Royal School of Church Music


The Royal School of Church Music is a Christian music education organisation dedicated to the promotion of music in Christian worship, in particular the repertoire and traditions of Anglican church music, largely through publications, training courses and an award scheme. The organisation was founded in England in 1927 by Sir Sydney Nicholson and today it operates internationally, with 8,500 members in over 40 countries worldwide, and is the largest church music organisation in Britain. Its Patron as of May 2024 is King Charles III, following the previous monarch Queen Elizabeth II.
The RSCM was originally named the School of English Church Music and was only open to members of the Anglican Communion; today it is an interdenominational organisation, although it is still overseen by the Church of England.
Choirs affiliated with the Royal School of Church Music often wear the RSCM medallion, which features a picture of Saint Nicolas, its patron saint.

History

The School of English Church Music was founded in 1927 by Sir Sydney Nicholson, and opened at Buller’s Wood in Chislehurst in 1929. In 1945, it became the Royal School of Church Music, and moved to Canterbury Cathedral. In 1954, it moved to Addington Palace and then in 1996 to Cleveland Lodge, Dorking. Since 2006, it has been based at Sarum College in Salisbury.

Activities

The RSCM seeks to engage and encourage church music through awards, exams, publishing, residential courses and professional advice.
Education programmes include the Voice for Life and Church Music Skills schemes, as well as the long-running residential courses.
The RSCM publishes church music and other materials for choirs and organists, and produces a magazine, Church Music Quarterly which alongside Sunday by Sunday provides useful information for church musicians.
The Millennium Youth Choir is the charity's national youth choir which has sung for BBC Radio 3 Choral Evensong and the Proms. The RSCM Voices and RSCM Cathedral Singers are other choirs run by the RSCM.

Leadership

  • The Director is Hugh Morris
  • President of the Royal School of Church Music in America is Joseph Causby
  • President of RSCM Australia is Ross Cobb
  • President of RSCM South Africa is Simon Aiken
  • President of RSCM New Zealand is Paul Ellis

    Directors of the RSCM

1927–1947 Sydney Nicholson
1954–1972 Gerald H. Knight
1972–1989 Lionel Dakers
1989–1998 Harry Bramma
1998–2007 John Harper
2007–2012 Lindsay Gray
2012–2018 Andrew Reid
2018–present Hugh Morris

Chairmen of the RSCM Council

19962005 Sir David Harrison
20052010 Mark Stephen Williams
20102018 Brian Gill, Lord Gill
2018 Reverend Dr John Hall, Dean of Westminster
2024 Dr Phil Taylor
2024present Sue Hayman, Baroness Hayman of Ullock

Awards and medals

The RSCM provides a series of grades and awards to signify varying levels of musical achievement.
There are four basic merit awards – the light blue ribbon, the dark blue ribbon, the red ribbon and the yellow ribbon. These awards share the same medal and are widely used within individual choirs to encourage progression and development, being managed and awarded at a parish/choir level.
Beyond these are three awards achieved by examination:
* The Bronze award
* The Silver award
* The Gold award
There are no prerequisites for taking the awards exams and full details of the current syllabus can by found on the . In broad terms, a Bronze award is equivalent to ABRSM grade 4 in terms of difficulty, though its requirements are broader. Similarly Silver roughly equates to grade 6 and Gold to grade 8.
The former medals are as follows:
For choristers up to the age of 16For choristers up to the age of 21

  • The Dean's/Provost's award
  • The Bishop's Award
  • The Junior St Nicolas / St Cecilia Awards
  • The Senior St Nicolas / St Cecilia Awards

    • Honorary awards

    Every year the RSCM Council confers Honorary Awards on those who have made outstanding contributions to church music. They are divided in:
    • Fellow of the RSCM :
    • : Awarded for achievements in church music and/or liturgy of international significance, or for exceptional musical and/or liturgical work within the RSCM.
    • Associate of the RSCM :
    • : Awarded for achievements in church music and/or liturgy of national significance, or for important musical and/or liturgical work within the RSCM.
    • Honorary Member of the RSCM :
    • : Awarded for exceptional or very significant work that has contributed to the cause of church music and/or liturgy at international or national levels, or within the RSCM, but which is not primarily musical or liturgical.
    • Certificate of Special Service :
    • : Awarded for significant administrative work as a voluntary officer or member of staff within the RSCM; or an award for a significant contribution to church music and/or liturgy at a local level.