Foundation Degree in Church Music; New volume of organ music by Martin How; Stainer’s Crucifixion in Enniskillen Cathedral; Priory Singers to perform in St Thomas’ Belfast ; Music helps children learn mathsFoundation Degree in Church Music
After one year of successful operation, booking has now opened for students to enrol on a Foundation Degree for church musicians starting in September this year. The course is designed for all church musicians, including organists, singers, choir directors, or members of a music group. It is run jointly by the Royal School of Church Music (RSCM) and Canterbury Christ Church University (CCCU).
The Foundation Degree in Church Music (FDCM) can be achieved in two years by those studying full-time, while part-time students can take up to four years. The distinctive feature about it is that students study from home. Three four-day Residential Study Schools held at Canterbury (at the CCCU campus which is a stone’s throw away from the city’s cathedral) set the agenda for study which, for the rest of the time, is pursued at home using the learning materials provided by the University and supported by online tutorial contact and visits from the RSCM-appointed Mentor.
The modules cover a wide range of topics including Music and Liturgy, Ministry and Worship, Church Music Management, and Practical Church Musicianship, and students are invited to further develop their specialist interests through work on two Projects. The practical elements of the course are linked to the student’s own church, so that both the student and their musical environment are the beneficiaries of this high-level training.
The students who enrolled for the first year of the course are based all over the UK from Aberdeen and Liverpool, to Wiltshire and St David’s in West Wales, and include church organists, singers and choir directors. “Whatever role the students perform in their home churches, the idea of the Foundation Degree in Church Music is that we encourage them to develop their work by means of sustained direction and thoughtful reflection” says Chris Price, the course’s Programme Director at CCCU. “Those leading music for worship face a range of quite distinct musical, liturgical and organisational issues. We’re offering support and guidance on all these fronts which will equip students for the challenges ahead.”
This year’s students have already been speaking about the value of the course, especially the opportunity it provides to meet other students and leading church musicians. One of them is Emma Ballantyne, an organist and keyboard player from Northampton. “The Study Schools are a great start for all of us, perhaps struggling with a degree of isolation in being a church musician at home,” she said, “and the visits of the RSCM Mentor are a real asset in giving valuable support, encouragement, and informed advice.”
Those interested can find out more from either the RSCM or CCCU websites: www.rscm.com/fdcm and http://www.canterbury.ac.uk/studyhere/church-music
New volume of organ music by Martin How
The Royal School of Church Music (RSCM) has published a volume of short organ pieces for use during church services, and to reflect the reading of the Gospel in particular. They have been composed by Martin How who, for many years, was a senior member of staff of the RSCM. Martin How is well-known for his choral compositions, many of which are published by the RSCM.
Gospel Colours Volume1 contains fourteen short pieces, each titled to reflect different moods and occasions ranging from “Comfort/Pity in Sorrow” to “Majesty”. Apart from “Light shines through”, all pieces are short and can be played following the reading of the Gospel. Alternatively, they can be used before, during, or after a church service. One or two such as “Wedding in Cana” and “Good Shepherd” contain fleeting references to appropriate well-known tunes.
For many years, Martin How worked for the RSCM, an ecumenical charity which supports the work of church musicians, including training courses and publications. He initiated and developed the RSCM Chorister Training Scheme, the forerunner of the present RSCM Voice for Life training programme for church singers of all ages. In 1993, Martin How was awarded the MBE for services to church music, and since his retirement from the RSCM, has continued to work as a composer, and organist; he is Organist Laureate at Croydon Minster in Surrey.
“These short pieces are my own personal responses to Gospel Readings,” says Martin How. “Some of these have emerged from playing at church services, while others have been created at my own digital organ at home, having just come from church as a member of the congregation. I hope other organists will enjoy playing these on their own home (or church) instruments to reflect personal feelings and moods.”
The RSCM has published a wide range of church music by Martin How, including the hugely popular Day by day; a further volume of Gospel Colours and an Advent Cantata are due for publication later this year.
More information on the RSCM website at www.rscm.com. They may be purchased online from RSCM Music Direct www.rscm.com/shop.
Stainer’s Crucifixion in Enniskillen Cathedral
On Palm Sunday, 1st April 2012, Armagh City Choir will present The Crucifixion by John Stainer in St Macartin’s Cathedral, Enniskillen from 7.00–8.15pm. The choir will be under the direction of Adrian Brunton, and will be accompanied by organist Nigel McClintock. Soloists include Conor Breen (Tenor), Patrick Sweeney (Baritone) and Brian McAlea (Bass). The event will mark the beginning of a number of services in the Cathedral during Holy Week and Easter, and proceeds from the performance will be in aid of Horizon West Children’s Hospice (Killadeas).
Priory Singers perform in St Thomas’ Belfast
The Priory Singers perform at St Thomas’ Parish Church, Eglantine Avenue, Belfast, on Friday March 30. The choir, which has featured on the BBC and RTE as well as undertaking summer residences at a number of English cathedrals, is a must–see for lovers of religious and choral music. The concert programme includes the Songs of Farewell by Sir Charles Hubert Hastings Parry and Messe Solenelle by Louis Vierne. The Songs of Farewell have rarely been performed as a complete sequence in Northern Ireland. They are based on wonderful texts, some biblical, others by poets such as John Donne and have a marvellous emotional and musical intensity very appropriate to the approach of Holy Week. The Messe Solenelle is a musical extravaganza for organ and choir, a typically thrilling tour de force of French music of the late romantic period. Admission is £10 for adults (£8 for students and pensioners). Concert starts at 8pm.
Music helps children learn maths
Independent.ie – Listening to music in maths lessons can dramatically improve children’s ability in the subject and help them score up to 50 per cent higher in examinations, a new study has found. For tapping out a beat may help children learn difficult fraction concepts, according to new findings due to be published in the journal Educational Studies in Mathematics. An innovative curriculum uses rhythm to teach fractions at a California school where students in a music-based programme scored significantly higher on math tests than their peers who received regular instruction.
http://www.independent.ie/world-news/europe/music-helps-children-learn-maths-3058907.html