B:Music Summer School Creative Director

🎵Calling passionate music freelancers! Join us in delivering a summer school of musical diversity, community and collaboration 💫

Are you a talented music educator with a heart for making a difference through your craft? Are you dedicated to inspiring the next generation of musicians? We need YOUR expertise to create meaningful and lasting impact in the lives of young aspiring musicians based in Birmingham and the West Midlands.

Is this for you? Look no further - we invite you to apply for the position of Creative Director at our B:

Music Summer School 2026
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B:

Music is the music charity that runs the iconic venues, Symphony Hall and Town Hall. Our aim is to inspire a love of live music, through performance, participation and learning across Birmingham and beyond.

We are dedicated to supporting the next generation of young musical minds through the transformative power of music. Our extensive impact programme aims to nurture creativity, foster talent, and build a strong musical community.

The B:

Music Summer School is a longstanding initiative with a legacy spanning over a decade. It is a week-long creative music‑making programme which is open to musicians of all abilities, aged 11 to 19 years from Birmingham and the West Midlands. Our 70 participants will work with an exceptional team of tutors to develop skills in improvisation, harmony and ensemble performance through the exploration of Jazz and beyond.

This summer, we're excited to bring together a team of passionate musicians and music educators who share our vision to ...

• Inspire and guide young musicians at varying stages of their musical journeys
• Bring freelancers together to foster a creative and vibrant environment that supports community‑focused music making

By joining our team, you’ll be able to…

• Sharpen and develop your current skillset while gaining valuable working experience in the arts industry
• Share expertise as a hands‑on mentor for young instrumentalists and budding music educators, supporting them to unlock their full potential

As Creative Director of the B:

Music Summer School you will shape and lead a week‑long music project for 70 participants aged 11‑19; developing their performance skills and knowledge in the musical features of Jazz and other interconnecting genres from around the world. Your role is to enable the young participants involved to connect the musical dots of Jazz and beyond through creative, collaborative music making. You will work with and provide support to a team of brilliant freelance musicians and educators, including: 6 Lead Tutors, 8–10 Support Tutors and 8 Aspiring Music Leaders (our trainee music educators).

You will work in collaboration with the Development and Impact team to develop and deliver a strong and innovative programme of creative learning for the week, that reflects B:

Music’s charitable objectives and agreed outcomes for the project. You’ll also offer creative direction to the supporting team of experienced tutors, regarding the areas of focus and methods of delivery for all workshop sessions – both in the lead up to and during the week of delivery.

• Meet with B:
  
  Music’s Talent Development and Education Manager to discuss and agree format, structure and content of the summer school that meets B:
  
  Music’s strategic objectives and agreed outcomes for the project and all involved participants
• Communicate B:
  
  Music’s charitable objectives, agreed outcomes for the participants, form, content and structure of the week to the team of Lead Tutors in advance of the Summer School
• Provide creative direction and guidance to the full team of tutors, both in the lead up to and during the week of delivery
• Develop the aural skills of the participants including teaching them to learn jazz repertoire by ear (supportive resources can be provided to meet individual learning needs e.g transcribed scales for Eb/Bb instruments, chord charts)
• Expand and develop the participants’ improvisational skills
• Focus on developing the participant’s subject knowledge of jazz, its heritage and how it has shaped and influenced the music of today
• Support Lead Tutors in their preparation for the end…