St John the Evangelist, Shirley. Role Description: April 2023
Introduction
St. John’s is a vibrant parish church with a fine musical tradition, albeit one currently in need of some rebuilding. The choir leads and provides an anthem for the Sunday 10am Parish Eucharist as well as other special services during the church year; the choir also sings, when requested, at weddings and funerals.
St. John’s is a popular venue for concerts and recitals. Both the congregation and the wider community enjoy and value music highly.
St. John’s is, broadly speaking, in the central tradition of Anglican worship, we value traditional hymnody, as well as contemporary worship songs that are welcomed by many in the congregation, but our centre of gravity lies in the classic tradition of Anglican liturgy and hymnody.
St. John’s is proud to have a fine two manual and pedal pipe organ built by Frobenius in 1992. There is also a good-quality modern upright Yamaha piano.
Our priorities
We want to see:
- An increase in choir membership.
- A choir confident in leading congregational singing and can offer an anthem from a wide repertoire each week at the Parish Eucharist.
- Opportunities for children and young people to sing with the church choir, and to grow in singing ability.
- A choir which sings to a high standard, but which maintains an inclusive ethos and encourages singers of differing abilities.
The new Director of Music will:
- Play for the weekly Parish Eucharist and other occasional services or Holy Days or make provision for a deputy. These may also include occasional choral Evensong and our 9am Informal Family Eucharist.
- Lead a weekly choir rehearsal, or to make provision for a deputy to do so. The choir is usually stood down throughout the month of August.
- Maintain recruitment into the choir at a healthy level, proactively encouraging new members and aiming to ensure sufficient numbers in all voice-parts.
- Provide opportunities for children to sing in church and to grow in musical confidence, linking with our Primary School and Shirley High School Performing Arts College where possible.
- Assist the clergy in selecting appropriate music including hymns, anthems, psalms etc, and ensure that the choir and other musicians can achieve accomplished renditions.
- Sit on the PCC’s Worship Committee (4 x evening meetings p.a.).
- Have responsibility for the care of the musical instruments and to ensure proper respect for them by visiting musicians.
- Ensure that the music library is well-resourced, tidy and referenced.
- Always work within the Church’s Safeguarding and Health & Safety policies.
Who we are looking for:
The ideal candidate will be an accomplished organist with interests in, and experience of, traditional and contemporary choral and instrumental music in a liturgical setting. Active membership of the Church of England or another Christian Church is highly desirable, and candidates must be sympathetic to the ethos of worship in church. The successful candidate will be sensitive to the musical demands of the liturgical seasons, and a team-player with good interpersonal skills, working well with people of all ages.
It will be expected that candidates for the post will have the necessary musical experience and qualifications. Capability in choir training and direction is also essential.
Key relationships
The Director of Music will be directly responsible to the Incumbent and work with the Worship Committee.
What we offer
- A supportive Incumbent and PCC, and a congregation that values good choral music.
- Assistance towards the cost of any training agreed to be of value to the post-holder.
Safeguarding
This post is subject to a DBS check, and the Parish will follow the ‘Safer Recruitment’ policy in making the appointment.
For an application form:
Click Here