two special weekly sung assemblies and a church-led after school club. The post-holder will be expected to forge closer links between the school and the church, especially in relation to choral singing at family and Festival services throughout the year. Other duties include running occasional holiday singing workshops for Primary-aged children and leading singing and music activities at an 8+ church club. Educational Outreach A key focus for us at St Michael s is our work with local schools. Sir Robert Hitcham s Primary School is a church voluntary aided school with the incumbent an ex-officio Governor. The PCC is also represented by Foundation Governors. School and church enjoy strong links and church members contribute significantly to school life, school assemblies, school services in church and Hitcham s Holy Horrors (HHH). HHH is, in effect, a Sunday School on a weekday - an after school club run by St Michael s, attended by about 20-25 children every session. These children also form the core of the Christmas Eve Nativity Play held in church and attended by over 300 people. From HHH has sprung many baptisms and greater engagement with parents. Art, craft, music, drama and games activity days are arranged during the holidays. HHH competes with a wide variety of after-school clubs. It has changed in the last couple of years from being an activity attracting children across Key Stages I and II, to one focused on the younger age group (5-7 year-olds). It is possible that HHH will be modified or replaced by a Sing Praise! after school club in order to attract pupils throughout the school with a passion for singing and music-making. A monthly 8+ church group has recently been established, meeting on a Friday evening at St Michael s Rooms (the church hall). It is linked into the First Sunday Family Service and some of the children who attend form the younger element of the choir on that Sunday. It would be good to motivate them more musically through monthly or termly singing activities.
Sing Praise! Churches have been centres for song and music-making in their communities for generations. The intention of Sing Praise! is to develop a programme of singing for children throughout the community, covering a huge range of musical styles. A special fund has been set up to employ a dynamic musician with teaching experience (or a dynamic teacher with music experience) to: help local schools with singing work with the local church to help explore what it is to take a faith seriously through choral music help develop a wide range of faith music in church and school Sing Praise! - The Rationale Singing together helps Learning, Inspiring and Believing Sing Praise! - helps Learning Music and the creative arts are hugely beneficial for children s social and mental development. Reports cite children s improving behaviour, attainment, confidence, concentration, and ability to cope with peer pressure. Research also proves the positive connection between singing and wellbeing, confirming that regular singing contributes to good mental and physical health. Singing and music-making help pupils to become confident learners, able to apply critical thinking. Musicians make great problem-solvers with creative minds. Other benefits include improved self-esteem, increased enjoyment in school life, deeper engagement in class and enhanced social skills. Singing well together has a deep impact on the school community, helping to strengthen the identity of the school and makes pupils feel proud to be part of it. Further, it boosts staff morale by helping children to enjoy learning and achieve more. Sing Praise! - will be Inspiring Singing provides opportunities for personal growth helping participants gain musical skills and expertise and to explore personal and shared faith and meaning through music. Singing works the respiratory system, so is good for the heart and lungs. It triggers feel-good chemicals in the brain, lifting our spirits. As well as this, some research has shown it can boost the immune system. Sing Praise! - explores Faith and Growing in Faith At a time when it is easily dismissed, we wish to encourage young people to express and explore faith - not restricted by one expression of culture. Exploring and finding (or dismissing) faith is an important life-choice which demands the opportunities to engage, to find support and to find ways of asking questions. Friendship and peer groups are important in all of these.
Hymns and worship songs have for centuries been at the core of the Christian experience, translating religious ideas or sacred stories into short, succinct easy to remember words and tunes. Helping children to consider faith and belief helps them develop as individuals and within values and meanings and music is a powerful enabler. The Role of Director of Sing Praise! This self-employed role is designed for a musician with teaching experience - or a former Primary school teacher with musical flair - and a commitment to helping children explore the Christian faith through music. Ideally, the post-holder will have experience of leading or directing a choir or vocal group. The work will involve approximately 4-5 hours teaching and preparation per week during term-time plus occasional singing workshop days during the school holidays in preparation for major Festivals. Duties will comprise: one afternoon in school delivering two half-hour sung assemblies (attended by school staff) an hour-long after school club (assisted by church volunteers) occasional singing activities for the church 8+ group (assisted by church volunteers) occasional holiday singing workshops (assisted by church volunteers) in preparation for major Festivals (Candlemass, Mothering Sunday, Easter, Harvest, Christmas) attendance at the First Sunday all-age worship service at St Michael s - and at important church Festivals - to direct children s singing, working with St Michael s all-age worship music leader The post-holder will teach by ear, but will also be able to sight sing and play an accompanying instrument. They will be paid according to experience at the local recommended visiting music teachers-in-schools rates. St Michael s PCC has set aside a total budget of 6,000 per annum to include preparatory and teaching time plus limited expenses (music hire and licences etc). The probationary period will be 3 months. Funding has been secured for two years with provision - at the end of this pilot period - for the role to become a permanent feature of school and church life. As and when the role grows, further funding will be secured. Both school and church have rigorous guidelines and policies to promote safeguarding, including safe recruitment and the statutory checking of staff, volunteers and visitors. Candidates selected for interview will be expected to provide one professional and one personal reference. The successful post-holder will be subject to a DBS check. The closing date for applications is Monday 11 June 2018 at 5pm. Interviews will be held on Tuesday June 26 (9.30am-1pm) when candidates should bring original certificates and credentials, including proof of their right to work in the UK. The interview will include a 5 minute presentation on Faith through Singing and 15-20 minutes teaching children a song chosen by the candidate. The start date, during autumn term 2018 is negotiable, subject to the candidate s need to give notice. The Director of Sing Praise! will be supported by - and responsible to - the Rector (Rev Canon Mark Sanders) and Head Teacher (Mrs Helen Picton). There will be periodic meetings of a support group comprising church representatives, local music teachers and others. Good relationships will need to formed with school staff, the Director of Music at St Michael s (Mr Paul Narey), our All-Age Worship Music Leader (Mrs Edith Peck) and other volunteers. Reports of work will need to be shared with the Parochial Church Council once a year.
About St Michael s Church The church building of St Michael s is dominant in the town, and a symbol of the church in the locality. With its medieval roots and fine architecture, it inspires and uplifts our worship. Its historic fabric, such as the Tudor tombs of the Dukes of Norfolk and Thamar Organ, attracts large numbers of visitors. Our ecclesiastical tradition is one of liberal theology with liturgical based worship. Our main Sunday service at 9.30am is a Common Worship Eucharist, preceded by a Book of Common Prayer Communion Service at 8.00am. On Wednesdays at 10.30am there is a Common Worship Communion service. There is a strong musical tradition at St Michael s, with a small choir at 9.30 services, leading and inspiring our worship. On the first Sunday of the month, the liturgy and music have been significantly adapted to a more modern style for a wider appeal and the choir morphs and expands into a singing group accompanied by a small band of musicians. A small number of pupils from Sir Robert Hitcham form part of this singing group. Choir, singing group and band are open entry with no auditions or upper age limit, and thus the abilities and quality of music are varied. The church is used as a concert venue by many outside groups including local schools, choirs (notably The Suffolk Singers, Phoenix Singers, Pop Chorus) and ensembles (it is the base for The East Anglian Academy of Early Music and organists from all over the world are attracted by the 17 th century Thamar organ, one of only eight large-scale organs to survive the English Civil War). The church also has an 18 th century chamber organ and an excellent, recently-acquired grand piano. Schools in Framlingham Sing Praise! will be focused on Sir Robert Hitcham CEVA Primary School, which already offers many opportunities to create music. There is a lunchtime singing club which has just recently attracted 70 children! All Key Stage 2 pupils compete in an annual House Singing Competition. The successful candidate would be encouraged to become involved in this, time and resources allowing. The school has an orchestra and, for those children wishing to learn an instrument, peripatetic music teachers provide brass, wind, guitar and strings tuition (at a charge). Pupils are also welcome to join a lunchtime recorder group. Additionally, teachers often make use of their own musical interests or expertise in their lessons. Sing Praise! has received enthusiastic support from the Music Department of Thomas Mills High School. This outstanding Department is an important part of the school community and contributes greatly to the overall ethos of Thomas Mills. Many children receive instrumental or vocal lessons and take part in a variety of large scale performances throughout the year. The emphasis in classroom lessons is on practical music-making. The Department is housed in two main teaching rooms and five practice rooms and is well-equipped with a variety of classroom instruments. One of the teaching rooms is a state of the art music technology suite comprising 30 Mac computers all with Logic, Sibelius and GarageBand software. There are a further 14 Mac computers in the other Music teaching room with the same software. The Sing Praise! post-holder will be encouraged to forge close links with the Department. There may be scope for collaboration, for example with High School students composing special vocal pieces as part of their coursework and helping lead choral workshops. The church also enjoys close links with Framlingham College, an independent school. Music is thriving at The College and is highly valued both academically and in terms of co-curricular and worship. All senior school staff and students enjoy twice weekly chapel assemblies, where singing and music feature heavily. There is an opportunity for students to perform as soloists every week within chapel services. Choirs perform locally, nationally and abroad, as well as taking part in festivals and competitions. A large number of students have instrumental and vocal lessons
and enjoy performing in a variety of ensembles such as Orchestra, Concert Band, Big Band, String ensemble and Percussion ensemble. The department is in the purpose-built Music School, and has excellent facilities. There are two teaching rooms fully equipped with Apple Mac computers running Sibelius, Logic and Garageband. There is a state of the art recording studio, with live room; and five large practice rooms. Local schools are regularly invited to workshops run by leading musical practitioners, such as Aldeburgh Young Musicians and other Arts organisations. The Sing Praise! post-holder would be encouraged to develop a successful relationship with music leaders at the College and to look for opportunities where the two schools and church might collaborate. There is scope for inviting sixth form students into school to lead lively musical assemblies, and to help deliver under-11s music workshops at the College as part of their BTEC assignments. Person Specifications