Summer School 2008 - You have put on Christ

[MaryR]

I thought forum readers/posters would like to know that we're fully booked for our Summer School at Worth Abbey this year, with 100 people signed up. We have a good number of regulars, but lots of new people too which is very encouraging.

It does concern me slightly that one of our new participants almost didn't come because she thought SSG was all about music. It was only after talking to others who'd been before that she had a proper look at what was on offer and decided to book. I suppose it comes down to the Society's image again - something that the trustees have been discussing for several months and will be debating at length at their October meeting. We've already had some very constructive input from observers who are not members. We would welcome any further suggestions or observations which might aid our discussions. Please email or PM me, or post your views.

Returning to Summer School, if you've not been before, what might persuade you to come? Are there workshops you'd especially like to see? Does the cost put you off? If you have any ideas, again, please PM or email me, or post here.

Mary Rouse
Secretary
Society of Saint Gregory
Secretary@ssg.org.uk

[organist]

Well done everyone and have a great week! The problem really is cost. I would have come for the day on Wednesday but the cost is just too high! I need proper holidays when I rest and enjoy and summer school is definitely NOT a holiday much as I enjoy it. And it is very music orientated if we were honest.

[MaryR]

And it is very music orientated if we were honest.

Is it though? Perhaps that's your perception, as a musician, Organist, but if you look at this year's workshops and seminars, they are split, 50/50, between musical and non-musical. The music workshops are:

Instruments in the Liturgy - Daniel Bath
Psalms and the Psalmist - Stephen Dean
Preparing the Liturgy - Martin Foster (this is not exclusively musical)

Non-musical:

Building Communities of Hope - Paula Bailey
Models of Prayer - Michael Joncas
Scripture - from reading to proclamation - Martin Jakubas

Music seminars:

English Chant - John Ainslie
Composers' Forum
Words, Words, Words - Martin Foster

Non-musical:

Livesimply - CAFOD Spirituality Team
Prayer in the monastic Tradition - Abbot Christopher
Entertaining Angels: inclusive liturgy for a multicultural society - Daniel Bath (which will include some music)

The keynote talks are by no means 'musical'.

The split between musical and non-musical sessions was similar last year. We try very hard not allow music to dominate and to encourage all comers.

The cost of attending for a day is quite expensive, I'm afraid, but we do pro-rata the cost, to try and be fair to everyone. In fact, whilst we welcome people who can only come along for a day, we encourage people to come for the whole week if they possibly can. Summer School is designed to be a living, learning, growing experience over the five days.

Thanks for your input, Organist. It's really useful for the team to hear what people think.

[docmattc]

For what we get Summer School is not actually that expensive. Those of us who attend conferences as part of the 'day job' will know that a week conference for £350ish all in is quite cheap. Some of my colleagues are going to Rotterdam for a week long conference on the organism which causes meningitis in September, registration is 600 Euros and that doesn't include accomodation.

The difference between 'day job' conferences and Summer School is that
1. Work conferences don't eat into our holiday allowance.
2. We don't have to pay for work conferences out of our own pockets (although in my case the parish pays half my summer school fee). The definition of expensive from my own pocket is very different to my definition of expensive from my research grant.

What persuaded me to come to my first Summer School 4 years ago was not only the programme (which looked interesting) but the location (Whitby). Its wasn't so far to travel and I figured that if you all turned out to be weird then I'd just use the accomodation and get a week's holiday by the sea

[Nick Baty]

Doc Matt!
That's when we first met!
Were we that weird?

[docmattc]

Doc Matt!
That's when we first met!
Were we that weird?

Well I never got as far as the sea until after Summer School had finished if that answers your question

[Nick Baty]

Only because we wouldn't unlock the crypt door....

[organist]

The mind boggles! I know someone who managed to escape to the beach at Whitby but only once and someone else (moi!) who escaped for an early morning swim at the swimming pool! I'm glad to hear the balance is improved Mary as my other half has regularly commented that "it's all about music"!

[oopsorganist]

If it full Mary then that shows it meets its purpose or a purpose so well done.

But talking of eating into holidays, etc., is there a need for some form of SSG eventing that would be accessible (SP?) to people who are not teachers and who have family commitments? Like weekends I guess. Or days. I attended a day up north a bit back run by RCCM? Anglicans, and there were lots of Catholics there and we were a bit like "Sh, I'm Catholic!", "Oh, so am I!" and there were families there as well as whole music groups.... it was very well attended. I took some of my oopsies and it was useful not least in that they began to understand the wittering moanings I do.........
...... and then something for the youngsters but not a whole week? No chance of subbing in our Parish and I would love to get my littlies a bit more, um , er, not motivated/ enthused, because they are that , but a bit more something or other?

[organist]

Do you mean RSCM which I hasten to point out is an ecumenical organisation despite it's strong links to the C of E! The problem with SSG events is publicising them locally. We lack a proper network of Catholic musicians and some dioceses are unhelpful about sharing their database material! We are probably better off organising an event like the chant workshop at Westminster Cathedral which most people can get to.

[oopsorganist]

Eek!

Not everyone likes chant!

But what about the Catholic Newspapers? That is how we got news of the t'other event. And what about the well organised Dioceses? Like Leeds for example. Or the Royal whatever of church music, use them to advertise events led by SSG.

[musicus]

I don't think Organist is advocating wall-to-wall chant workshops (though he may be ), but Westminster Cathedral is no more accessible to me (a Midlander) than, say, Sheffield. Less so, in some ways.

[gwyn]

Oops suggested

Not everyone likes chant!

True, but that shouldn't stop us mastering and using it. I personally struggle with some contemporary songs, we still use them though since others derive much spiritual uplift from them.

Personal preference is not, in my opinion, the best of guides.

[organist]

My experience in the past was that one could organise a joint day with the local RSCM committee but the Catholic publicity side was the problem. I did get people along but only after a lot of graft and personal contacts. RSCM is finding that people are not coming to Saturday events like they used to do. Reasons could be lack of free time, cost, people working longer hours, etc. There are not as many young people in choirs and groups as there once were.

[oopsorganist]

Eek

well yes personal preference may not be the best guide but Westminster and chant were the only thing SSG could muster apart from Summer School which may or may not be accessible (sp?) to working people, mums, young people and garden gnomes.

But two things then, the Catholic Publicity mechanism is poor?

And RSCM struggles too?

I looked on their website. They may be ecumenical but they are tending a bit to have an Anglican slant. Book of Common Prayer and what have you. (They have a Summer School too). Note also the distance training qualification! Curious. Their links do not include SSG.

So what about the network of pastoral muscians?

And if the Diocese (whatever is the plural of that) have music covered why SSG? Only asking. Just exploring.
What about CAFOD? They have publicity do they? Only asking.