Annual Reports since 2018

Extracts from the Reports of the Diocesan Councils to the Diocesan Synod

Business Plan 2022-23

Who we are; what we do

Established by the Dublin and Glendalough dioceses in 1990, Church Music Dublin’s vision is to see music placed at the heart of worship in every parish church. We seek to encourage and resource each parish musician to achieve personal and professional fulfilment. We aim to impart the value of our worship heritage and to enhance it by equipping musicians and clergy with an awareness of contemporary resources. Our wide-ranging programme includes a three-year course and a one-year Foundation Course. Living Worship, our annual series of seminars, is a forum for open discussion about liturgy and music in parish churches. We maintain a catalogue of online resources, including Psalms Online (commenced in 2019), and a series of videos (2022) for singing Anglican Chant.

During 2022-23, we will:

continue the Archbishop of Dublin’s Certificate in Church Music (ACCM)
The 3-year ACCM course is at the core of Church Music Dublin’s work and covers the skills required by the parish musician. Since 1992, 106 students have joined the course, of whom 52 have successfully completed it. The syllabus was revised in 2021 with input from our organ tutors. While the course is primarily for Church of Ireland candidates, it is possible for students from other Christian traditions to sit the organ examinations upon payment of a fee.
continue the Living Worship seminars
Launched in 2006, this annual series aims to develop an understanding of how music supports theology, liturgy, and mission, and is a core element of the ACCM and outreach. A wide range of topics has featured over the years and the seminars are attended by clergy and musicians. In September 2022 an in-person seminar on maintaining vocal health, alongside choral singing is planned.
continue to produce online training videos
The on-line library now contains 22 videos on: Music in the Parish Eucharist; Essential hymn playing; Choir Training; Living Worship; Organ registration and An Introduction to Anglican Chant (to complement Psalms Online). A video covering organ voluntaries suitable for before and after worship is planned.
continue to ensure compliance with statutory and legislative requirements
Church Music Dublin will continue to comply with all statutory and legislative requirements including Safeguarding Trust and GDPR.
explore opportunities for collaboration with other groups
Church Music Dublin will seek to collaborate with other such groups to further its mission.
explore new and innovative ways of support musicians
Church Music Dublin will explore new ways to support musicians and clergy in the United Dioceses to continue to put music at the heart of worship.

October 2021

Set up in 1991, Church Music Dublin continues to train, mentor, and equip parish musicians in the Dioceses of Dublin and Glendalough. Our executive committee membership reflects a wide geographical area from the united dioceses.

Our training scheme, the Archbishop of Dublin’s Certificate in Church Music (ACCM), exists to train those who seek to become good liturgical organists. The syllabus reflects the need for church musicians to lead and accompany congregations in worship. We were pleased to be able to hold the organ examinations, postponed from May, in September 2020, under strict conditions due to the continuing pandemic. In May 2021 we were able to facilitate two candidates taking organ examinations, continuing to adhere to HSE guidelines.

Due to a decline in applications, as a result of the ongoing restrictions, we have decided that the time is right to revise the ACCM syllabus once again, expanding it to include a more advanced level for those who may have already completed the course and wish to progress further. Discussions are currently ongoing with the Royal College of Organists in the UK to allow those who have successfully passed stages of the ACCM to gain RCO accreditation. We hope to form a similar partnership with the Royal School of Church Music in choral conducting so that resources may be shared and not duplicated.

As we were not currently permitted to hold the annual Living Worship in person we arranged a webinar for ACCM students and other interested parties at which David O’Shea discussed suitable organ registration of repertoire and liturgical items. This was well received, and we immediately made videos to cover the topic more comprehensively. Recording took place in March and the videos were made available over the summer of 2021. The library of training videos continues to attract interest. All videos may be viewed on the website. Additional videos will be published in the near future.

In October 2020 Tom Maxwell, organist at St Brigid’s Church, Stillorgan approached Church Music Dublin about holding an online Nine Lessons and Carols service. We were pleased to assist with publicity and other details. This project attracted singers from choirs in the united dioceses and elsewhere and generated considerable enthusiasm. Individuals recorded their parts on their phones, having attended Zoom practices and using practice and recording tracks. Suzanne Chadwick assisted with vocal warm-ups and training. The Service was available online in full. The carols and anthems recorded were also available as stand-alone recordings (on the Church Music Dublin and the Diocesan websites) for use by parish churches in worship over Christmas.

Following the success of the Nine Lessons and Carols, Kevin O’Sullivan, director of music in Kilternan parish and a member of the Church Music Dublin Executive launched a project to record The Crucifixion by John Stainer. Tom Maxwell and Suzanne Chadwick were again part of the project. Church Music Dublin was pleased to support the venture, our chair, the Revd Jack Kinkead singing the tenor solo. The video company used by Church Music Dublin for all videos to date offered to film The Crucifixion free of charge. The proprietor, James Tyrrell, was so impressed with the Christmas Carol project that he wished to be involved. The result was a deeply moving rendition of John Stainer’s work, beautifully sung and produced with great care. Many people viewed the video and it was enjoyed far beyond diocesan boundaries.

Copyright Matters, a guide to copyright for parish churches was launched in December 2020. A copy was sent to each parish in the united dioceses and the information contained therein is available at Copyright Matters | Church Music Dublin.

The Psalms online project, launched In September 2019 continues. It is available as part of our website – https://www.churchmusicdublin.org/psalms/. This resource offers Psalms for each Sunday, to an Anglican chant, that is accessible to choirs and congregations alike. Aside from providing a useful resource for parish musicians, this library of psalmody highlights a key aspect of Church of Ireland worship.

As the COVID 19 emergency closed our churches and pushed much of our worship online, Church Music Dublin used our mailing system, both postal and online, to encourage and support our colleagues.

Previous reports have referred to the importance of good governance practice as regards the employment of church musicians. We strongly recommend select vestries to review the employment status of their organists to ensure compliance with current legal and revenue guidelines. Church Music Dublin’s advice is that all new organist appointments should be on a contract of service basis.

The deputy organist list continues to be included in the diocesan directory and a regularly up-dated version is on the church music website. All deputy organists are Garda Vetted in line with the policies of Safeguarding Trust.

October 2020

Church Music Dublin continues to train, mentor, and equip parish musicians in the Dioceses of Dublin and Glendalough. We were pleased that Tim Hicks and Kevin O’Sullivan agreed to join the executive committee, thus widening the combined experience of the members.

Our training scheme, the Archbishop of Dublin’s Certificate in Church Music (ACCM), exists to train those who seek to become good liturgical organists. The syllabus reflects the need for church musicians to lead and accompany congregations in worship. As a result, a number of hymns must be learned for each year of the course and material chosen reflects both Church Hymnal 5th Edition (2000) and Thanks & Praise (2015). The Foundation Course remains an option for those who wish to learn at an introductory level.

An important part of the training of church musicians includes liturgical principles and musical practice and in November 2019, in St Philip’s Church, Milltown, a session of Living Worship was held. David O’Shea introduced students from the ACCM course to the restored organ and each had the opportunity to play items from the ACCM syllabus while those gathered listened or sang, as appropriate. Early in 2020, a workshop for small choirs, with particular emphasis on music for the Eucharist was held in Sandford Parish Church. This was led by John Dexter, Organist and Choir Director at Whitechurch Parish Church, and former Organist and Master of the Choristers at St Patrick’s Cathedral. Members of many parish choirs enjoyed a morning of singing and exploring new material together.

In September 2019 we launched Psalms Online, as part of our website. This resource offers Psalms for each Sunday, to an Anglican chant that is accessible to choirs and congregations alike. Aside from providing a useful resource for parish musicians, this library of psalmody highlights a key aspect of Church of Ireland worship.

In recognition that churches lack independent advice about organs, at the request of the Archbishop we compiled a useful guide for parishes, also available on the website.

As the COVID 19 emergency closed our churches and pushed much of our worship online, Church Music Dublin used our mailing system, both postal and online, to encourage and support our colleagues. The pandemic also meant that the ACCM exams, scheduled for the end of May, were postponed and, at the time of writing, are planned for early to mid-September.

Plans for the future include a guide to copyright. This is in train at the moment but, being a vast subject, will be distilled down to necessary knowledge for parish musicians. The website is always a work in progress. Necessary refreshing took place recently.

Previous reports have referred to the importance of good governance practice as regards the employment of church musicians. We urge select vestries to review the employment status of their organists to ensure compliance with current legal and revenue guidelines. Church Music Dublin strongly advises that all new organist appointments should be on a contract of service basis.

The library of training videos continues to attract interest. The latest videos on registering (selecting appropriate stops) on both a parish organ and a larger instrument were uploaded in late 2018. All videos may be viewed on the website. Additional videos will be published in the near future.

October 2019

Set up in 1991, Church Music Dublin continues to train, mentor and equip parish musicians in the Dioceses of Dublin and Glendalough. Our training scheme, the Archbishop of Dublin’s Certificate in Church Music (ACCM), is designed to attract those who seek to become good liturgical organists. The syllabus reflects the need for church musicians to lead and accompany congregations in worship. As a result, a number of hymns must be learned for each year of the course and material chosen reflects both Church Hymnal Fifth Edition (2000) and Thanks & Praise (2015). The Foundation Course remains an option for those who wish to learn at an introductory level.

An important part of the training of church musicians includes liturgical principles and two sessions of Living Worship took place early in 2019. The first was led by Tristan Russcher, Director of Music at St Bartholomew’s Church. The topic was ‘Accessible Music for Holy Communion’ with a focus on choir training and conducting. This was a practical session and included suggestions for repertoire alongside helpful tips for choir directors.

The second session, on Saturday 23rd March 2019 was led by Ian Keatley, Director of Music at Christ Church Cathedral. The topic was ‘Anglican Chant for All’ and there were over 60 people present – organists, choir singers and members of congregations. To everyone’s delight, the final part of the morning took place in the cathedral choir stalls. Responding to the obvious enthusiasm of those present for Anglican chant, since the beginning of September Church Music Dublin has arranged that the appointed psalm for each Sunday, headed by a well-known chant, can be quickly printed from the church music website. We believe parish choirs and others will find it much easier than at present to sing a psalm if it is available on a single A4 sheet.

When inviting people to serve on the Executive, our aim is that, as far as practicable, the committee should be representative of a wide range of worship styles. In May, we commenced discussions with some of those involved in leading the singing in churches where less structured and more flexible worship is the norm.

October 2018

Set up in 1991, Church Music Dublin continues to train, mentor and equip parish musicians in the Dioceses of Dublin and Glendalough. Our training scheme, the Archbishop of Dublin’s Certificate in Church Music (ACCM), continues to attract those who seek to become competent liturgical organists. The syllabus reflects the need for musicians who are able to lead and accompany congregations in worship. As a result, a number of hymns must be learned for each year of the course and material chosen reflects both Church Hymnal Fifth Edition (2000) and Thanks & Praise (2015). The Foundation course remains an option for those who wish to learn at an introductory level.

Part of the training of church musicians includes liturgical principles and two sessions of Living Worship took place in 2018. The first was led by the Dean of St Fin Barre’s Cathedral, Cork, the Very Revd Nigel Dunne, and Director of Music, Peter Stobart. This session explored the new ‘Morning and Evening Prayer for use on Sundays’ (which went on to pass all stages at General Synod in May 2018 and will be included in the reprint of the Book of Common Prayer.) The session generated much interest among the wider church community and culminated in a service of worship using the musical resources introduced by Peter Stobart. Holy Week and Easter with the various available resources was presented by the Revd Jack Kinkead in February. Many musical items that might have been overlooked were introduced and enjoyed by those present. Both sessions offered an opportunity to reflect on why and how we worship and the usual social interaction over coffee was enjoyed, particularly by musicians who might not otherwise have the opportunity to discuss their work. A further session on good hymn playing is planned for Saturday 29 September in Monkstown Parish Church, with Peter Barley, Director of Music at St Mary’s Cathedral, Limerick.

The deputy organist list will continue to be printed in the diocesan directory. A regularly up-dated list is on the Church Music Dublin website. One of the key tasks in recent months was to ensure that all organ tutors and deputy organists were Garda Vetted in line with Safeguarding Trust. This led to some movement on the deputy list and its omission from the 2018 Directory.

The Executive Committee has been considering various matters in connection with the employment of church musicians. Current employment law and Revenue guidelines indicate that, in view of the nature of the work, an appointed musician is an ‘employee’ and should be placed on the parish payroll. There seems to be a clear trend within the dioceses in this direction. The absence of a contractual retirement age for organists can sometimes give rise to difficulties that need to be dealt with sensitively and pastorally. We continue to be concerned that some positions in parish churches have been filled without being publicly advertised. Failure to advertise limits both the employment opportunities available to newly trained church musicians and also the ability of in-post organists to move between churches. We urge parishes to advertise musician vacancies publicly as in the case of other parish staff. Church Music Dublin is always pleased to provide confidential advice on matters such as these and we provide free advertising of vacancies on our website.

The library of training videos continues to grow. In June 2018 we collaborated with Pipeworks to produce a video on registration on a parish organ. A further video, by Church Music Dublin, featuring registration on a large organ was also filmed. The presenter in both is Simon Harden. Both will appear, alongside previous sets, at the following link: https://www.churchmusicdublin.org/category/videos/

Our presence on the internet continues to be a source of guidance and assistance to the church world-wide and we were delighted to be approached, late in 2017, by a church choir director from Sydney, Australia, who had viewed the choir training videos and found them to be excellent. Our colleague wished to make the videos more easily accessible to his choir members. We were delighted to assist him and continue to exchange greetings from time to time.

October 2003

The Diocesan Church Music Committee’s mission is to support and resource church music in parish churches. The committee does this by raising awareness about the value of music in worship, by running training courses, by providing information and by developing a sense of community amongst church musicians.

Contact and communication are priorities for the committee, which maintains a comprehensive database of people involved in church music within 100 km of Dublin. The magazine Soundboard has received favourable comment and is published three times a year. The list of deputy organists is now printed in the Diocesan Directory. As the existence of the Committee becomes more widely known, it receives a growing number of general enquiries.

Recent research has revealed a significant need for help in establishing new junior choirs and children’s groups involved in leading the liturgical and musical aspects of worship. With the help of a grant from the Priorities Fund, the committee will establish a scheme during 2003-04 on an initial pilot basis for the encouragement of such groups through parish and school contacts. The project will produce resources and distribute them to the participating groups and will have skilled personnel available to give start-up help in local situations.

The flagship of the Committee’s programme is the three-year church music course, leading to the Archbishop of Dublin’s Certificate in Church Music. While this course is vital to the supply of musicians for our churches, the Committee believes that the continued availability of organists for church positions is dependent on many factors. For instance, parishes need to be shown how to make organist posts as attractive as possible. It has become clear that the church that goes out of its way to demonstrate that it has a well-maintained pipe organ, that it provides opportunity and capacity for developing the musical aspect of worship, and regards its musician as a key part of the worship planning team, is more likely to receive enquiries than the parish that relies on a simple bland advertisement. This is an area that the Committee intends to examine during the coming months.