Job Description

Job title: Music Director

Reports to: Deputy Chief Executive

Department: Products, Services and Commercial

Date: January 2022

Job purpose

The Music Director leads our focus on music and performance to help realise our goal to inspire
musical achievement. They will be an outstanding and recognised practitioner working closely
with colleagues within and outside ABRSM to ensure that the organisation, at its heart, is
synonymous with the most durable values of musical artistic endeavour.

Their primary purpose is to help put music and performance, and the joy and enrichment they
bring, at the centre as we develop and promote existing and new offerings. The post-holder:

1. Supports and drives the ongoing expansion of the music of our exams as we embrace
new influences and genres and select music that people love to play and learn (within
the context of examination standards).
2. Supports and drives our focus on music performance as we develop our offerings to
celebrate the enrichment that comes from progressing as a musician and evolve and
expand our musical narrative beyond our classical base.
3. Develops connections and dialogue with musicians and organisations in the world of
performance, bringing a diverse range of voices and expertise to ABRSM to support our
developments.
4. Acts as ABRSM’s spokesperson to represent our music and performance values and
aims, including diversity.
5. Supports and further develops links with our partner Royal Schools and enhances the
partnership of five.

Context and scope

The post-holder brings their expertise in the world of music performance and their
understanding of current approaches and trends to work with colleagues across ABRSM in
developing how we put music and performance – and the joy they bring to individuals – at the
centre of thinking. They act to make connections with the world of music performance and bring
insight to ABRSM.

They contribute to the ongoing development of the music of our exams, our core current
offering, working with a range of expert colleagues to enable the inclusion of broader and more
diverse genres alongside our commitment to ensuring the ongoing rigour and quality in our
regulated assessments.

They support the creation of new offerings and new approaches to support musical progression,
in collaboration with colleagues across the organisation, complementing academic,
pedagogical, assessment and publishing expertise with expertise in music performance.
The Music Director is a part-time role (0.6), reporting to the Deputy Chief Executive and with
access to administrative support.

Organisation

• The Music Director reports to the Deputy Chief Executive, with a dotted line to the Chief
Executive who is a key stakeholder in enabling the post-holder’s ways of contributing to
our strategic aims.
• The post-holder works closely with the Academic Director, Publishing Director and
Marketing & Communications Director within the Deputy Chief Executive’s team, as well
as with other colleagues and their teams connected with exams, examiners,
partnerships and sponsorships.
• The post-holder has access to administrative support from the Projects and
Communications Team.

Principal duties and responsibilities

1. Connecting ABRSM with the world of music performance

• Bring influence, ideas and contacts from the world of performance to the organisation
through agreed committees, project groups and close working relationships with the
colleagues designing and delivering our musical offering.
• Devise a programme of activity to bring to life our value for performance among internal
stakeholders, acting effectively as ‘musician in residence’. This might include bringing a
network of active musicians into ABRSM on a regular basis, to generate and enact ideas
for engaging all our audiences, and providing musical content for all-staff meetings and
examiner and representative events.
• Devise and create content to support Performance Grades, specifically own-choice
repertoire and explanations/illustrations of the Performance as a Whole criteria.
• Undertake focused reviews to support our value for performance and aim of widening
participation in order to offer insight and propose ways of achieving this.

2. Forging strong connections with people and organisations outside ABRSM

• Review and develop ABRSM’s ways of connecting with colleagues across the Royal
Schools of Music, identifying new mechanisms for maximising awareness and
collaboration across the partnership of five and bringing a diverse range of voices to
contribute in formal and informal ways to ABRSM’s developments.
• Identify organisations whose expertise and experience can connect us strongly to music
performance and the voices and needs of diverse young performers.
• Develop new ways of connecting with and supporting young performers, such as a
mentor scheme.
• Work with colleagues to connect them with musicians able to assist with a range of
developments, for example as contributors and artists used on recordings or featuring in
videos.

3. Developing proposals for future offerings that demonstrate ABRSM’s value for the
joy and enrichment music brings
 • Work closely with internal colleagues and with the Chair of the Music Education Advisory
Committee and its members, internal and external, to identify, explore and make
proposals for the development of our offering to young performers, including involvement
in recruiting and leading a Youth Forum.

4. Contributing to the goal to increase diversity and breadth of choice in the music
of our exams
• Work closely with the Academic Director, Head of Learning and Qualifications,
Publishing Director and examiners’ team to develop and accelerate our approaches to
increasing diversity and breadth of music in existing and new offerings.

5. Spokesperson and champion for ABRSM’s music performance values

• Work in partnership with the Director of Marketing and Communications and team to
identify further ways of developing ABRSM’s identity around the joy of music.
• Act as spokesperson for ABRSM with media and external organisations.
• Write a regular blog themed around the joy of music and performance.
• Become a frequent presence in webinars and online videos.

Nature and purpose of internal and external contacts

Internal
• Deputy Chief Executive – as line manager
• Chief Executive – to keep in close contact with strategic aims and practical ways of
achieving them.
• Academic Director, Publishing Director, Director of Marketing and Communications –
working collaboratively in fulfilment of the duties above.
• Executive Director: Strategic Development and Partnerships Manager – working
collaboratively to influence and contribute to our goals in this area.
• Chief Examiner and team – keeping close to the musicians who deliver our current core
offering as well as future activities to inspire musical achievement.
• Member of Music Education Advisory Committee
• Member of Music Management Committee
• Member of Strategy Implementation Group (frequency of attendance agreed with line
manager).

External
• A range of contacts at our four partner Royal Schools of Music (Royal Academy of
Music, Royal College of Music, Royal Northern College of Music and the Royal
Conservatoire of Scotland).
• Contacts at other conservatoires in the UK and internationally.
• A developing range of music education organisations identified by the post-holder to
help realise the post-holder’s aims, spanning all standards of music-making and a broad
range of genres.

Knowledge and Skills required

Please see personal specification

Remit of Role

The post-holder’s remit is to connect ABRSM with organisations and individuals to help
enhance, develop and promote music performance as central to all our activity. They are asked
to bring influence, ideas and connections to ABRSM, working collaboratively with colleagues to
develop our ways of inspiring musical achievement and promoting our passion for music. They
are the promoter of greater breadth and diversity in our world of music, attuned to the latest
trends and approaches in music around the world.
Decisions Referred to Line Manager

• Agreement of objectives and the priority and sequence given to the duties and
responsibilities in a role that may well focus on particular areas in sequence.
• Any proposed areas of spend beyond agreed limits.
• Public criticism of ABRSM’s decisions to become more diverse or inclusive.

Nature and Range of Impact

• The representation of ABRSM to the world of music performance and to music learners
as an organisation passionate about the joys and benefits of music and about breadth
and diversity of music and musicians.
• The connection of ABRSM with a broadening range of external organisations and
influences to bring the joy of music and the voice of musicians to our activity and our
developments.

Allocation, Review and Approval of Work

• The post-holder’s overall goals and outcomes are established and reviewed in dialogue with
the Deputy Chief Executive, with considerable scope to determine the finer details.
• The post-holder will play an integral part in cross-organisational projects, discussions and
activities as a fully-engaged member of the Senior Management Team, as requested by the
Chief Executive.

Equipment operation
Standard office equipment.

Person Specification – Music Director

Qualifications, knowledge and skills required for this role

Essential Desirable
High-calibre and respected performer in their instrument/genre 
Trained and qualified at a recognised, international music 
institution
An eclectic musician, passionate about diverse genres and able
to demonstrate active engagement with music of many styles 
and origins
A strong collaborator and communicator, skilled at working with 
and through others to agree and achieve shared goals from a
position of respect
Able to relate to and inspire all music learners on their journey 
from beginning through intermediary to advanced
A compelling spokesperson, skilled at communicating with 
energy and positivity, who is able to advocate strongly for
inclusion and diversity and to convincingly demonstrate personal
commitment in this area
Knowledge of and respect for ABRSM, its impact, values and 
aims
Able to build and maintain productive relationships, with people 
and organisations
Experience of working in educational/community contexts and 
an understanding of inclusive approaches
Competencies required in this role

Analysis and ▪ Identifies the high-level issues or opportunities that need to be

decision making investigated/analysed.
▪ Takes an organisation-wide strategic view when assessing options.
▪ Balances the risks and benefits, both short term and long term, when
making corporate decisions.
▪ Copes with partial information in fast changing or uncertain situations,
moving things forward.
▪ Applies an appropriate decision-making style for the situation – e.g.
directive, consultative, collaborative or
▪ Empowering.
Continuous ▪ Identifies/explores opportunities which could move the business forward
improvement significantly.
▪ Acts as a figure head for change.
▪ Encourages innovation at all levels of the organisation.
▪ Sets an expectation of the highest quality standards and continuous
improvement.
Planning ▪ Works with colleagues to ensure the development of an integrated
delivery strategic plan.
▪ Turns high level goals into operational plans and targets.
▪ Provides direction when situations change, maintaining the focus on the
longer-term goals.
▪ Demonstrates commercial insight when making financial decisions on
behalf of the organisation.
▪ Forecasts requirements to ensure longer term projects/initiatives can be
delivered.
Building ▪ Creates impact in both formal and informal situations.
relationships ▪ Applies a range of influencing and negotiating skills.
▪ Handles highly contentious or emotionally charged issues, ensuring
constructive communication.
▪ Manages interpersonal politics and challenging relationships to best
effect.
▪ Interprets what is not said explicitly and manages the relationship for a
mutually beneficial result
▪ Breaks down barriers between teams.
Managing self ▪ Provides visible leadership, acting as a role model for desired
and others behaviours.
▪ Invites constructive feedback from colleagues at all levels.
▪ Ensures that people are managed fairly, given appropriate support and
have equality of opportunity.
▪ Creates opportunities for delegation and development.
▪ Displays extensive professional, managerial and/or organisational
Knowledge and expertise.
expertise ▪ Acts as a source of professional insight and judgement for others in the
discipline, giving strategic direction.
▪ Maintains a breadth and/or depth of knowledge in own professional
area.
▪ Knows the experts to call on for fresh ideas, challenge and latest
thinking.

Additional Requirements for this role:

Willingness to work out of office hours including occasional weekends and Bank Holidays

Commitment to diversity and equality of opportunity in all working practices