Vocal Tutor and Small Group Ensemble Leader - #2153230

Harris Academy Wimbledon is an ‘Outstanding’ (Ofsted 2023) secondary academy, established in 2018 to provide an excellent education for children in Wimbledon. With our new Sixth Form opening this year, we will soon have a full cohort of students aged 11-18.

Two years after opening, we moved into our brand-new building which is modern, bright and equipped with state-of-the-art facilities in every area of the curriculum. We are oversubscribed and fortunate to have an amazing level of support from the community with waiting lists for entry into every year group of our academy.

Harris Academy Wimbledon promotes high levels of academic achievement across the curriculum, encourages participation in extra-curricular opportunities and empowers students to make decisions wisely. The curriculum is rich, diverse and personalised ensuring every student achieves his or her true potential. Academic success goes hand-in hand with a rich variety of enrichment and extra-curricular activities; these help foster a spirit of aspiration, resilience and joy in learning.

Professional learning is at the heart of the academy, supporting all staff in their development. The academy has a growth mindset approach where industry and commitment are seen as cultural virtues. Development of resilience, self esteem, managing risks/consequences and the ability to work effectively together all form a key part of the pastoral provision.

HAWI Rocks is a Saturday School focused on creating pop and rock bands with young people in Merton from Years 5 - 10. Having successfully run for two years, we currently have approximately 30 students enrolled.

You would form part of a small team of tutors (Drums, Keyboards, Vocals and Guitar), who will be responsible for providing high-quality instrumental instruction, developing students’ confidence and performance skills and bringing out great group performances from a diverse range of students.

The sessions would revolve around learning, rehearsing and performing a range of modern pop and rock repertoire. Lead sheets, tabs and other relevant music will be designed and provided by the HAWI Rocks lead tutor, but you may be asked for advice on the parts written for your specialist instrument.

Every 10-week term, we introduce and learn five new songs. We work towards an end-of-term performance, which is a showcase of everything the students have worked on in their sessions. As well as these concerts, we have many regular performances across the year, such as Christmas and Summer Arts Festival concerts with the Harris Academy Wimbledon Music Department, as well partnership concerts with other schools, such as the Kings College Wimbledon Arts Festival and Wimbledon High School Battle of the Bands.

Your responsibilities will include:

• Provide high quality instrumental instruction in your specialist instrument, for small-medium sized groups of students on that instrument.
• Lead rehearsals and performances of student ‘rock’ ensembles, helping students build confidence and stage presence.
• Teach students basic relevant music theory where applicable: e.g. reading tablature, following a lead sheet, understanding the structure of a song.
• Set up equipment for ensembles: e.g. setting up microphones, amps, drum kit.
• Foster a supportive and safe environment for the students, being a positive professional role model.
• Collaborate with other members of the team effectively to create the best possible experience for all our students.

We would like to hear from you if you have:

• Proficiency in your specialist instrument.
• Solid fundamental knowledge of rock band ensemble: the role of guitar, bass, drums, keyboards, vocals.
• Previous teaching experience, especially with children and young adults.
• Strong communication and interpersonal skills.
• Ability to adapt teaching methods to individual student needs
• Patience, enthusiasm, and a genuine passion for music education.

Our people are at the heart of our success. We have developed a strong culture of collaboration and best practice, with professional development and career planning at its centre. We invest in our staff with support, coaching, mentoring, and a wide range of top-quality training programmes delivered at every level.

The Harris Federation and all our academies are committed to ensuring the highest levels of safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children and young people, and we expect all our staff and volunteers to share this commitment. All offers of employment are subject to an enhanced Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) check, references, an online search, and where applicable, a prohibition from teaching check will be completed. Before applying, please review our Policy Statement on the Recruitment of Ex-Offenders.

The Harris Federation is an equal opportunities employer and welcomes applications from all suitably qualified candidates.

We value the diversity of our staff and students, and everyone at the Harris Federation is equally valued and respected. We aim to be an inclusive employer that reflects the communities we serve. We are committed to providing a fair, equitable and mutually supportive learning and working environment.

If you have any questions about this opportunity, please contact us via e-mail, or call to arrange a conversation.

Before applying, please download the Job Pack for full details on the job responsibilities and person specification. You will need this when completing your application.

Please note: we may hold interviews as and when applications are received and we reserve the right to offer to a candidate prior to the closing date. We only accept applications submitted online via our careers website and which are completed before the closing deadline. With this in mind, we encourage you to apply as soon as possible and advise you check the job information as per the listing on our careers site.