Evaluator brief
Mahogany Opera Group is looking for an experienced evaluator to work with them on an evaluation project from September 2016 to June 2017. The evaluation will centre on our new Children & Young People’s (CYP) project Snappy Operas, but will also help us develop a broader evaluation framework that could be applied to other areas of our work. The aims of the evaluation are: to improve the way we deliver our projects and to better demonstrate the impact of our work on audiences, participants, communities and the sector and make a stronger case for support from funders and project partners.
About Snappy Operas
Snappy Operasis a nationwide project making opera with young people aged 7-11. Between autumn 2016 and spring 2017, we will work with 750 primary school children across five regions of the UK (Cornwall, Cumbria, Norfolk, Suffolk, and one other tbc). EachSnappy Operais being developed by a different creative partnership working closely with groups of young people to bring stories, characters and music to life. The composers and writers involved represent some of the most exciting voices creating music and dramatic work, from leading artists to those emerging in the field.
Each Snappy Opera is a 10-minute piece for children’s voices with flexible vocal parts and accompaniment, with the intention that they can be learnt and performed in a single day and made accessible to a broad range of participants. Alongside the work itself, young people will have the opportunity to learn about all the different crafts of making an opera, working with professional artists including directors and conductors, creating costumes, props, staging and more.
In parallel to the creation of each piece, we will be running a programme of professional development and training for school teachers, music and drama practitioners from each region to share skills and knowledge, and to help increase confidence in teaching this art-form.
All of this is within the context of MY Opera (Mahogany Youth Opera). This is a new initiative in which we plan to embed our work in a handful of regions, offering an ongoing programme, engaging young people from all walks of life.
About Mahogany Opera Group
Mahogany Opera Group creates new opera in new ways, in different spaces and places throughout the UK and internationally. Each of ourdistinct projects aims to stretch the boundaries of what opera can be and who it is for. We work with world-class and emerging artists, we create new works and reinvent existing ones – drawing on a range of cultural influences, theatricalmethods, art-forms and technologies and involvinglocal communities in the creative process.
We are a touring company and work across the UK with a huge range of partners. However, we don’t just want to be a ‘drop-in’ touring company. We want to build meaningful and on-going relationships with the communities to which we tour. Our MY Opera programme is at the heart of this plan. Opening up our work to regional audiences and participants helps embed projects locally and leads to new opportunities. The programme is also important to our sustainability as a company by strengthening our regional networks and helping us build audiences across the country.
About the evaluation
Mahogany wishes to adopt an evidence-based approach to our evaluation. To do this effectively and sustainably, we are seeking to appoint an experienced evaluator to develop a model which can strengthen the quality of information we are able to gather.
The purpose of the evaluation is to gain greater insight into the impact of our work and have robust evidence to demonstrate this. The findings will enable us to adapt and refine our projects going forward in order that that they achieve our objectives and have the greatest possible impact. The findings will also be used to report to existing funders and make a stronger case for investment from funders and project partners in future.
There should be a degree of flexibility built into the framework in order for it to be applied to other areas of Mahogany’s work and implemented by the core team.
Key responsibilities
In summary we envisage that the key requirements of this consultancy will be to:
· Determine the types of data which Mahogany should be collecting, both qualitative and quantitative, utilising their knowledge of the evaluation requirements of current public and private sector stakeholders, and lead in the gathering of data across the project
· Write a comprehensive evaluation report which demonstrates the impact of the CYP programme.
· Explore fully the outputs of Mahogany’s MY Opera programme and determine the most effective means by which data could be collected to meet the needs of stakeholders.
· Formulate a low-cost high-impact evaluation model, which can be delivered by practitioners as part of their project delivery activities.
· Create a standard analysis model which enables the core staff team to take raw data gathered and generate evaluation reports in future.
· Provide training to the core staff team and to practitioners so that they can implement the new evaluation model across future projects without needing additional support.
· Review whether the newly devised model is working effectively.
Person specification
We are looking for someone who has experience in developing and implementing similar evaluations for arts projects. Some understanding and appreciation of participatory projects and regional/touring projects would be beneficial. Excellent communication skills, a flexible approach and willingness to travel is essential.
Expressions of Interest
We are seeking expressions of interest from individuals and organisations who would be interested in collaborating with Mahogany on this project.
Please send expressions of interest to Ivan van Kalmthout, Chief Executive via email at by Monday 12 September 2016.
If you require further information, please email Ivan to arrange a phone call.
mahoganyoperagroup.co.uk