Music Staff info 24-25 by St Mary's Music School

Key Information for Music Staff

24/25 Session

Welcome

Welcome to the 24/25 session at St Mary's Music School. In this short booklet, you will find information you may find useful for the year ahead including important dates for your diary, how your pupils will be assessed, how to report absence and your timetable for the year ahead.

St Mary’s Music School continues to provide world class musical and academic education and it is through everyone ’ s dedication and hard work, especially that of the Music Staff, that we continue to be industry leaders.

We wish you all the best and success for the upcoming year and look forward to working with you to enhance our offering.

Contact details:

Tel: School Office

Email: ************

info@smms.uk 0131 538 7766

Kate Aitken

Head of Voice and Music Dept. Manager kaitken@smms.uk

For all rooming enquiriesKate Gordon-Sheddan kgordon@smms.uk

Greg Murray

Head of Guidance

gmurray@smms.uk 07921 065807

John Cameron

jcameron@smms.uk 0785 100 0785 Director of Music

For all payroll enquiriesJoAnna Collings

jcollings@smms.uk

Kenneth Taylor

Headteacher

ktaylor@smms.uk

Valerie Pearson

Head of Strings

vpearson@smms.uk

For all IT enquiriesColin McKay cmckay@smms.uk

Dates for your Diary

August

27/08/24 - India Reilly/John Cameron Recital - Cathedral - Staff Inset

29/08/24 - Staff Inset

September

03/09/24 - Term Starts

13/09/24 - S2 Chorister Meeting - ‘Next steps’

15/09/24 - ABRSM Sign Up Deadline

26/09/24 - SCO Concert Trip

30/09/24 - Ibragimova/Tiberghien Concert Trip

October

02/10/24 - SCO Rehearsal Observation

02/10/24 - Conservatoire application deadline

03/10/24 - Scottish Opera Vocal Project Day 1

03/10/24 - SCO Concert Trip

04/10/24 - RSNO Concert Trip

05/10/24 - Kellie Castle Concert

06/10/24 - Virtual Open Morning/Instrumental Taster Day

11/10/24 - House Music Competition - Half Term Begins

22/10/24 - Term Resumes

25/10/24 - Kings Place Ambassador Event, London

27/10/24 - Vocal Taster Day

28/10/24 - Technical Assessments Begin

30/10/24 - Lawrence Power Masterclass

Dates for your Diary

November

01/11/24 - Technical Assessments end

- RSNO Concert Trip

04/11/24 - Jazz Day

06/11/24 - Patron’s Event - Piano, Chapel

06/11/24 - St Columba’s Hospice Care Concert #1

07/11/24 - SCO Concert Trip

09/11/24 - Polish Consulate Celebration Concert - Cathedral

13/11/24 - SMMS on Tour - Rannoch Old Kirk

19/11/24 - SMMS on Tour - Haddington

24/11/24 - SMMS on Tour - Harrogate

27/11/24 - ABRSM Examinations - Coates Hall

December

04/12/24 - Online S4-S6ex Parents’ Evening

05/12/24 - SCO Concert Trip

06/12/24 - RSNO Concert Trip

07/12/24 - Marchmont St Giles Fundraiser Concert

10/12/24 - Jazz Day

15/12/24 - Pupils supporting Bach Magnificat - Cathedral

16/12/24 - Christmas Concert

The Parish Church of St Cuthbert

17/12/24 - Term Ends

January

06/01/25 - Staff Inset

07/01/25 - Term Begins

17 & 18/01/25 - ECF Concerto Competition (TBC)

20/01/25 - Prelims begin

- Rush Hour Concert, Palmerston Place Church

31/01/25 - Prelims end

Dates for your Diary

February

05/02/25 - Parents’ Meeting for Primary Parents

07/02/25 - Lord Clyde Concerto Competition - Half Term Begins

08/02/25 - Scottish Opera Vocal Project Day 2

17/02/25 - Term Resumes

21/02/25 - RSNO Concert Trip

24/02/25 - Recital Assessments begin

26/02/25 - Online Parents’ Meeting S1 - S3

27/02/25 - SCO Concert Trip

March

07/03/25 - Recital Assessments end

07/03/25 - RSNO Concert Trip

16/03/25 - Vocal Taster Day

21/03/25 - RSNO Showcase

26/03/25 - Spring Concert

St Mary’s Cathedral

27/03/25 - Term Ends

April

15/04/25 - Staff Inset

16/04/25 - Term Begins

21/04/25 - Chorister Day Off

30/04/25 - Chorister Assessment

May

31/05/25 - Scottish Opera Vocal Project Day 3

Dates for your Diary

June

01/06/25 - Scottish Opera Vocal Project Day 4

02/06/25 - Perth Chamber Music Concert

10/06/25 - DRP Final

11/06/25 - Sheila Tough Competition

12/06/25 - JRP/IRP Finals

16/06/25 - Sport Day

18/06/25 - Vocal Scenes - Stockbridge Parish Church

23/06/25 - Summer Concert - The Queen’s Hall

24/06/25 - Term Ends

Reports

Draft Reporting Schedule 2024 – 2025

P5 – S6ex

Term 1 - Music- Pupil Progress Report

Tuesday 8 October 2024 Progress Profiles available to staff

Tuesday 22 October 2024 Progress Profiles to be completed by staff

Term 3 - Full report - Academic, Music, Boarding, Headteacher, Director of Music

Tuesday 5 May 2025 S4-S6Ex Instrumental reports to be completed by instrumental staff (pupil attendance for session to date required)

Tuesday 3 June 2025 Full reports (including Instrumental, Boarding, Headteacher and Director of Music) for P5-S3 to be completed by staff

Communications

School email is the primary method of specific communication - this may take the form of a SchoolPost email or directly from a member of staff.

The Weekly Diary is published every Friday and details the week ahead - please do feel that you can add to this by emailing Becky on rminogue@smms.uk before Friday of the preceeding week.

Teams Noticeboard and Diary is where more general information is to be found. A ‘thumb-up’ of acknowledgement on Teams messages is helpful as it indicates you have seen it.

Noticeboard in the main corridor - all assessment information, concert flyers, sign-up sheets for ABRSM/Chancel Concerts, Jazz Day Schedules, Room

Changes are to be found here.

It is extremely helpful if you can reply promptly to any correspondence and adhere to all deadlines set by Music Department Staff.

You can expect the Music Management Team...

To respond quickly to queries and concerns

To ensure all additional work is compensated accordingly

To communicate all upcoming events and deadlines clearly in advance via Teams and email.

To facilitate any requests for further training or CPD

To accommodate to the best of our ability any lessons that need to be rescheduled due to illness or absence.

Programme Development

It is the hope of the school that we all work together to continually improve the offering for our pupils and also for those outwith the school who may be able to draw on the resources we offer. We are all welcome to contribute to the activities within the School including:

PP sessions

These sessions can take the form of staff led presentations, staff concerts and guest performances and presentations. Senior pupils too, can be encouraged to present if appropriate

We welcome proposals for additional programming elements that you feel are missing from the offering. You will be supported to enable your delivery of any project which has been given the go-ahead.

Fully formed projects with basic costings/staffing and timetabling solutions are much easier to consider but rough outlines are also welcomed. Suggestions for concerts, visitors and outreach activities are always sought. We are keen to expand our network with other teaching institutions and arts organisations and would be delighted to hear your ideas for partnerships and joint ventures.

External events and concerts

We very much wish to hear staff members’ ideas for external concerts and events. It ensures that all pupils and staff are given the chance to showcase and share the work they are doing throughout the year.

If you have an idea for an external event, please help us by providing:

A suggested date, time and location for your event, including an 'on the day' detailed rehearsal schedule.

An Event Permission Form (which can be found in the Office and on Teams)

A list of all pupils involved

A list of staff required and confirmed times they will be present

Details of travel arrangements to and from the venue

A Risk Assessment (Kate Aitken can assist with supplying a template for this) including dietary information.

A poster/flyer for the event following a conversation with Michelle Addinall

A programme for the event

What equipment is required and how will it be transported? John Cameron and Kate Aitken are on hand to support you with this. However, you will be expected to assist in the planning of your concert or event so please don't leave it 'up to the School' to organise: we are all 'the School' and you will know better than anyone how you want your event to look.

Pupil Recruitment

Thanks to the hard work and dedication of our Head of Admissions, we have seen a steady stream of prospective pupils auditioning. This being said, recruitment continues to be an ongoing concern, particularly within certain faculties.

As a Music Department, we are doing all we can to reach new pupils who might benefit from what we offer here: our regular Instrumental Taster Days, Vocal Taster Days, Virtual Open Mornings and Be a Chorister Afternoons are regular features as well as satellite events such as the Lower Brass Days in Edinburgh and Elgin. We have worked hard to open up dialogues with local and nationwide education providers and musical bodies but it is our own staff members who are best placed to help sign-post young players and singers to SMMS. We ask that you continue to be mindful of potential candidates where possible. We are fully aware that specialist music education is not for everyone, however we want to ensure that we reach all those who would benefit.

It’s in everyone ’ s best interest that we have a ‘fully stocked’ pupil body allowing richer experiences for our pupils, better opportunities for learning, and more teaching hours and coaching opportunities for staff.

Please spread the word about the inspiring work you do in this building to ensure pupils numbers continue to grow, we can’t do it without you!

Absence

What to do if you are unable to work:

In advance:

If you know you will be unable to work ahead of time, please give us as much notice as possible in order to arrange cover if necessary. Please fill out the Staff Absence Request form and email it to info@smms.uk, copying in John Cameron and Kenneth Taylor to notify us of this absence.

On the day:

If you are unwell or have an emergency meaning you are unable to attend work, please email the office on info@smms.uk and copy in John Cameron and Kate Aitken. If it is an emergency, please call the office on 0131 538 7766 after 8am.

Making lessons up:

Where possible, you should try to make missed lessons up. Please do this through the office and with Kate Gordon-Sheddan copied in. She will be able to make rooming arrangements if necessary. Please do not make arrangements directly with pupils without informing the office.

Safeguarding

As a music teacher you are in a privileged position to know your pupils really well, and they will come to trust you with their hopes and dreams, as well as their worries and anxieties. This is something that we strongly encourage of our staff, and indeed of our pupils.

Where we need your support is in making sure that every pupil is being well looked after both in school and at home. This means if a pupil says something to you, or acts in a way that is a concern to you, you must pass it on as soon as possible, even if just to get some advice as to how to best support that pupil. We would hope that you would do this even if you believe that the school already knows about this issue – we will never be frustrated with additional information being shared with us.

If you have a concern about a pupil then please speak to Greg Murray (Head of Guidance), Yvonne Jarron (Head of Primary) or John Cameron (Director of Music) as soon as possible. If you feel that the pupil is at risk of immediate harm this needs to be done without delay.

Please familiarise yourself with the Code of Good Practice that you will be required to sign at the beginning of each session. This contains some useful advice with regards to one-to-one teaching, as well as what is expected of you as a member of school staff.

All staff are required to attend a yearly Child Protection update; this will take place during the INSET training day in August, or alternatively at a catch-up session in September or October.

SQA & AQA Course Requirements

A Level

SQA & AQA Course Requirements

Assessment Procedures

Instrumentalists and Singers

There are two assessment periods at St Mary's Music School: Technical Assessments which will run from the 28th October1st November and the Recital Assessments which will run from the 24th February - 7th March. The requirements for each of these assessments can be found on the ‘24/‘25 Grid (pg18 & 19) and this information can also be found on the Noticeboard and on Teams. Please note that this may have changed from last year so please read it carefully.

In order for your students to complete these exams, we require you to fill out and submit digital Assessment Forms. These will be sent to you at least 3 weeks in advance of each assessment period and you will be notified of the deadline for submission.

We are no longer using paper forms and all forms must be submitted online. These can be filled out at home and in school (you will have access to the computer in the Staff Room, the hot-desk in the Office or a school laptop if necessary). We will not accept scanned, hand written forms. If you need technical assistance with these, please speak to Colin McKay who will be able to help with IT support.

For first study Recital Assessments you must also submit a copy of the music to be presented for each student.

Choristers

Chorister Assessments take place once a year and will be held on the 30th April 2025.

The requirements for this can be found on the Grid which can be viewed at the back of this booklet. This information can also be found on the Noticeboard and on Teams. You are reminded that S2 and leaving Choristers are not obligated to participate in a Chorister Assessment and parents of these pupils may wish to withdraw them.

You are not required to submit an assessment form ahead of the Chorister Assessments, nor do we expect you to submit music in advance. We understand that the repertoire for these assessments can be quite fluid and therefore we are happy for pupils to inform the assessor during the exam as to what they will present. We do, however, ask he music for the panel.