January 2004
Continuous Professional Development	Show Menu

David McConnell writes about why the Church Music Committee encourages parish musicians to think positively about training

Learning is for life. While most would agree with this in theory, some might hesitate if they were and asked to engage in even a small amount of formal study or attend a short course on a chosen subject. Respondents to the recent questionnaire have generally supported the concept of in-service training for parish church musicians but most seem unwilling to commit to even a few hours now and then. “I don’t have time” or “I am too old to learn…” are typical responses. And yet, these days the value of regular in-service training, or continuous professional development (CPD) as it is often referred to, is accepted without question in most occupations and by all ages in the world outside church.

We are all aware of the exponential rate of change that is taking place in our everyday lives. The consultant and former trade union leader, Peter Cassells, recently wrote that within ten years, four out of five technologies we now use will be obsolete, and that 80 per cent of us will have to relearn our jobs to a dramatic extent. The basic theology we hear Sunday-by-Sunday from pulpits points to the duty of Christians to engage with the world we seek to serve. And not merely to engage with, but to be prepared to get our hands dirty in, and (up to a point) to learn from, and reflect the wider community. Such stark facts point to the wisdom of constantly reviewing how we do things, of honing existing skills and acquiring new ones, irrespective of age or occupation.

Responding to these thoughts, two years ago the Church Music Committee began to alert parish church musicians, clergy and select vestries to the importance of CPD. We have now taken this a stage further in our 2004 remuneration guidelines by suggesting that it is reasonable for select vestries to expect their musicians to do some formal training from time to time and that it is equally reasonable for musicians to expect some financial support from their employers for such training.

This is not asking a great deal. At one level, CPD might involve attending the annual Cumann Náisiúnta na gCór Conducting Summer School in Cork or an RSCM residential course in England. However, CPD also includes a half-day course locally on (say) providing music for A Service of the Word, or a few refresher organ lessons focusing on service accompaniment, or a practically based day-long seminar on leading a small congregation in singing hymns. In other words, no one need feel uncomfortable or shy about engaging in training. Organists are well-conditioned to turning up to play the organ in church, Sunday-by-Sunday, irrespective of force majeure, so should have no difficulty in identifying a small window of time in their busy lives.

Those who have attended church music training courses will vouch unreservedly for their value. No matter what the topic, participants always gain something, be it a simple new technique, a fresh approach, or additional knowledge. And the value of learning in the company of like-minded people cannot be under-estimated. Recently the Committee circulated the first edition of a list of training opportunities to show musicians the range of courses available.

So, when you have read this article, consider how it could apply to your situation and then have a chat with your rector or parish treasurer.

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