Originally posted by Magnificat
View Post
paul duggan2
This all goes back to my post number 32.
I was annoyed by Contre Bombarde who seemed to think that I was against girls' choirs because they were not traditional and said that this sort of view was of no concern to cathedral musicians because it is solely they who are keeping the tradition of cathedral music alive not me.
Since I and many other enthusiasts of cathedral music had just been involved in a major and very successful fund raising event at St Albans in order to help maintain the choral tradition in perpetuity there ( girls and boys by the way ) I was fuming at CB's arrogance.
I came back at him by suggesting that cathedral music and the tradition of boys top lines was too important to be left to the professionals and I was convinced they would get shot of boys as soon as possible if they could mainly because the difficulties with recruitment. I also said that as long as boys top lines remained any DoM who failed to recruit in acceptable numbers should be fired but, of course, they would not be and there was no danger of them losing their job for life if they wanted to keep it. I was writing generally. having a go at CB, and had no specific cathedral or DoM in my mind.
What I am questioning is whether DoMs are doing all they can to recruit boys.
There is an interview with the very successful Andy Lumsden of Winchester in the latest edition of Cathedral Music magazine where he states that recruitment is difficult even there.
Every time I read simlilar articles it is always the same story and it is always commented upon at the AGMs of The Choir Schools Association.
The usual method of recruiting for cathedral choirs which, for as long as I cam remember. has been yearly voice trials with tweaks to this system such as the DoM advertising that he /she will see interested boys at any time and more recently the 'be a chorister for a day' innovation that has been set up.
If these methods are not pulling in enough recruits then surely it is time for new thinking and I have likened chorister recruitment with marketing generally where the major rule is that if the customer isn't coming to you then you have to go to him.
I have been suggesting, as a result, that if voice trials and membership of a first rate choir school are not doing the job of attracting potential choristers as well as using these methods DoMs must be more pro- active and get out and around all the schools in their area as well as the community generally and effectively try to sell their product as it were. I have pointed out that cathedrals without choir schools have to do this anyway as do parish churches but it obviously requires a lot more effort on the part of any DoM, extra effort, in fact, that a Dean & Chapter which wishes to and is serious about running a traditional choir of boys and men in modern times should expect and that no DoM should be able to dispense with a boys top line until and unless everything possible has been tried to ensure that it continues.
As I have said the Flosshilde I would not expect a D&C to dismiss any DoM who tried every avenue in this respect and failed but, of course, that is and should be their prerogative as it would be for any employer. It is up to any employee to justify his/her actions in doing any job.
VCC
This all goes back to my post number 32.
I was annoyed by Contre Bombarde who seemed to think that I was against girls' choirs because they were not traditional and said that this sort of view was of no concern to cathedral musicians because it is solely they who are keeping the tradition of cathedral music alive not me.
Since I and many other enthusiasts of cathedral music had just been involved in a major and very successful fund raising event at St Albans in order to help maintain the choral tradition in perpetuity there ( girls and boys by the way ) I was fuming at CB's arrogance.
I came back at him by suggesting that cathedral music and the tradition of boys top lines was too important to be left to the professionals and I was convinced they would get shot of boys as soon as possible if they could mainly because the difficulties with recruitment. I also said that as long as boys top lines remained any DoM who failed to recruit in acceptable numbers should be fired but, of course, they would not be and there was no danger of them losing their job for life if they wanted to keep it. I was writing generally. having a go at CB, and had no specific cathedral or DoM in my mind.
What I am questioning is whether DoMs are doing all they can to recruit boys.
There is an interview with the very successful Andy Lumsden of Winchester in the latest edition of Cathedral Music magazine where he states that recruitment is difficult even there.
Every time I read simlilar articles it is always the same story and it is always commented upon at the AGMs of The Choir Schools Association.
The usual method of recruiting for cathedral choirs which, for as long as I cam remember. has been yearly voice trials with tweaks to this system such as the DoM advertising that he /she will see interested boys at any time and more recently the 'be a chorister for a day' innovation that has been set up.
If these methods are not pulling in enough recruits then surely it is time for new thinking and I have likened chorister recruitment with marketing generally where the major rule is that if the customer isn't coming to you then you have to go to him.
I have been suggesting, as a result, that if voice trials and membership of a first rate choir school are not doing the job of attracting potential choristers as well as using these methods DoMs must be more pro- active and get out and around all the schools in their area as well as the community generally and effectively try to sell their product as it were. I have pointed out that cathedrals without choir schools have to do this anyway as do parish churches but it obviously requires a lot more effort on the part of any DoM, extra effort, in fact, that a Dean & Chapter which wishes to and is serious about running a traditional choir of boys and men in modern times should expect and that no DoM should be able to dispense with a boys top line until and unless everything possible has been tried to ensure that it continues.
As I have said the Flosshilde I would not expect a D&C to dismiss any DoM who tried every avenue in this respect and failed but, of course, that is and should be their prerogative as it would be for any employer. It is up to any employee to justify his/her actions in doing any job.
VCC
Comment