DEANS' CHORISTER
Church Music Award for Choristers under the patronage of the Deans of Brentwood and Chelmsford
The Deans' Chorister Award for the two dioceses was launched in October 2006 and the first examinations held in 2007. Like the Bishops' Chorister awards, it is ecumenically based and under the joint patronage of the Deans of Brentwood and Chelmsford.
DEANS' CHORISTER AWARD
(validated at RSCM Bronze Standard)
This Award is open to candidates of all ages and voices and is open to all choristers in church or school choirs within the area covered by the Roman Catholic diocese of Brentwood and the Anglican diocese of Chelmsford. The Award is also open to choristers of other denominations in this area and to individual church singers and cantors.
The purpose of the Award is to encourage musicianship, loyalty and a growing awareness of faith in choristers, and to give a tangible recognition of such a standard.
Examinations are held twice yearly, usually in April/May and October/November, with the Awards Ceremony - held jointly with that for the Bishops' Chorister Award - in early December of that year or January of the following year, either in Chelmsford or Brentwood Cathedral. To help prepare candidates for either of the exam sessions, a training session (workshop) is held in March.
There is no written section and the exam is in one part only. Candidates will be required to demonstrate their singing abilities through a series of tests involving both prepared and unprepared work, sight singing and general musicianship. Candidates will also expected to show their understanding of their prepared pieces and how other music with which they are familiar fits into a seasonal, liturgical context. Via a written testimonial from their choirtrainer, candidates demonstrate a strong level of commitment to their choirs.
Examiners will be RSCM validated.
>> More information about the Deans' Chorister Award >>
Successful candidates will be presented with a certificate and be entitled to wear the Award's medallion. The certificate will also reflect whether the candidate has met the required criteria for Merit or a Distinction, as defined in the syllabus.
The entry fee from 2010 will be £20. The current cost of a medallion is £10.
For any further information please contact the Administrator:
John Cox
Email: johncarmelcox@hotmail.com
DATES FOR 2010
- Awards Ceremony - Saturday 16th January 2010 - Chelmsford Cathedral
- Workshop - 13th March 2010 (10.00am - 12.30pm) - Brentwood Cathedral Song School directed by Mr James Devor
- Last date of entry for April exam - 17th April
- Examination - 15th May 2010 - Brentwood Cathedral Song School
- Last date of entry for October exam - 26th September
- Examination - 16th October 2010 - Chelmsford Cathedral Education Centre
- Awards Ceremony - Saturday 15th January 2011 - Chelmsford Cathedral
Re: Workshops
Please note that from 2010 there will be only one workshop per year. Although this will be during the weeks before the Spring examination, it will be open also to candidates who are not expected to be entered until the Autumn session. All candidates wishing to attend the workshop must let the Administrator know - at the latest - by Monday 2nd March. They should do this either individually or through their Choir Trainers. For the event to take place there must be at least 5 candidates attending. If not, the event will be cancelled and the Administrator will inform all those who have applied.
Completed Application forms should be sent to the administrator by the same dates, or brought to the events themselves. The application/consent form (for Training Sessions) may be found below. Candidates under the age of 18 who are unable to provide a signed parental consent form will not be permitted to attend the session.
For any further information about workshops, please contact the Administrator, John Cox, by email: johncarmelcox@hotmail.com
DOWNLOADABLE FORMAT
Please click on any of the links to download sections of the Deans' Chorister information in PDF format. To read this you will need Adobe Acrobat Reader.
http://www.rscm-eel.org.uk