Skip navigation

Skills of the Church Musician

About the programme

Skills of the Church Musician is a new RSCM education programme designed to help practising church musicians to develop the skills and understanding that they need for their role. The scheme is also intended for those who want to equip themselves with new skills to be able to lead music in worship.

Skills of the Church Musician is based on distance learning, and the programme is designed for use by students studying alone or with a teacher. Students undertake a programme of study that leads to assessment and an award at one of three levels:

Level I Level II Level III

Foundation

Intermediate

Higher

Students may begin at any Level: the appropriate Level will be determined upon registration, in liaison with a course tutor. Students will select a Principal Study (either organ/piano, choir trainer, cantor or ensemble leader) and also undertake a series of supporting studies on a variety of subjects relating to their role as church musician. In addition, students may also opt to take supplementary studies in other disciplines.

About the pilot scheme

To register on the pilot scheme, students should complete an application form. At this stage they will have to select a principal study and give details of their musical experience. Based on this information, they will be assigned to a particular Level of study and will receive the learning materials for a Unit of Study at that Level. Students will be asked to work through the learning materials and submit the relevant assignments for assessment. They will then be invited to offer comments and feedback on their experiences. Upon completion of a Unit of Study some students will be asked whether they will be willing to go on to additional units.

Teachers

Teachers may register for the pilot scheme in order to trial the learning materials with their students. Teachers will not be expected to submit assignments for assessment but will be invited to offer feedback within a month of receiving the learning materials.

2008 Schedule

January – pilot scheme registration
February – learning materials issued to organists
March – learning materials issued to pianists
April – learning materials issued to choir directors
May – learning materials issued to cantors

Pilot scheme students will have a month to complete their Unit of Study and submit the required assignments. Students who finish early may go on to other Units. Students who do not complete their assignments in this time will be asked for feedback at the end of the month.

Students may work at their own pace within this time frame. As a rough guide, students should set aside around ten hours for each unit of study, which will include reading and reflection, performance preparation, submission and evaluation.

Assessment

For any unit of study, assessment may include:

  1. Written work – in the form of essays, diagrams, diaries, commentaries etc.
  2. Practical work – audio or video/DVD recordings of performances

Successful students will be awarded a pass, merit or distinction for each individual unit. Those who wish to undertake the full programme of study after the conclusion of the pilot project will be accredited accordingly for their successes on the pilot scheme.

Technical requirements

Some aspects of this programme will require access to the Internet and some correspondence will take place by email. Learning materials may include audio CDs.

Students will be required to submit recordings of their performances for evaluation. These may be on audio tape, CD, MP3, DVD or video and should be of sufficient quality to accurately represent the performance of the student.

Online resources

Below are documents which students on the pilot scheme may download:

Some supplementary resources will be made available here on the RSCM website from time to time. Students on the pilot scheme may find the further reading below useful:

Costs

There is no cost for students on the pilot scheme. Those who wish to continue their studies after completion of the pilot scheme will have to pay the appropriate fees, which will be confirmed in due course.

Further details

For further details of the scheme, please email skills(at)rscm.com or contact the administrator on 01722 424843.