About
The
Job.
Department of Music
Faculty of Arts and Humanities
Research Assistant
(AHRC Cultural Value project)
About
The
Job.
Pursue the extraordinary
Overview
About the Department
The Department of Music is one of the largest and most vibrant academic music
departments in the UK, covering musicology, performance, ethnomusicology, composition,
psychology
of
music,
music
education
and
music
technology
(http://www.sheffield.ac.uk/music). It is also one of the strongest in research, ranking joint
4th in the 2008 Research Assessment Exercise. 45% of research was deemed ‘world leading
in terms of originality, significance and rigour’ and a further 35% ‘internationally
excellent’. Psychology of music is a particular specialism and the department is host to two
research centres, including the Sheffield Performer and Audience Research Centre
(http://www.sparc.dept.shef.ac.uk/), to which this post will contribute.
Job Role
The post-holder will be funded by the AHRC’s Cultural Value programme, through a grant
awarded to explore ‘Dropping in and dropping out: understanding cultural value from the
perspectives of lapsed or partial arts participants’. Three linked studies will take place as
part of the project, for which the post-holder will be required to recruit participants, carry
out data collection and transcription, and contribute to analysis, writing and dissemination:
Study 1: The violin in the attic - investigating lapsed musical participation
This study will focus on amateur musicians, exploring the experiences and attitudes of those
who no longer play, and who commonly cite pressures of time, family, and work as having
caused them to cease involvement (Pitts, 2005; 2012). Through in-depth interviews with
around 30 'lapsed' members of musical groups, this study will explore how the benefits and
costs of musical participation are articulated by those who no longer actively participate,
and will identify the factors in causing participants to cease their involvement. These
findings will shed new light on cultural value as perceived by those who have other priorities
in their lives, and will help to propose strategies for retaining and re-engaging such people
as active participants.
Study 2: Loyalty and its limitations - exploring cultural value across art forms
This large-scale questionnaire study will explore the articulation of cultural value across
genres, by questioning those who attend a narrow range of arts events about their
experiences of their chosen genre, and their broader understanding of arts in society.
Responses will be sought from audiences in a range of venues, including independent
cinema, theatre, concert halls and museums; each will be asked about their frequency of
attendance, factors in choices of events, openness to other art forms, and attitudes towards
less familiar arts. The study will therefore highlight any differences between the attitudes
and experiences of audiences at specific arts events - and so shed light on whether 'cultural
value' is generic to arts engagement, or needs to be more subtly defined for different
audiences.
Study 3: Cultural value in lives and localities
This study will return to the in-depth interview approach used in Study 1, so allowing for
comparisons between lapsed arts participants and occasional arts attenders, as well as
deepening the evidence from Study 2 with a closer exploration of how attitudes and
patterns of engagement are formed in adult life. Around 30 volunteers from Study 2 will be
interviewed using a life history approach (cf. Pitts, 2012) to explore their level of past
engagement, and how this has shaped their perceptions of the contribution of the arts to
their life and to the local community. This study therefore offers another perspective on the
factors that promote and inhibit involvement in the arts, and on the articulation of cultural
value that surrounds those
participation decisions.
Job Description
Main Duties and Responsibilities

Understand and develop the research brief in line with the aims of the AHRC Cultural
Value project.

Recruit and arrange interviews with participants for the three empirical studies outlined
above.

Manage the online survey for Study 2, downloading data regularly and storing it
securely in line with ethical research policy.

Carry out one-to-one interviews and transcribe the recordings for analysis.

Engage in the research aims of the project through relevant reading and contributions
to the analysis of data.

Contribute to the research culture in the department, through attendance at
psychology of music group meetings and research seminars.

Contribute to the dissemination of the project through jointly-authored publications
and presentations.

Any other duties, commensurate with the grade of the post.
Person Specification
Applicants should provide evidence in their applications that they meet the following
criteria. We will use a range of selection methods to measure candidates’ abilities in these
areas including reviewing your on-line application, seeking references, inviting shortlisted
candidates to interview and other forms of assessment action relevant to the post.
Criteria
Essential Desirable
Qualifications and experience
1.
Have (or be completing) a Masters degree in Music or another
X
relevant subject, to include training in research methods (or
equivalent experience).
2.
Experience of carrying out and writing up empirical research in
X
Music or a related area.
3.
Knowledge of and interest in arts engagement and/or audience
X
development and related research.
4.
Experience of interacting with audiences, perhaps through
volunteering or working for an arts organisation.
X
Management skills
5.
Experience of project development, management and delivery.
X
Communication skills
6.
Effective communication skills, both written and verbal, and the
X
ability to adapt communication methods to suit the needs of
varied audiences.
7.
Experience of working in a public-facing role, and responding
X
efficiently and effectively to enquiries.
Team working
8.
9.
Experience of working collaboratively with a wide range of
X
participants.
Willingness to engage in mentoring and discussion with other
X
researchers within and outside the team.
Supporting staff performance
10.
11.
Ability to review progress and performance using appropriate
X
evaluation, monitoring and reporting methodologies.
Ability to motivate high performance in others.
X
Problem solving and decision making
12.
13.
Ability to develop creative approaches to problem solving
X
Ability to identify and manage risks as part of own work area.
X
Project management
14.
Ability to assess and organise resources, and plan and progress
X
work activities (time management).
Personal effectiveness
15.
16.
Ability to develop and maintain a network of contacts
X
throughout own work area.
Experience of adapting own skills to new circumstances.
Further Information
X
This post is fixed-term for 8 months and available with a start date of 1st October 2013.
This post is part-time: 14 hours per week. Working pattern to be agreed with line manager.
Benefits
Terms and conditions of employment: Will be those for Grade 6 staff.
Salary for this grade: £24,049 per annum, pro-rata.
More details on salaries, terms and conditions and our wide range of benefits for staff are
available at www.sheffield.ac.uk/hr/reward/structures
Informal enquiries:
For all on-line application system queries and support, contact:
e-Recruitment@sheffield.ac.uk .
For informal enquiries about this job and department,
Selection-Next Step
Following the closing date, you will be informed by email whether or not you have been
shortlisted to be invited to participate in the next stage of the selection process. Please note
that due to the large number of applications that we receive, it may take up to two working
weeks following the closing date before the recruiting department will be able to contact
you.
The University of Sheffield is committed to achieving excellence through inclusion.
The University of Sheffield is proud to be a Two Ticks employer
www.sheffield.ac.uk/hr/equality/support/twoticks/
Pursue the extraordinary