Appointment of Director of Music Following the appointment of Tyrone Whiting as Director of Music at Grace Church, Newark, New Jersey in the USA, the Vicar and Parochial Church Council (PCC) would like to appoint a new Director of Music to build on the high standards of music-making that have characterised his tenure. This is a permanent, part-time position. Vision & Values The vision of St Mary s Battersea is to be a community which is growing together with God: a community of Christ s disciples, faithful and enquiring; a community of love, hospitable and nurturing; and a community of difference, inclusive and transforming. The Director of Music has an important role to play in achieving this vision through the gift of music. Overview St Mary s, Battersea is an Anglican Church in the Diocese of Southwark with an Electoral Roll of 238. It s well-maintained Grade 1 listed Georgian building occupies a spectacular setting on the south bank of the river Thames. William Blake was married here; J.M.W. Turner painted here. The church has a fine 1991 Saxon Aldred two-manual tracker action pipe organ and a good Kawai baby grand piano. St Mary s is of broadly central churchmanship. Its worship is centred on the 11am Parish Eucharist with smaller services in the early morning and evening. It has an inclusive approach to ministry, welcoming all people regardless of age, relationship status, colour, disability or sexual orientation, and regardless of how much or how little faith people have when they join us. Staff members should be comfortable in and committed to this ethos. Music is viewed as a tool of outreach as well as an aid to worship and a source of pleasure. It s centrality to the life of the church is secure. St Mary s Choir: St Mary s has a very good parish church choir, composed of up to 20 volunteers, supplemented by an Organ and up to four Choral Scholars. For an amateur choir they are technically very good, especially at sight-reading. The repertoire is centred on the mainstream Anglican tradition, alongside an eclectic approach to hymnody (New English Hymnal and Sing Praise are the core books). There is occasionally the opportunity to sing a choral setting of the Eucharist. Life for a typical Battersea resident is often busy and demanding and any Director of Music will need to balance flexibility regarding choir members attendance at Sunday services or rehearsals with the confidence to challenge sporadic attendance which detracts from worship and choir development. The choir is aware that its core membership has remained stable in recent years and
the PCC wishes to make recruitment a key goal of the new Director, who will need to balance our ethos of inclusion with a desire for musical excellence. Music in Worship: A typical Sunday Eucharist will contain a voluntary before and after the service. The choir normally sings an anthem, a communion motet and often a psalm (Anglican chant or responsorial). At present the congregational Mass settings are David Thorne s Mass of St Thomas and James MacMillan s St Anne s Mass (Advent & Lent). We would like to extend the repertoire of congregational mass settings. Attendance at the Parish Eucharist ranges from 80-100 adults plus up to 20 children. Choral Evensong is sung at 6pm on the second and fourth Sundays of the month from September to July (excluding Advent & Lent, when other activities follow the evening service). Other Sunday evening services are accompanied by organ alone or are said. The congregation at Evensong varies tremendously from week to week. One Sunday there will be 5 people, the next 20. Typically, the Evening service attracts younger people who wish to have time to worship and pray before the week begins. Music in worship on the first Sunday of the month has been led by St Mary s Band (a group of mainly adult volunteers who play in a small orchestra led by a retired music teacher). Until now, there has been little requirement for the Director s involvement in the Band. However, the leader will be retiring from leading at the end of 2017 and the Band has decided it is the right time to cease functioning. The Vicar is currently consulting about future direction for music on this Sunday and the incoming Director will need to facilitate the way forward as well as offering their perspective on what could be done during the selection process. St Mary s has occasionally commissioned works by young composers and, on one occasion, a more established one (Simon Bainbridge). On several occasions, the choir has performed with instrumentalists and ensembles in worship. The choir is open to sing occasional Evensongs in cathedrals during the year and has previously sung at Southwark Cathedral and Oxbridge Colleges. The place of music and musicians in St Mary s is one of celebration and friendliness. Frequently, the voluntary after the 11am Parish Communion is greeted by enthusiastic applause and the Evensong congregation sit and listen to the closing voluntary at the end of the service. The music department is well integrated within the structures and aims of the broader church. The PCC takes its role of supervising and supporting the music seriously. Concerts & Recitals: These have become a regular part of the life of St Mary s in the past five years. Typically, we hold free recitals at 3pm on a Sunday afternoon in the late July/August period and the weeks between the New Year and the beginning of Lent. The Director of Music organises these, often through seeking performers from the London music colleges who are looking for performance practice. Remuneration of performers is usually in the form of a pub meal after the concert paid for by sponsors or collections from recitals. The Director of Music is responsible for securing sponsorship from local businesses for these recitals and there is often generous giving by means of a retiring collection. These should not be a cost on the wider church, save for maintenance of musical instruments. Major concerts in the year take place on Palm Sunday evening and sometimes in the Advent Season. Highlights have included performances of the Requiems of Mozart and Fauré (the former being described by one attender Sir Bob Geldof as ****ing brilliant! ), a Meditations on Handel s Messiah evening of words and music and contributions to an evening celebrating the
restoration of St Mary s First Edition King James Bible. Sometimes church social events have a musical dimension and we welcome the involvement of choir and scholars. Scholarships: An Organ Scholarship has been part of St Mary s life for a number of years. This post is funded by the Church Council and is made on an annual basis, with option to extend for a second year by mutual agreement. Tyrone Whiting has successfully introduced a programme of 4 Choral Scholarships (one per part), which have been funded by donations from members of the congregation, charities and recital sponsorship and collections. The Director of Music is responsible for securing the funding of Choral Scholarships and for the selection/audition of suitable candidates. The Director will need to work to ensure that the Scholars support the amateur singers as well as taking solo roles themselves, as well as offering some coaching to the Scholars. Organ Playing: Needless to say, we expect the Director of Music to be a musician of calibre committed to excellence in peformance. As a guide, previous Directors of Music have held or obtained an ARCO or equivalent standard qualification. Experience as an effective and efficient choir director is essential. The Incumbent: Canon Simon Butler has been Vicar of St Mary s since 2011 and is himself an experienced church musician. He has been Chair of Southwark Diocesan Liturgical Committee and a member of the Advisory Board of the Royal Schools of Church Music. He is fully committed to the flourishing of the musical life of St Mary s and the opportunities it can offer for the church s wider ministry and mission. He is very keen to work with a new Director of Music to develop future vision and ideas for the musical life of the church and is looking for an imaginative, enthusiastic and entrepreneurial colleague to work with him in this task. He is committed to encouraging the Director in their professional development. Time Off: The generosity of St Mary s extends to its remuneration package and the amount of time off permitted. The current arrangements allow for the Director of Music to have the first Sunday of the month off as well as four weeks annual holiday. While the former will need to be kept under review (and the contract will reflect this), it is hoped that the Director of Music will still be able to continue this arrangement, with the proviso that it is the Director s responsibility to make provision for music in worship on all Sundays, including those s/he is not expected to attend. Christian Faith: The successful candidate will be willing to take an active role in the life of the church and the post-holder should, ideally, be a practising, communicant member of a mainstream Christian denomination.
Existing Duties and Arrangements The Director of Music shall Have the care, control & oversight of all music in the Church (subject to Canon B20 of the Canons of the Church of England); Play the organ/direct the choir/instrumental group at all ordinary weekly services and rehearsals, namely: Sunday: 9.45am Rehearsal 11am Parish Eucharist 4.45pm/5pm (depending on music) Rehearsal 6.00pm Choral Evensong (Second and Fourth Sundays) 6.00pm Evening Prayer or Special Service (other Sundays; organ only) Wednesday: 7.30pm Choir Rehearsal (ends 8.45pm) (As mentioned above, the Director of Music s contract will state that the Director of Music is not normally required to play the organ on the first Sunday of the Month but may occasionally be required to lead/play music in this service; Organise schedule of organists for Sunday evening services and play/direct at all services of Evensong where choirs are present, i.e. currently at least two per month; Play the organ/direct the choir/instrumental group at all special services/festivals; Play at or arrange for musicians to play at all weddings and funerals. There are up to 15 10 weddings per year and a similar number of funerals/memorial services. The Director is responsible for working with wedding couples and funeral families to provide the best musical resources to fit their needs; Select for the Vicar s approval all choral music and hymnody for public worship; Prepare and publish a regular quarterly music list at least a week before it is required and to provide details of voluntaries in advance to the Parish Office; Attend PCC meetings when required to do so and meet on a regular basis with the Vicar and any music/worship related sub-committees; Be responsible for the care & maintenance of organ and other musical instruments; Enable the recruitment and training of the choir and the musical education of all choristers, especially new members; Recruit, supervise and line manage the Organ and Choral Scholars. The hours of work are those required to fulfil these duties. The Director of Music receives the fees due to him/her from occasional offices and has the sole right to play at all services. The salary is 8,000 per annum, plus fees (currently 150 for weddings and funerals, reviewed annually). A bonus of 500 will be given on successful recruitment of 6 further volunteer members. A small amount of financial support is available for ongoing professional development on a request basis. The Director of Music is responsible for the music budget, including liaising with the PCC on forthcoming financial needs. Some elements of costs can be met through fundraising activity by musicians, such as recitals, but the PCC is committed funding the Director & Organ Scholar s salary, financing maintenance and holding any funds endowed to music at St Mary s. The organ is scheduled to have significant maintenance and re-voicing in November 2017.
Future Direction & Priorities The musical life of the parish is strong and healthy. However, a number of items do seem like priorities to the Parish for the incoming Director of Music: Recruitment of new choir members. Battersea is a transient community, and as such recruitment and retention can be difficult. The Choir of St. Mary s has been stable in numbers over the last five years but we hope the new Director of Music will be able to recruit new members to the choir from the local community and beyond to further enhance the musical offerings of St. Mary s. Currently with around 20 volunteer members, the Vicar will expect the Director to have recruited six regular members in the first year and, the Director will receive a 500 bonus if that goal is achieved. Working within our aim of having an inclusive choir whilst striving for musical excellence, it is hoped the new Director will give time to helping and encouraging and newer and/or less able members whilst maintaining the interests of the more experienced singers and the Organ and Choral Scholars. Participation in the wider community and social life of the choir and congregation is an essential part of any recruitment strategy. Integrating the Choral Scholars and the core choir: There is no doubt that the Choir have welcomed and value the presence of Choral Scholars, but it will continue to be important to enable the Scholars to support the amateur members as section leaders rather than simply as the best singer in the section. Repertoire. The arrival of a new Director is always a good opportunity to explore different repertoire and to revisit the familiar with new eyes. The Vicar expects the choir to be stretched in its ability and repertoire by the new Director. This should extend across the whole range of music in worship. Children and the choir. Children in Battersea lead very (too?) full lives, which makes the commitment of singing in a choir challenging. The PCC do not require the new Director to necessarily attract children to the choir experience has shown that this is not straightforward in Battersea culture - but we expect the incoming Director to find ways of involving children, either on an occasional or regular basis.
Job & Person Specification ATTRIBUTES ESSENTIAL DESIRABLE Job Knowledge and Experience Previous experience as a choir trainer and conductor in a church setting Familiarity with the church music scene in London Strong awareness of the place of music in Anglican worship and of the Anglican choral tradition. A working knowledge of liturgical principles A good network of musical contacts beyond the church, including singers, instrumentalists and composers. Ability to work with singers of a wide range of abilities and the skills to train and develop less confident singers. Awareness of a breadth of musical styles in worship including contemporary worship songs, new music and world music. We want the best of the old and the best of the new. Job Skills Excellent ability as an organist, with excellent keyboard, sight reading, open score reading, improvisation and accompanying skills; Educational qualifications & experience Personal Attributes and Behaviours Excellent conducting skills which gain response from professional and amateur musicians alike Demonstrable ability in enabling and enthusing others to use their musical gifts and the skills to recruit others to use these gifts. Competent administrative and organisational skills, including website, social media and publicity A track-record in fundraising. A recognised organ qualification (ARCO or similar) Ability to inspire confidence in experienced and inexperienced singers and musicians. Enthusiasm, supportiveness and approachability An easy authority which gets the best out of adults and children Good organisational skills and time-keeping. You will be expected to meet deadlines. Skill in working with volunteers, both in offering praise and encouragement and challenging less acceptable behaviour, including poor attendance and time-keeping An entrepreneurial spirit which encourages participation from within and beyond the Church. FRCO/Postgraduate qualifications and additional diplomas An ability to develop group identity and loyalty
ATTRIBUTES ESSENTIAL DESIRABLE Exhibit an understanding of and commitment to St. Mary s sense of purpose and vision. Sympathy with the aims and mission of the Church of England. A willingness to play a part in the wider social life of the choir and an active part in the life of the wider church community. A communicant member of the Church of England Safeguarding An enhanced DBS disclosure will be required. Applications and Interviews Canon Butler is very happy to discuss matters informally with interested enquirers. His telephone number is 07941 552407. Please contact him after 23 rd October, as he is on holiday until then. Informal conversations about the role, before and after that date, are also welcomed by Tyrone Whiting. Please feel free to contact him on tyrone.whiting@gmail.com Applications should be made by email by means of an attached application form, covering letter and a full CV to: vicar@stmarysbattersea.org.uk. The closing date is Friday 17 th November 2017. Shortlisted candidates will be called for interview on the evening of Friday 1 st December and Saturday 2 nd December (overnight accommodation will be provided if needed as will reasonable expenses). Friday evening will include a brief social event and then a short organ audition (details will be provided in due course). Saturday will include a 25 minute choir rehearsal and an interview. Canon Simon Butler 2 nd October 2017