Choral Director/National Schools Singing Programme - Arundel & Brighton

[Becky]

Job advert recently posted...

'The Diocese is seeking to recruit an enthusiastic and appropriately qualified Choral Director who, working with the diocesan Education Service, will be responsible for partnering with local diocesan schools to implement and develop the National Schools Singing Programme (NSSP).'

https://www.abdiocese.org.uk/news/new-choral-director

[PhloridaPhil]

This is an encouraging development. I just hope that it does not suck the musical promise out of the parishes and into the cathedral. Something that supports both is what is needed. My experience of similar enterprises in the north of England was that everything initially became focused on the cathedral as a place of musical excellence to the impoverishment of the parishes which had nurtured the talent in the first place. It is not enough to create even regional choirs within a diocese that win competitions but either drain the musical lifeblood from parishes or fail to serve the parishes which are the lifeblood of any diocese.

[Southern Comfort]

This is an encouraging development. I just hope that it does not suck the musical promise out of the parishes and into the cathedral. Something that supports both is what is needed. My experience of similar enterprises in the north of England was that everything initially became focused on the cathedral as a place of musical excellence to the impoverishment of the parishes which had nurtured the talent in the first place. It is not enough to create even regional choirs within a diocese that win competitions but either drain the musical lifeblood from parishes or fail to serve the parishes which are the lifeblood of any diocese.

Absolutely. This has been the case with the Leeds programme since the beginning. Even though those running it vigorously deny it, the parishes will tell you that the programme has had virtually no impact on music in the parishes of the diocese, only in schools and in the cathedral. The quality of music-making is very high in that part of the world, but musical excellence isn't everything.