Music Practitioner
Job description
The Amber Trust is seeking freelance music practitioners to work with blind and partially sighted children and young people and their families, as part of our Little Amber, AmberPlus and With Music in Mind music services, and to run music workshops in schools and community settings. We operate across the UK, and are particularly looking for practitioners able to work in London, Scotland, Berkshire, Hampshire Gloucestershire and Dorset.
Conditions: Ad hoc freelance work
Location: At the homes/schools of the children/young people involved in our Little Amber, AmberPlus and With Music in Mind schemes
Responsible to: Music Services Manager
Charity Overview
Registered Charity No 1050503
At The Amber Trust, we believe that vision impairment and other disabilities should not prevent children and young people accessing appropriate musical opportunities. The Amber Trust was founded in 1995 with the aim to provide blind and partially sighted children, including those with additional disabilities, the best possible chance to meet their musical needs and aspirations.
We have grown to become the only national charity dedicated to supporting vision impaired children with their musical development and education. We aim to enhance the lives of as many of the 25,000 vision impaired children in the UK as possible through music, and to promote high quality music provision.
For more on The Amber Trust please see https://www.ambertrust.org/.
Working with Amber
The Amber Trust runs three dedicated music services aimed at supporting the families of vision impaired children to engage their child in music at home or when out and about. These are:
Little Amber: for children aged 0 – 5 and their families. Please see https://littleamber.ambertrust.org/.
AmberPlus: for children aged 5 – 18 who have complex needs and their families. Please see https://amberplus.ambertrust.org/.
With Music in Mind: for children up to the age of 18 who have neurodegenerative disease and their families. Please see https://withmusicinmind.ambertrust.org/
The aim of our music services is to work with families to engage their child in music by encouraging and modelling appropriate, fun and easy musical activities; empowering caregivers to feel confident to embed music into their child’s daily life. This in turn can support musical development, wider development, and overall well-being. Families receive 8 hours of home visits per year from our music practitioners, alongside a pack of music activity cards and a set of percussion instruments, which they can use in the sessions and at any time in between. Visits dates, times and length are organised by the family and the music practitioner.
Our music services are delivered by a team of freelance music practitioners (music teachers, therapists, community musicians), who work in family homes across the UK. The role involves:
- Visiting each child/young person at home or at school for a total of 8 hours per year that they are on the scheme. - Working with vision impaired children and their families, engaging in music, suggesting and modelling musical strategies to enhance musical and wider development, including social and communication skills. - Monitoring the musical and general progress of the child(ren) you are working with, using the Sounds of Intent framework. See https://www.soundsofintent.app/beta/ - Liaising with family members to arrange suitable times for visits
Your experience and background:
ESSENTIAL - Experience of working with young children and their families. - Experience of working with children in the early years and/or with children who have special educational needs and disabilities. - Experience of music education / music therapy / community music - Strong musical skills - Willingness to adhere to The Amber Trust’s values and policies - Confidence to work alone - Excellent organisational and interpersonal skills - Exemplary communication skills, including the ability to speak confidently, sensitively, empathetically and tactfully. - Confidence to liaise with families to arrange session dates and times. - Confidence to monitor the musical and general progress of the children you are working with. - Confidence to suggest musical strategies to families. - Ability to evaluate own work. - Available to work at times arranged in negotiation with the families. - Willingness to travel to families’ homes within your geographical region, preferably using your own mode of transport. - Registered as self-employed and responsible for paying your own taxes, national insurance and any other financial contributions. - Hold a current enhanced DBS certificate or Scottish PVG certificate.
DESIRABLE - Experience of working with vision impaired children - Qualification in music, music education or music therapy
- Knowledge of the Sounds of Intent framework, or a willingness to learn about it Terms and Conditions
Please note that the role will involve occasional freelance work. It would not be a contract of employment and there would be no guarantee of work. We anticipate that you would work with a maximum of 5 different families at any given time. Practitioners generally work with families according to geographical fit and relevant experience. Amber is currently able to pay up to £50 per hour to music practitioners working on our Music Services. If a session is cancelled by a family with less than 24 hours’ notice, practitioners will still be paid the full session fee.
How to register with Amber as a Music Services Practitioner
Complete the Amber Music Practitioner application form using the following link: https://forms.gle/mePGShmpzz76ohvF8
You will be contacted and invited to attend a short meeting online.
If you have any access requirements, or if we can make any reasonable adjustments so that this process is more accessible to you, please email hannah.marsden@ambertrust.org.
For more information, please contact Hannah Marsden, Music Services Manager, by emailing Hannah.marsden@ambertrust.org.