Work for us
Prep Choirs Director
Oxford Youth Choirs is seeking a new Director to lead the Prep 1 and 2 Choirs from September 2026.
About Oxford Youth Choirs
OYC is a group of six choirs comprising Prep 1 and 2 (ages 4–8), Juniors (ages 8–11), and Seniors (ages 11–18). We rehearse every Saturday morning during term time at the Cherwell School, North Site.
OYC was founded as the Oxford Girls’ Choir in 1984 by Richard Vendome. In 2024, Richard was succeeded as Musical Director by Benedict Goodall. We are a musically ambitious choir and perform a wide range of music. For more information about our choirs, staff, past performances, and upcoming events, visit our website: www.oxfordyouthchoirs.org.uk.
About the Prep Choirs
Each Prep Choir has around 30–40 members. Prep 1 Choir rehearses 09:15–10:05am with children in Reception and Year 1, and Prep 2 Choir 10:10–11:40am with children in Year 2 and 3. We welcome children from all genders, backgrounds, and musical abilities. The Prep Choirs learn songs by rote, and perform in the same termly concerts as the Junior and Senior Choirs. Prep Choir rehearsals are a lively blend of fun warm-ups, learning and practising songs, and playing musical games. The Prep Choirs accompanist is Helen Birch, who accompanies the weekly rehearsals and termly concerts, and assists the Prep Director when running the sessions.
In recent terms, the Prep Choirs have enjoyed singing a wide range of music from styles including classical, folk, musical theatre, and more. The children are occasionally challenged to learn songs in foreign languages or with simple second parts. We enrich the children’s musical understanding through basic aural training and introducing musical vocabulary where relevant.
Duties and responsibilities
- Plan repertoire in collaboration with the Musical Director in advance of the beginning of each term
- Seek out new and innovative music which our young people will enjoy and thrive on learning
- Arrive well prepared for all OYC rehearsals, concerts, and events, starting them punctually and ready to lead
- Take the weekly registers and comply with rehearsal policy
- Prepare and deliver interesting rehearsals which incorporate musicianship, manage behaviour well, and lead to satisfying learning outcomes for OYC members
- Support with the set up and pack down of the rehearsals, if required
- Be friendly and approachable to our young people and keen to share their love of music making
- Act as a point of contact for parents and carers
- In case of unavailability or illness, arrange a deputy from the approved OYC list
- Undertake safeguarding training when required
- Liaise with other choir staff and trustees
Person specification
Essential
- Experience of choir training and leading
- Ability to model excellent vocal technique
- Ability to make informed repertoire choices for the choir, in collaboration with the Musical Director
- A talent for inspiring and connecting with young people to achieve quality performances
Desirable
- Experience working with the Prep Choirs’ age range (4–8 years old)
- Keyboard skills
The Director is paid £43.75 per hour with additional fees for public performances.
DBS clearance is required for this position, as is compliance with the OYC Child Protection Policy and Code of Practice. The choir will pay for the DBS check. Applicants must be aged 18 years or older.
To apply, please send a CV and covering letter to Helen Birch: admin@oxfordyouthchoirs.org.uk
The deadline for applications is Tuesday 31 March 2026. Interviews and auditions will be held on either of the first two rehearsals of Summer term, Saturday 18 April or Saturday 25 April. We expect to invite the successful candidate to shadow our outgoing Prep Director for some of the latter sessions in Summer term, and this period will be remunerated.