Bass and Tenor Drumming Instructor

The Role
We are seeking to appoint an enthusiastic and committed Bass and Tenor Drumming instructor to join our highly talented and successful Pipe Band Department and contribute specifically to the continued development of Bass & Tenor Drumming within the School.

The position will primarily involve the tuition of Tenor Drumming. Bass Drumming experience would be preferred but is not necessarily essential.

This is a key role within the Department, which is comprised of a small team of two full-time and two part-time instructors, led by the School’s Pipe Major and ultimately responsible to the Principal.

The George Heriot’s School Pipe Band is one of the leading school pipe bands in the country.

The Band supports internal school events such as the annual Founder’s Day, Sports Day, Open mornings and Usher Hall Concerts. Being part of the Combined Cadet Force, the Band participates in the Scottish Schools’ CCF Beating Retreat Ceremony at Holyrood Palace as well as inter-School CCF competitions for Pipe Bands and soloists. The School’s bands regularly participate in RSPBA competitions in the Novice Juvenile and Juvenile Grades.

The Band also supports local parades and charity events such as the annual ‘Edinburgh Riding of the Marches’. In addition to our two competition Pipe Bands we have a Development Band in which our pipers and drummers gain their first experience of playing in a band environment.

There are over 160 children receiving tuition at the School in piping, snare drumming, bass and tenor drumming. Tuition is given to both Junior and Senior school pupils, ranging from P4 - S6 year groups (8 - 18 years) and covering a full spectrum of abilities from complete beginner to the most experienced members of the Juvenile Band. Pupils have the opportunity to sit SQA Music exams at National 5 and Higher levels with bagpipes or snare drum as their principal instrument. Preparation towards achieving PDQB qualifications is also available.

Main Responsibilities
Please see details in attached job description.

**Additional Information**
Heriot’s is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children and young people and expects all staff and volunteers to share in this commitment.

Please note that parking is not available on our campus
- George Heriot’s School is governed by George Heriot’s Trust, Scottish Charity number SC011463_

About the school/organisation
**George Heriot’s School**

It might be difficult to imagine a school you haven’t seen, situated in the shadows of Edinburgh Castle on a World Heritage site, echoing the Castle’s turreted structure in its striking main building, The Wark.

George Heriot’s School foundation stone was laid in 1628, thanks to the vision of early philanthropist, goldsmith and court jeweller George Heriot. George Heriot’s vision, inspired by what he had witnessed at Christ’s Hospital School, was to create a school for fatherless children. The school opened its doors in 1659 and expanded in the 1800’s to create a further 18 out-schools for the children of Edinburgh, educating many thousands of children before the advent of the 1872 Education Act, when schooling became managed by the state.

The school has survived Cromwell’s troops, two world wars and evolved in its nine-acre city centre site to become today the leading independent school in Scotland, as voted by The Sunday Times in 2021. Heriot’s is a modern and vibrant hive of co-educational learning, with 1,668 children from age 4- 18 filling its corridors, turrets and learning spaces to study the Scottish curriculum, learning to question, to respect rights, to develop confidence in their own voice and above all, leaving with a skill set to carve their place in the modern world.

Herioters today go on to become actors and writers, advocates and scientists, doctors, researchers,public servants and more, many continuing the legacy of its founder by supporting the school’s Foundation.

There are many advantages to teaching children Philosophy. It improves literacy and language skills, encourages children to develop articulacy and self-expression, nourishes concentration and thinking skills and invites young people to be effective in collaboration, group work and reasoning. The Learning Enhancement team delivers a programme which incorporates Philosophy, Resilience, Teambuilding and Mindfulness, setting up good habits for life.

Heriot’s has recently been awarded its third consecutive gold award for being a UNICEF Rights Respecting School. The rights of every child are central to school life, including promotion of rights respecting attitudes and language across year groups, from diversity, equality and inclusion lessons to pupil-led assemblies celebrating Diwali, Black History Month, Dyslexia awareness and more. Receiving the recent award from Independent School Magazine is a tremendous fillip for the school, according to Principal Gareth Warren: ‘’Third party re