Music Development in the Diocese of Lincoln

Music Development Office                                                                                                                Edward King House, The Old Palace, Minster Yard, Lincoln LN2 1PU

Admin Support Officer: Linda Wass
Edward King House, Minster Yard, Lincoln, LN2 1PU
01522 50 40 65
linda.music@lincoln.anglican.org

The aim: to make music in worship effective, so as to inspire present worshippers and attract others to Christ.

Music Development sets out to do five things:

1. Help churches use music more effectively in their worship, according to local resources including those who have neither organist nor band.
2. Teach children mainstream CE music and worship materials
3. Train teens as future organists/band-leaders through Music Scholarships
4. Deploy the adult diocesan choir/s to demonstrate good singing about faith
5. Provide materials for all the above.

1/5 Music for the unaccompanied congregation - no organist!
Meon Mass - a setting of CW words for unison voices to be used anywhere. An intial training session is recommended and a CD reminder is available.
Cost: £5 for an original which you can copy as required.
Village Services - a series of seasonal celebrations for lay people to use through the church year, linked to the natural year and local productivity, with the spiritual emphasis on receiving from God and passing it on. Echoes of the great liturgies are found in the texts and use of the building. Music is unaccompanied and linked to the Meon Mass and simple chants. Starter-lessons and reminder CDs available.
Cost: downloadable for free. Some new texts are copyright and advice is available.

1/5 Music supplies for singers and instrumentalists
Parish Choirbook £2; 136 pages of seasonal music - a working year's kit.
Meon Mass instrumental and vocal parts for expanding the basic score.

1 Study Groups for adults
For retired and working people taking modest piano skills to the organ. These are fair-weather groups from March to November tutored by excellent local musicians; participants share the cost (£30 per hour) amongst themselves, hiring the tutor monthly or so. They meet between times for mutual support and further study. Winterton, Spilsby Caistor and Dunston have groups already. A good instrument and access are all that's required. About £5 pp per month is the average cost.

Leader-training in vocal skills for specific items, e.g. Responses at Evening Prayer, Exsultet, general leadership of unaccompanied singing, ,etc.....

2 Children's singing/worship project
Sing Out Hosanna!
A thorough starter-course in Christian worship and singing for children aged 9 - 11, ALL recorded on CD for use anywhere in 30 modules to suit the school year but following the Church calendar. This could be regarded as a Fresh Expression which could attract support from the Mission Initiative Fund (application forms from the Bishops Chaplain). This is a bridge between the ordinary child and the Anglican heritage in a broad curriculum of art, music, text and understanding. It would work as tea-time church, Sunday School module for musical kids, school-link (but not as whole-school collective worship) and has brought many children to faith and choristership over the last 15 years in its prototype forms. Music Development staff will start you off and remain in touch for support. The course is £150 to download and that provides you with leaders and singers' books, all recordings, a starter DVD and all copyrights cleared. Hard copy is available at £200. singout hosanna here

3 Parish Music Scholar scheme
A climbing frame for the instrumental pupil aged 12 + to become a church music-leader in either organ skills or band-leading, for the long-term future and for the short-term payback in their own parish. The student is taught at one of 12 regional centres and plays in worship as soon as able, to whatever extent is possible. The PCC and family share the cost of the tuition and the parish offers non-musical support, e.g. guardianship, lifts etc. Bursary eligibility research has been done and comes with the PCC set-up package which Mus Dev supplies.

4 Diocesan Ladies' Choir
Available to sing in worship, at concerts, for Advent and Lent presentations (window-on-worship events) and for many other permutations of the above. The choir is twinned with La Chorale of Sweden and has a brief to undertake exchange visits. Their purpose is to spread knowledge of the Christian faith through music, whilst enjoying friendship and fun together. They also have a secular repertoire for concerts and after-service gatherings.

Diocesan Mens' Voices                                                                                                                     Formed during 2012, the Diocese of Lincoln Mens' Voices choir is drawn from all over the diocese and has the remit to sing in worship only, bringing choral music to any church, working or closed, where the local community would welcome this.

The method: to co-ordinate existing resources, train and encourage church musicians, train teenagers as future leaders, introduce primary-school children to sung worship, contribute to clergy training, and provide materials /advice.

Here's what is happening:

• Music in Worship Training Courses
• Sing Out Hosanna
• Ladies' Choir (Sweden twinning) / Diocesan Men's Voices
• General support and advice
• Newsletter (Notepaper)