The Royal School of Church Music (RSCM) is a

Christian A Christian () is a person who follows or adheres to Christianity, a Monotheism, monotheistic Abrahamic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus in Christianity, Jesus Christ. Christians form the largest religious community in the wo ...

music education Music education is a field of practice in which educators are trained for careers as primary education, elementary or secondary education, secondary music teachers, school or music conservatory ensemble directors. Music education is also a rese ...

organisation dedicated to the promotion of music in Christian worship, in particular the repertoire and traditions of

Anglican church music Anglican church music is music that is written for Christian worship in Anglican religious services, forming part of the liturgy. It mostly consists of pieces written to be sung by a church choir, which may sing ''a cappella'' or accompanied b ...

, largely through publications, training courses and an award scheme. The organisation was founded in England in 1927 by Sir Sydney Nicholson and today it operates internationally, with 8,500 members in over 40 countries worldwide, and is the largest church music organisation in Britain. Its Patron as of May 2024 is

King Charles III Charles III (Charles Philip Arthur George; born 14 November 1948) is King of the United Kingdom and the 14 other Commonwealth realms. Charles was born at Buckingham Palace during the reign of his maternal grandfather, King George VI, and ...

, following the previous monarch

Queen Elizabeth II Elizabeth II (Elizabeth Alexandra Mary; 21 April 19268 September 2022) was Queen of the United Kingdom and other Commonwealth realms from 6 February 1952 until Death and state funeral of Elizabeth II, her death in 2022. ...

(who had held the position since 1947). The RSCM was originally named the School of English Church Music and was only open to members of the

Anglican Communion The Anglican Communion is a Christian Full communion, communion consisting of the Church of England and other autocephalous national and regional churches in full communion. The archbishop of Canterbury in England acts as a focus of unity, ...

; today it is an

interdenominational Ecumenism ( ; alternatively spelled oecumenism)also called interdenominationalism, or ecumenicalismis the concept and principle that Christians who belong to different Christian denominations should work together to develop closer relationships ...

organisation, although it is still overseen by the

Church of England The Church of England (C of E) is the State religion#State churches, established List of Christian denominations, Christian church in England and the Crown Dependencies. It is the mother church of the Anglicanism, Anglican Christian tradition, ...

. Choirs affiliated with the Royal School of Church Music often wear the RSCM

medallion A medal or medallion is a small portable artistic object, a thin disc, normally of metal, carrying a design, usually on both sides. They typically have a commemorative purpose of some kind, and many are presented as awards. They may be in ...

, which features a picture of Saint Nicolas, its

patron saint A patron saint, patroness saint, patron hallow or heavenly protector is a saint who in Catholicism, Anglicanism, Eastern Orthodoxy or Oriental Orthodoxy is regarded as the heavenly advocate of a nation, place, craft, activity, class, clan, fa ...

History

The School of English Church Music (SECM) was founded in 1927 by Sir Sydney Nicholson, and opened at Buller’s Wood in

Chislehurst Chislehurst () is a suburban district of south-east London, England, in the London Borough of Bromley. It lies east of Bromley, south-west of Sidcup and north-west of Orpington, south-east of Charing Cross. Before the creation of Greater ...

in 1929. In 1945, it became the Royal School of Church Music (RSCM), and moved to Canterbury Cathedral. In 1954, it moved to

Addington Palace Addington Palace is an 18th-century mansion in Addington located within the London Borough of Croydon. It was built close to the site of an earlier manor house belonging to the Leigh family. It is particularly known for having been, between ...

and then in 1996 to Cleveland Lodge,

Dorking Dorking () is a market town in Surrey in South East England about south-west of London. It is in Mole Valley, Mole Valley District and the non-metropolitan district, council headquarters are to the east of the centre. The High Street runs ro ...

. Since 2006, it has been based at

Sarum College Sarum College is a centre of theological learning in Salisbury, England. The college was established in 1995 and sits within the cathedral close on the north side of Salisbury Cathedral. The Sarum College education programme ranges from shor ...

Salisbury Salisbury ( , ) is a city status in the United Kingdom, cathedral city and civil parish in Wiltshire, England with a population of 41,820, at the confluence of the rivers River Avon, Hampshire, Avon, River Nadder, Nadder and River Bourne, Wi ...

Activities

The RSCM seeks to engage and encourage church music through awards, exams, publishing, residential courses and professional advice. Education programmes include the ''Voice for Life'' and ''Church Music Skills'' schemes, as well as the long-running residential courses. The RSCM publishes church music and other materials for choirs and organists, and produces a magazine, ''Church Music Quarterly'' (CMQ) which alongside ''Sunday by Sunday'' provides useful information for church musicians. The ''

Millennium Youth Choir The Royal School of Church Music's Millennium Youth Choir is a British choir for singers between the ages of 16 and 23. It is the RSCM's leading national choir. In 1999, George Carey, the Archbishop of Canterbury, suggested its formation and gav ...

'' is the charity's national youth choir which has sung for

BBC Radio 3 BBC Radio 3 is a British national radio station owned and operated by the BBC. It replaced the BBC Third Programme in 1967 and broadcasts classical music and opera, with jazz, world music, Radio drama, drama, High culture, culture and the arts ...

Choral Evensong and the

Proms The BBC Proms is an eight-week summer season of daily orchestral classical music concerts and other events held annually, predominantly in the Royal Albert Hall in central London. Robert Newman founded The Proms in 1895. Since 1927, the ...

. The ''RSCM Voices'' and ''RSCM Cathedral Singers'' are other choirs run by the RSCM.

Leadership

* The Director is Hugh Morris (since 2018) *President of the Royal School of Church Music in America is Joseph Causby *President of RSCM Australia is Ross Cobb *President of RSCM South Africa is Malcolm Chalmers *President of RSCM New Zealand is Paul Ellis

Directors of the RSCM

1927–1947

Sydney Nicholson Sir Sydney Hugo Nicholson (9 February 1875 – 30 May 1947) was an English choir director, organist, composer, and founder of the Royal School of Church Music (RSCM) and the compiler of ''The Parish Psalter''. Life Nicholson was born in Lon ...

(formerly Organist of

Carlisle Carlisle ( , ; from ) is a city in the Cumberland district of Cumbria, England. Carlisle's early history is marked by the establishment of a settlement called Luguvalium to serve forts along Hadrian's Wall in Roman Britain. Due to its pro ...

and

Manchester Manchester () is a city and the metropolitan borough of Greater Manchester, England. It had an estimated population of in . Greater Manchester is the third-most populous metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, with a population of 2.92&nbs ...

Cathedrals, and

Westminster Abbey Westminster Abbey, formally titled the Collegiate Church of Saint Peter at Westminster, is an Anglican church in the City of Westminster, London, England. Since 1066, it has been the location of the coronations of 40 English and British m ...

) 1954–1972 Gerald H. Knight (formerly Assistant Organist of

Truro Cathedral The Cathedral of the Blessed Virgin Mary is a Church of England cathedral in the city of Truro, Cornwall. It was built between 1880 and 1910 to a Gothic Revival design by John Loughborough Pearson on the site of the parish church of St Mary. His ...

) 1972–1989

Lionel Dakers Lionel Frederick Dakers (24 February 1924 – 10 March 2003) was an English cathedral organist who served in Ripon Cathedral and Exeter Cathedral. Background Dakers was born on 24 February 1924 in Rochester, Kent. He studied organ under Harold ...

(formerly Organist of

Exeter Exeter ( ) is a City status in the United Kingdom, cathedral city and the county town of Devon in South West England. It is situated on the River Exe, approximately northeast of Plymouth and southwest of Bristol. In Roman Britain, Exeter w ...

and

Ripon Ripon () is a cathedral city and civil parish in North Yorkshire, England. The city is located at the confluence of two tributaries of the River Ure, the Laver and Skell. Within the boundaries of the historic West Riding of Yorkshire, the ...

Cathedrals) 1989–1998 Harry Bramma (formerly Assistant Organist of

Worcester Cathedral Worcester Cathedral, formally the Cathedral Church of Christ and Blessed Mary the Virgin, is a Church of England cathedral in Worcester, England, Worcester, England. The cathedral is the seat of the bishop of Worcester and is the Mother Church# ...

and Organist of

Southwark Cathedral Southwark Cathedral ( ), formally the Cathedral and Collegiate Church of St Saviour and St Mary Overie, is a Church of England cathedral in Southwark, London, near the south bank of the River Thames and close to London Bridge. It is the mother c ...

) 1998–2007 John Harper 2007–2012 Lindsay Gray 2012–2018 Andrew Reid (formerly Master of the Music at

Peterborough Cathedral Peterborough Cathedral, properly the Cathedral Church of St Peter, St Paul and St Andrew, and formerly known as Peterborough Abbey or St Peter's Abbey, is a cathedral in Peterborough, Cambridgeshire, in the United Kingdom. The seat of the Church ...

; subsequently Director of

Harrison and Harrison Harrison & Harrison Ltd is a British company based in Durham that makes and restores pipe organs. It was established in Rochdale in 1861. It is well known for its work on instruments such as King's College, Cambridge, Westminster Abbey, and th ...

) 2018–present Hugh Morris (formerly Organist of

Derby Cathedral The Cathedral Church of All Saints, Derby, better known as Derby Cathedral, is a cathedral church in the city of Derby, England. In 1927, it was promoted from parish church status to that of a cathedral, creating a seat for the Bishop of ...

)

Chairmen of the RSCM Council

19962005

Sir David Harrison Sir David Harrison FRSCM (3 May 1930 – 27 March 2023) was a British chemical engineer and academic. He was vice-chancellor of the University of Keele from 1979 to 1984, vice-chancellor of the University of Exeter from 1984 to 1994, master of ...

20052010 Mark Stephen Williams 20102018

Brian Gill, Lord Gill Brian Gill, Lord Gill, KSG FRSE FRSAMD FRSCM (born 25 February 1942) is a retired Scottish judge and legal academic. Lord Gill was Lord President and Lord Justice General and held that position for three years from 2012 until 2015. His 2007 ...

2018 Reverend Dr John Hall,

Dean of Westminster The Dean of Westminster is the head of the chapter at Westminster Abbey. Due to the abbey's status as a royal peculiar, the dean answers directly to the British monarch (not to the Bishop of London as ordinary, nor to the Archbishop of Canterb ...

2024 Dr Phil Taylor 2024present Sue Hayman, Baroness Hayman of Ullock

Awards and medals

The RSCM provides a series of grades and awards to signify varying levels of musical achievement. There are four basic merit awards – the light blue ribbon, the dark blue ribbon, the red ribbon and the yellow ribbon. These awards share the same medal and are widely used within individual choirs to encourage progression and development, being managed and awarded at a parish/choir level. Beyond these are three awards achieved by examination: * The Bronze award * The Silver award * The Gold award There are no prerequisites for taking the awards exams and full details of the current syllabus can by found on th
RSCM website
In broad terms, a Bronze award is equivalent to ABRSM grade 4 in terms of difficulty, though its requirements are broader. Similarly Silver roughly equates to grade 6 and Gold to grade 8. The former medals are as follows:

Honorary awards

Every year the RSCM Council confers Honorary Awards on those who have made outstanding contributions to church music. They are divided in: * Fellow of the RSCM (FRSCM): *: Awarded for achievements in church music and/or liturgy of international significance, or for exceptional musical and/or liturgical work within the RSCM. * Associate of the RSCM (ARSCM): *: Awarded for achievements in church music and/or liturgy of national significance, or for important musical and/or liturgical work within the RSCM. * Honorary Member of the RSCM (HonRSCM): *: Awarded for exceptional or very significant work that has contributed to the cause of church music and/or liturgy at international or national levels, or within the RSCM, but which is not primarily musical or liturgical. * Certificate of Special Service (CERTSS): *: Awarded for significant administrative work as a voluntary officer or member of staff within the RSCM; or an award for a significant contribution to church music and/or liturgy at a local level.

References

External links

RSCMRSCM CanadaRSCM AmericaRSCM AustraliaRSCM New ZealandRSCM King's College Training CourseRSCM OxfordRSCM Ireland
{{Authority control 1927 establishments in the United Kingdom Music-related professional associations Anglican church music Music education organizations Music education in the United Kingdom Music education in the United States Music education in Canada Anglican education Music in Wiltshire Music publishing companies of the United Kingdom Publishing companies established in 1927 Sheet music publishing companies