The Choirs of All Saints’ Maidstone
A CHOIR FOR THE 2020s
God’s praises have been sung in All Saints, the ancient Parish Church of the County Town of Kent, by clergy and laity alike, for over 625 years
Encouraging and underpinning such singing, there has always been a well-trained, disciplined and committed Choir striving to offer the best and highest standard of sacred music that they can to the glory of God
Initially men only, and then men and boys, the Choir is now open to all, irrespective of age or gender, in order to acknowledge and reflect the wider church’s membership and mission in the community in the 21st century
For this reason, we are now actively seeking to renew, refresh and grow all sections of the Choir, especially but not only the Junior Choir
ETHOS AND OBJECTIVE
The ethos and objective of the choir is as follows:-
“The Choir is the worshipping core at the heart of the body. The Members are committed to a whole-hearted involvement in every aspect of the worship event, not simply in singing, but also in listening, offering, caring, sharing, encouraging etc. In a sense, the Choir is an established pool of worship into which the rest of the congregation can be drawn and can enrich with their offerings”
(The Worshipping Church’ quoted in: Andrew Maries (1986) One Heart, One Voice, Hodder and Stoughton, London, p. 116)
To the best of our ability within the capabilities of our available resources, therefore, we strive to lead, support, encourage and develop the spirit of worship, both sung and spoken, among the whole congregation, whether regular or visitor, seeking to build them up through our praise and serving their needs with grace and reverence
SENIOR CHOIR MEMBERS
Currently, the Choir - which is already mixed and all-age, robed and affiliated to the Royal School of Church Music (RSCM) - comprises about a dozen adults, the majority of whom are regular and others flexibly
“Flexible”, because we recognise that the exigencies of modern life, at work and home, do not always allow members to attend as often as has been traditionally expected in the past. Thus, we strive, where possible, to accommodate less than full-time, but nevertheless reasonable, membership without jeopardising the general corporate well-being and musical cohesion of the Choir
JUNIOR CHORISTERS
In addition, there are presently two Year 6 boys, whose safeguarding is assured by at least two appropriately DBS certified adult choir members being present.
As the ancient Parish Church of the County Town of Kent, our repertoire tends to follow the Anglican choral tradition, not unlike Canterbury and Rochester Cathedrals; and hence the training of young choristers is closely based on the syllabus and structure of the RSCM ‘Voice for Life’ Scheme [see: https://www.rscm.org.uk/start-learning/voice-for-life-and-singing-awards/]. Recently, both our boy choristers successfully completed their first RSCM singing award by means of internal assessment rather than external examination, at no cost to their families
If selected, junior choristers usually serve a probationary period of from three to six months, depending on individual progress
The current commitment for junior choristers is to attend weekly rehearsals and Sunday morning services, for which they currently receive a modest remuneration. There is also a bonus scheme for outstanding attendance, and an incentive scheme for recruiting other singers, both subject to appropriate conditions. All music, training materials and robes are provided free of charge. There are also occasional social events, to which parents are cordially invited
Besides singing, junior choristers may also expect to learn such life skills as team- work, personal discipline, public appearance, good posture, clear speech, quick reading and counting
If you are interested, and/or require further information, please email: choirmaster.allsaintsmaidstone@gmail.com