Musical director

Summary of the role ArtsEd is seeking an experienced, inspiring Musical Director with the ability to musically direct performances, teach singing and develop music skills within Musical Theatre throughout the School (Years 7-13). The successful candidate will demonstrate excellent organisational and interpersonal skills, and the ability to create an ambitious, vibrant performance and learning environment. The Musical Theatre Department has an outstanding tradition of excellence in teaching, performance and production. The post holder will join a highly talented Performing Arts Faculty of 26 teachers who bring industry expertise across Drama, Dance and Musical Theatre. ArtsEd was recognised in 2024 with a ‘significant strength’ by ISI and the ISA National Award for Excellence, and in 2025 won three National School Theatre Awards, highlighting its exceptional academic and performance outcomes. Working closely with the Head of Musical Theatre and the BTEC Musical Theatre Pathway Lead, the successful candidate will help shape a dynamic, industry-relevant Musical Theatre curriculum. Musical Theatre is well resourced, with performances in the Andrew Lloyd Webber Foundation Theatre, studios and external venues, alongside regular theatre visits across London. The vast majority of students progress to conservatoires or professional careers. Staff are expected to play a key role in preparing students for applications and auditions, while continuously striving to improve the excellence of ArtsEd’s standards of training and education. Early applications are advised as we reserve the right to close the advert early should a suitable applicant be found. Key Responsibilities Department specific duties and responsibilities: Deliver Musical Theatre classes across KS3, KS4, and the BTEC Musical Theatre Pathways (BTEC Level 3 Extended Diploma in Performing Arts Practice), delivering high-quality, vocationally relevant training. Strive for excellence in the quality of teaching and learning within the department and ensure that curricular records are kept and reports written. To maintain and monitor appropriate records of students’ learning and achievements, curricular records, and assessments. Teach Singing & Musicianship: To provide singing, musicianship, and musical theatre training across additional school pathways. Direct and Accompany Vocal Groups: To Lead rehearsals and accompany vocal groups for live and recorded performances. Support Productions: To assist in planning and managing BTEC and KS4 Musical Theatre productions in collaboration with director/choreographer teams. Performance Material Selection: To select suitable performance material, considering ensemble size, ability, text availability, and the need for artistic variety. Rehearsal programme: To be part of devising and implementing a rehearsal programme resulting in student productions that meet (and hopefully exceed) the expectations of a specialist school with a performing arts focus. This might result in spending additional time after school, on occasional Saturdays and in the half term breaks. To rehearse students to be confident when performing enabling them to achieve success, be it for an exam or production. Audition Preparation: To prepare students and pupils for external auditions – this extends from conservatoire and university auditions to NYMT and auditions for professional work, and includes support as appropriate with preparing self-tapes. ArtsEd Audition Process: To support and take an active role in the School’s audition and selection processes for prospective students. Departmental responsibilities: To supervise the use and care of the rooms assigned to Musical Theatre classes, including adherence to relevant Health and Safety regulations in studios and other facilities. To attend and contribute to meetings for the department and others within school, and to adhere to plans, policies and decisions made during such meetings. To assist in co-ordinating backstage support and steward teams for all productions. Please download the job pack to see the full Job Description and Person Specification.