The hourly rate advertised by Bournemouth and Poole College is £28. It was only £18 just over a year ago, effectively on a zero hours contract

(Post made at 1754 UK BST time on 4 Sep 2018 in a personal capacity.  Please see here for important background and disclosure of interests).

Further to my post of yesterday, the Bournemouth and Poole College / Centre for Wessex Young Musicians is currently advertising for a permanent Wessex Starter Strings / Wessex Middle Strings Conductor, after having had a succession of "guest coaches" since mid May 2017.

Centre for Wessex Young Musicians rate for staff as low as £18 per hour

The hourly rate in the advert is given as £28.

I mentioned yesterday that I was glad the rate had gone up.  Why?

Extract from Protocol (agency) payslip during 2017

Because the rate paid to the previous "permanent" WSS/WMS Conductor (can it really be "permanent" if it is effectively a zero hours contract, with zero notice period?) was only £18 per hour.  Presumably this was also the rate paid to the Fanfares Conductor, and the Theory Class Lecturer - and presumably they too will now be getting the new rate of £28 per hour, instead of only £18 per hour (fairness should probably demand this).

Bournemouth and Poole College is advertising for a new Wessex Starter Strings/Wessex Middle Strings Conductor

(Post made at 1842 UK BST time on 3 Sep 2018 in a personal capacity.  Please see here for important background and disclosure of interests).

An advert was placed last Wednesday (29 August 2018) at  https://www.educationweekjobs.co.uk/jobboard/cands/jobview.asp?v=7841343.

For some reason the closing date is only a week later (Wednesday 5 September 2018, so now only 2 days away).

A copy of the advert is shown below. I'm glad that the rate seems to have gone up & that admin work is no longer being expected. I hope the Bournemouth and Poole College and Centre for Wessex Young Musicians will treat any new occupant of the post better than the WSS/WMS Conductor from Sep 2004 to May 2017 feels she was treated (see here). In particular, will the post still have no notice?

Jane and I genuinely wish any new occupant of the post all the very best: the children and their parents are wonderful and it was a joy to make music with them.

Secret Bournemouth and Poole College Wessex Youth Orchestra rehearsal schedules for 2017/2018

(Post made at 1620 UK BST time on 3 Sep 2018 in a personal capacity.  Please see here for important background and disclosure of interests).

Further to this post last year, below are the Wessex Youth Orchestra (WYO) rehearsal schedules for the past academic year.  They are still marked secret on the CWYM website ("for WYO members and families only", see http://www.cwym-music.com/wyo-membership-guidelines.html), and on the schedules themselves (with the exception of the Summer 2018 schedule - a sign of progress?): "Private and confidential".

This secrecy continues to be bizarre and in the past parents have mentioned to me, on learning of this practice (after their child had recently joined the WYO): "I understand that the rehearsal schedules are secret - what's that about??".

As in the past, I had to use the Freedom of Information Act (FoIA) in order to obtain the schedules, and the Bournemouth and Poole College has again tried to prevent their publication by claiming that copyright prevents them from being published without the copyright holder's permission.

The Bournemouth and Poole College's poor compliance with the Freedom of Information Act continues, having failed to reply to internal review requests after almost a year

(Post made at 1618 UK BST time on 6 Jun 2018 in a personal capacity.  Please see here for important background and disclosure of interests).

The Bournemouth and Poole College is extremely late in responding to two Freedom of Information Act internal reviews:

How often have fire drills taken place at the Centre for Wessex Young Musicians? 

(see here).

and

Discrepancies in information given by College about communicating Wessex Youth Orchestra rehearsal dates to schools

(see here).

Credit where credit is due: the College have finally corrected their website

A thank you to Bournemouth and Poole College who corrected their website earlier this week: it no longer says that my wife conducts the Wessex Starter and Middle Strings (which is good because she stopped doing that just over a year ago).

Vaughan Williams' sublime Sea Symphony

This weekend I had the great pleasure of taking part in a performance of Vaughan Williams' sublime Sea Symphony. This was with the Westbourne Orchestra (in which I play double bass), Brockenhurst Choir and Total Voice Chamber Choir, soloists Samantha Crawford and Alex Cook, conducted by Lee Marchant (only the 5th conductor in the orchestra's 88 year history!), led by Marjory King.

I did not know this work before rehearsals started a few months ago, but it has become one of my favourites.  A work of astonishing breadth and depth, and Vaughan Williams' first symphony, written between 1903 and 1909 when he was in his thirties. It is said that the composer himself fell back in his seat when he attended the first rehearsals, astounded that he could have created something so powerful.

If you've never heard this work before, I think you are in for a real treat.  Here is a link to a video of a magnificent BBC Proms performance from 2013:



"Sakari Oramo conducts the BBC Symphony Orchestra, BBC Symphony Chorus, BBC Proms Youth Choir and soloists Sally Matthews & Roderick Williams for Vaughan Williams 'A Sea Symphony'".

The wonderful music and Walt Whitman's words. Watching the joy on the conductor's face (and his wonderful rapport particularly with the soloists and choirs) and choir members' faces. My favourite bits are the following:

A year ago, Bournemouth and Poole College and the Centre for Wessex Young Musicians carried out an act of senseless destruction, which was not in the interests of the children in my opinion

(Post made at 1727 UK BST time on 11 May 2018 in a personal capacity.  Please see here for important background and disclosure of interests).

An act of destruction

11 May 2017: an act of destruction at the College and the Centre for Wessex Young Musicians

In my view, a year ago (on 11 May 2017), Bournemouth and Poole College and the Centre for Wessex Young Musicians carried out an act of senseless destruction, which was not in the interests of the children or the Centre.  By dismissing a very popular teacher after 13 years of extremely dedicated service, without notice, explanation or thanks, and 3 weeks into the start of the summer term. The day after she had raised concerns informally over the management style at the Centre. She left that meeting (with a senior person at the College) feeling that her concerns had been listened to, and with the understanding that things were going to improve. Yet the very next day she was dismissed in such a callous, senseless manner.

The teacher concerned - my wife - was devastated.  Many, many, parents told us that they were too, and most important, 60 to 70 children from the Wessex Starter and Middle Strings were unable to understand why a teacher they had known in several cases for years (and in many cases had been very fond of) had disappeared suddenly, without reason or even being able to say goodbye.  Many parents found it incredibly difficult to explain to their children what had happened. Readers will have to judge for themselves whether the College's actions then and since are in line with its stated culture.