Board Member - Director

Music & Health Ireland [formerly Kids Classics], since 2009, has been best known for delivering equitable music performances that comfort and connect. Our work creates social connections for people in our communities who are often isolated by health challenges.

This work is rooted in research, thought, evaluation, and training for our professional musicians. We work hard to build trust with the teams in the healthcare and other community settings we work in, to ensure we can develop the most suitable programmes possible. As we’ve grown and scaled, we’ve focused on developing appropriate evaluation tools and on parity of esteem for our audiences, including patients, residents, and families across diverse settings, such as in Dementia care.

We are working to develop a new Strategic Plan alongside our Board and to move towards Charitable status, to put the organisation on a stronger footing and model new levels of access to music for artists and audiences, whatever their access accommodations or needs.

As the organisation grows its capacity, diversity and effectiveness, Music & Health Ireland seeks to recruit dynamic, networked and motivated individuals to join our Board and support our mission to remove barriers to accessing high-quality and collaborative music and artistic work by connecting with people, their families and healthcare providers where they’re at, whether in Hospitals, Schools and Nursing Homes.

Our Vision

Music Equity - Our vision is for an Ireland where everyone’s life is enriched by high-quality live music, delivered with their needs in mind, whatever their situation.

Mission

Connecting and Re-connecting - We work to remove barriers to accessing high-quality and collaborative music and artistic work by connecting with people, their families and healthcare providers where they’re at, for example, hospitals, schools, and Nursing Homes, and supporting professional musicians and artists across genres to safely and equitably co-design and deliver in all settings.

Our Values

We are Artistically Excellent, Creative, Person-Centred, Collaborative and Professional.

What we are looking for in our Board Members:

Our ideal board member balances confidence, competence and contribution with empathy and great communication skills. 

Board members will: be strategic thinkers with the experience to support the implementation of our strategic plan, have experience in one or more of the following:

- organisational management or business development

- finance or legal affairs

- human resources

- marketing, communication, public relations or public affairs

- governance

- fundraising or income diversification.

- a network within the healthcare sector.

- be passionate about the arts, and everyone’s right to have access to live music.

- be committed to accessibility, diversity and inclusion.

- be respected and well-networked in their field.

- have the time and energy to commit a few hours to the organisation without conflicts of interest.

The success or failure of any organisation depends on the performance of the Board and on its support for and monitoring of the Executive. We aim to develop robust Corporate Governance that provides a framework for the organisation and continues to reassure our funders that their investment is managed by a well-run Board.

The Commitment

● Board meetings take place every 3- 4 months, alternating between the online Zoom platform and in-person. The in-person meetings are held in the Carmelite Community Centre at Whitefriar in the evenings.

● Papers or other documents needing review are sent out in advance for review

● Time between board meetings is spent on an ad hoc basis to offer advice on matters as they arise.