Composer Callout

We are therefore looking for someone with the following additional attributes:

• arts education experience, ideally across a range of schools 
• a passion for arts education
• willingness to be the face of many supporting classroom resources – some being quite presentational and offering demos, some leading short exercises and activities in the classroom, and some modelling exercises that teachers can replicate for their students
• able to build an artistic connection with the students responding to the piece

We’re looking for an operatic piece that:

• is generally a fun, playful, surprising operatic piece 
• presents an open narrative, lending itself to a wide range of interpretation, giving plenty of scope for a variety of possible responses
• uses Graphic Scores as part of the composition process
• uses Word Clouds as part of the libretto writing process 
• has clear contrasting sections of music and a strong sense of narrative for students to use the music piece as a rich resource for creating their own work
• has a clear ending that shows the piece is not finished and needs to be completed!
• lends itself to a very visual presentation through film/animation of some style
• has a strong ‘hook’ to draw students in
• is approx 1.5-2 minutes in length
• is a suitable musical starting point for KS2, KS3 and SEND learners – it needs to be accessible but also provide potential to stretch higher ability/older learners
• the composition must also be a suitable musical starting point for non-specialist music teachers to work with
• utilises the ENO orchestra, and the ENO chorus 

Next steps

If this role is of interest, please write an expression of interest that responds to the following questions:

– What draws you to being involved in Finish This… 

– Tell us about your background as a composer 

– Tell us about your experience working in arts education/with schools/teachers and in what capacity you have worked in these settings (i.e.as a composer and/or facilitator etc.)

–  Tell us about any experience you have working as a facilitator/presenter for digital resources. If you don’t have experience in this area, how do you feel about this aspect of the role?

– Have you worked with Graphic Scores before as part of your process? If not, how do you feel about this aspect or the role? Alternatively, do you have another visual way of composing that is equivalent to this idea of representing music through drawing/shapes/scribbles?

– Do you have a librettist in mind that you would propose working with? (don’t worry if you do not)

–  Could you give us a rough idea of what your availability looks like over the next year, with specific details around availability between November 2023 – March 2024. 

We would also like you to record a video of yourself in which you introduce yourself and talk about your job as a composer. The video should be aimed at KS2 primary aged children and only needs to be around 2-3 minutes long. The video doesn’t need to be highly produced, we would just like to get a sense of how you are in front of a camera. 

Watch an example of one of the video resources we have produced featuring composer of ‘Blue, Red, Yellow’, Omar Shahryah:

Please email your expression of interest and video to [email protected]. Feel free to include any questions you have for us. 

Your email must reach us by the end of the day,  Monday 13th November, 2023.

Timeline

• Monday 13th November – deadline for applications
• 22nd/24th November – conversations with shortlisted applicants
• March 2024 – recording date with ENO orchestra and chorus (exact date TBC)
• April 2024 – September 2025 – development of supporting resources ready for roll out to schools in September 2025

Fee:

Planning and Development Fee: £500

Composing Fee: £2,000

Future fees will cover the recording and development of the film resource.

‘Finish This… has completely raised the profile of composing in our school…
It was the most exciting project, broke down so many barriers and was completely inclusive.’