SOUNDBOARD June 2006

June 2006

Editorial Comment

In this issue you will find details of various courses that will be of interest. Having attended both the Charles Wood School (twice) and the RSCM Summer Course, I know how useful and enjoyable such courses can be — not only for their content, but also for what one gets from just chatting to other organists. This Autumn, the CMC’s Choir Training Course is being given by John Dexter and will be held on six Sunday evenings. Consult page 7 for all the information.

There has been a larger than usual number of applicants this year for the Archbishop’s three-year training course — which is very encouraging. Since the first students enrolled in 1991, 33 have successfully finished the course.

The Church Music Committee web site has moved to a new location: www.churchmusicdublin.org. This new home makes it easier than ever to keep the content updated. The site has the latest committee news, information on committee members, details of training courses available and information on upcoming events. Keeping the site up to date depends on you; send the details of any relevant events to our new e-mail address at info@churchmusicdublin.org.

We have lots of plans for the new site – articles from past issues of SOUNDBOARD will be made available and we also hope to make it possible for you to add comments to the site. This site is intended to be a resource for all church musicians. If you have ideas of how we can improve the new web site, let us know.

I’m still being amazed at what Google can turn up on the Internet — hitherto largely unexplored until we went on to Broadband. For my sins, I am also Editor of the Howth Parish Newsletter, and one on-going series in it is ‘Favourite Hymns and their Writers’. One of my choristers wrote about Jesus bids us shine, and to save having to type the words (her article was hand-written), I reckoned that they would be available on the ‘Net’. Put ‘Hymn Jesus bids us shine into Google, and up came several entries for that hymn. Clicked on the first of them (www.oremus.org/hymnal/j/j022.html) and got the words I wanted, but I didn’t expect the bonus! Try it.

Letters: Appreciation of Courses

Just a quick message to say many thanks to you, the members of the Church Music Committee and the lecturers for the most enjoyable four lectures that I attended over the last five weeks in CITC. I found them to be of great benefit to me as a church organist and really interesting as well. It just might have inspired me to do my masters’ thesis on Church Music!

Again many thanks for all the hard work that you all put in over the year. Here's to another course.......

Lesley Eager, Blessington

Many thanks for sending details and application form for the Archbishop’s Certificate in Church Music. Paul is going to apply and is really keen to learn. He is busy practising hymns so as to be au fait with them at least.

I really enjoyed the Living Worship course and did an experiment by teaching the Sunday School children an Alleluia yesterday. They picked it up in three goes. The rector wants us to teach the congregation at family service next Sunday! Thanks for making the course so informative and practical.

Jacqueline Mullen, Dublin 16 

1. Editorial Comment
2. House Organs; Visits to two more organists who can practise at home!
3. Talking to Hilary Dickinson Guter, who has had a very chequered and wide-ranging musical career to date
4. Music at Christ Church Cathedral Waterford; Organist/composer Eric Sweeney writes
5. Edward Darling and Hymnody: Retired bishop and editor of the Hymn Book interviewed
6. Fanny Robinson & St Monica; David McConnell writes about a Dublin hymn tune writer
7. Courses & Events
8. Notes & News