We are seeking volunteer chaperones to join our team looking after the children who participate in our Junior Choir’s weekly rehearsals at Edinburgh’s Usher Hall.
About the role
Love Music Junior Choir began in 2017 and has a dynamic membership of up to 150 children. We welcome children aged 8-12 from all areas of the city and from many different backgrounds, providing financial assistance where needed, support with travel and tailored learning resources for children with additional needs. The choir is about giving everyone the chance to take part in a high quality musical experience while having fun and celebrating individuality.
Our singers are organised into groups of up to 20 children, with each group having 3-5 chaperones (adult helpers) looking after them for the term, on a rota basis. Chaperones are the main point of contact for guardians and children during the rehearsals, and the continuity of meeting each other every week in their smaller groups helps make the experience a more personal one, despite the large size of the choir. The groups come together on stage and rehearse as one.
Chaperones look after the children’s safety around the building and assist our artistic team to support children who benefit from a little extra help during rehearsals. The role is a non-musical one as rehearsals are led by our choir leaders. There is no need for applicants to have experience of singing or music-making, but they should be able to demonstrate enthusiasm and encouragement to the children, regardless of their own or the child’s singing abilities.
We have the chance to experience seeing young people from many different backgrounds coming together to learn about singing as a choir. It has been a privilege to see them enjoying making friends and learning songs so quickly. (chaperone)
Requirements
The people we are looking for will have experience of being around or working with children of this age range and feel confident to be a responsible adult in situations such as giving emotional support or co-leading a group during an evacuation. They will have a good level of verbal English, be able to understand and follow procedures (including those relevant to child protection), and be punctual and reliable. They will enjoy working as part of a team and be able to demonstrate and encourage enthusiasm, confidence and resilience. The ability to remain calm, focussed and positive in a busy, noisy and occasionally challenging environment will stand them in good stead. Our main priority is ensuring a safe, encouraging and warm atmosphere for our singers.
We would love our chaperone team to reflect the diversity of the children who attend and we welcome applications from all genders, ethnicities and walks of life. We are happy to discuss adaptations or support required for those with disabilities.
Watching the children go from timid uncertainty to joining in with gusto, enthusiasm and even in some cases bouncy delight, is a joy. (chaperone)
Your availability & term dates
Chaperones are needed from 3.40pm to 5.50pm on Monday afternoons during choir terms. On concert days, some chaperones are required for the evening too. There is no obligation for any chaperone to be available for every rehearsal, but it is preferable for chaperones to be available for at least 5 of the dates so that they can get to know the children in their group. The staffing rota is created around a month before the start of term. We have a required ratio of adults to children at each session, so a degree of commitment is necessary, but we do have some backup chaperones who can stand in if required.
We provide training in child protection, an introduction to first aid, familiarity with the Usher Hall, the opportunity to meet some of our current chaperone team, and a full explanation of our procedures. New chaperones will be placed in groups with more experienced chaperones. Our training normally takes place over the course of 1 full day or 2 half-day sessions in the week or two before the start of choir term.
We are happy to cover transport expenses. We want to help reduce the impact of our activities on the environment so if you can, choose your method of travel in this order: walking, cycling, public transport, car share, car.
How to apply
Our next intake of chaperones will begin volunteering in our spring term which starts on 13th January 2025. We usually hold our training day on the Monday before the choir term starts, so it’s likely that training will happen on 6th Jan. The application form can be found on the Love Music website.
Successful candidates will be subject to a Protection of Vulnerable Groups Disclosure Scotland check. Please note applicants must be over 18 years old.
About Love Music
Visit the Love Music website to find out more about our mission, vision and values. You can learn about Love Music’s other projects on our Projects page.