Job Opportunities

Musical Director – Midlands

Choirs Beating Time (part of Beating Time) run singing groups in prisons and are shortly to expand their work in the Midlands. Our prison music projects aim to help people serving sentences maintain good mental health, experience positive community and develop vital social skills for life after release.

We are looking for enthusiastic singing group leaders to join our team of Musical Directors. We work in both adult prisons and YOIs which call for different skills and/or experience. We are open to the same person being able to do both, or different people working in different settings. In the short term we need somebody to co-lead a group at HMP Swinfen Hall, but for the right person/people there may be other opportunities to work in other establishments.

You would be employed on a freelance basis at the rate of £125 for a half-day session. This reduces slightly for each additional half-day employed.

Successful candidates will be experienced in leading vocal groups, be comfortable with a pop repertoire, be able to arrange songs with simple vocal harmonies and will preferably be able to accompany songs on either guitar or keyboard.

Specifically your duties would be:

1. To plan practices (either lead individually or co-lead)
2. Lead warm up exercises
3. Teach songs
4. Train the group in good vocal technique
5. Arrange songs at an appropriate level for the group, taking suggestions from the group for repertoire
6. Prepare and lead group for performances
7. Prepare the group for occasional recordings
8. Keep register and session reports updated

For those interested in working in YOIs we would welcome applications from people with experience of groupwork in urban music – hip hop, rap, grime etc.

To apply, please send your CV with a covering letter explaining why you feel you are well suited to this job (no more than 300 words) to: jobs@beatingtime.org