Pettman DARE Fellowship in

Music Education Project Management

A Pettman DARE Fellowship provides a fully-funded year of applied research in the Education department at Opera North and at the University of Leeds.

The programme runs September 2022 – August 2023.

Two Fellowships will be awarded in 2022/23: one for a UK citizen and one for a New Zealand citizen.

Applications for the UK Fellowship 2022/23 are open now, and will close at 23:59 BST on Sunday 19 June 2022.

As a Pettman DARE Fellow, you are registered as a taught postgraduate student at the University of Leeds, at the School of Performance and Cultural Industries in the Faculty of Arts, Humanities and Cultures.

The majority of practical research takes place with Opera North, where you learn about Music Education in the context of a large arts organisation, and assist in a broad spectrum of initiatives developed and delivered by the Education team, including Early Years and Family, Lifelong Learning, ON Youth Orchestra and Chorus, and In Harmony.

At the University of Leeds, you study Masters’ level modules on topics relevant to Music Education and the arts in the UK.

Through this combination of practical experience and academic study, the programme is assessed and accredited as a Postgraduate Diploma (PGDip) in Performing Arts Management.

Who is the 2022/23 Fellowship for?

We particularly welcome applications from recent graduates and early career professionals. You are unlikely to be shortlisted if you have already experienced a comparable paid internship.

What benefits do Fellows get from the programme?

• A fully funded professional development opportunity, the only Diploma of its kind in the country.
• The chance to learn from leading music professionals and academics while being immersed in the artistic and operational culture of a major UK opera company and in the research and educational culture of a leading UK university.
• Practical experience of supporting Music Education specialists to plan and deliver Opera North’s award-winning programmes.
• Knowledge of the roles, skills and processes needed to ensure engagement projects of the highest quality.
• An understanding of the role of music organisations in the UK.
• Enhanced personal and professional skills to support career development.
• A network of contacts for the future.
• Relevant professional training.

What do Fellows do and learn at Opera North?

For at least two days a week, you are based at Opera North in Leeds, within the Education department at the new Howard Opera Centre (COVID-19 restrictions permitting). This entails:

• Gaining an understanding of the purpose of education in a music organisation – who it seeks to engage with, why, and the strategic planning process.
• Learning how partnerships and relationships are developed with diverse communities and schools.
• Supporting activity managers in the project management and delivery of their work across the Adult, Family, Schools and Young Performers programmes.

What does the Fellow do and learn at the University of Leeds?

You spend at least two days a week studying at the University or researching off-campus. As a postgraduate student, you have access to the vast range of learning opportunities offered by the University as well as specific support from your academic mentors – great for research into topics relevant to music education and community engagement.

In addition to the Diploma’s assessed modules, you can audit (sit in on, without assessment) other lectures across the university.

• In each semester, you study one assessed 30-credit masters-level module of your choice from within the MA in Culture, Creativity and Entrepreneurship in the School of Performance & Cultural Industries, e.g. Arts Management and Cultural Leadership or Audience Engagement and Impact. 
• Towards the end of the first semester, together with Opera North and University supervisors, you agree the focus for a 60-credit Personal Research Project, supervised by Opera North and the Head of the School of Music. Examples of former Fellows’ Personal Research Projects include designing and launching the first Opera North Orchestra Camp and Creative Explorers programme, and supporting project management of Opera North’s participation in Northern Heartlands.
• You may also choose to audit lectures across all faculties and disciplines. Those audited by former Fellows include Critical Concepts in Applied Theatre; Live Music Management and Promotion; Critical Debates in Culture and Place; Psychology of Music; and Music and Health.

How are Fellows supported and monitored?

You need to be self-driven.  We provide you with a broad range of opportunities and aim to respond positively to any suggestions you have.  It is up to you to make the most of them.

• When accepting the offer, you sign a Fellowship Agreement, which outlines your commitments as well as those of Opera North and the University of Leeds.
• These are reflected in a Learning Journal, which you complete monthly. In the document you summarise what you have done, what you have learned, and consider what future activity you will be/are interested in undertaking, in two key areas: learning and experience at Opera North, and study and assessment at the University.
• You meet monthly with supervisors from Opera North and the University of Leeds to review your Learning Journal, to discuss any challenges and opportunities, and to agree any action.
• You also meet informally and regularly with your supervisors.

How is the Fellowship funded?

Thanks to the generosity of philanthropist Mrs Maureen Pettman and her late husband Barrie, the Fellowship is fully funded, including: 

• A monthly bursary of £1,350
• University of Leeds postgraduate diploma tuition fee
• Expenses directly related to the Fellowship, and agreed in advance.

The application process

To apply, you are required to: 

• Have a demonstrable interest in project management and arts engagement
• Have a minimum of 2:1 at honours degree level
• Evidence of musical understanding and experience (a background in classical music is essential)
• An active interest in the arts, music education, and their place in society
• Have the right to study in the UK.

Please note you are unlikely to be shortlisted if you have already experienced a comparable paid internship.

All applications must be made via the form here.

Feedback will be available to those shortlisted for interview. This will be available on request and be shared via email or a telephone call. This feedback is based on the selection criteria above and the panellists’ anonymised notes. 

If you have any queries or require further information, please email dare@operanorth.co.uk.

Accessibility, Equality, Diversity and Inclusion

As a signatory of Sound and Music’s Fair Access Principles, Opera North, together with the University of Leeds, is keen to attract the widest possible range of applicants for the Pettman DARE Fellowship, regardless of ethnic origin, disability, gender, sexual orientation, age or religious belief.

To support this commitment and to help us develop our policies and procedures, we ask all job applicants to complete our Equality, Diversity and Inclusion survey. Any information you provide will be treated as strictly confidential, be held separately from the application form and will only be used for anonymous monitoring purposes.  It will not be used at any stage of the selection process.  Please note all questions are optional and we respect your right not to provide all or some of the information requested, but the more information that is supplied, the more effective our monitoring will be.

COVID-19 safety

Please note that the Fellowship will be delivered in line with Government guidance and laws regarding COVID-19, plus any additional measures put in place by Opera North and/or the University of Leeds.

We endeavour to have, when feasible, face to face contact with staff at Opera North, with our partner schools and communities, with other organisations in the cultural sector, and with fellow students and staff at the University of Leeds.  There may, however, be times when opportunities have to be curtailed or cancelled, sometimes at short notice, and when home working and virtual contact is essential. As for all staff and students, a flexible approach is required.