Music Teacher - Training choirs: the potential links between school and church

With collaboration central to the NPME, David Fawcett, assistant director of music at a church in Swanage, explores the benefits of potential links between schools and local church choirs

School and church choirs combine in concert with the Purbeck Arts Choir; St Mary's, Swanage, Nov. 2023, conducted by David Fawcett - Roger Kennett

In common with anyone for whom music has been a major part of life, I owe thanks to teachers who encouraged and supported my interest.

One of my first primary school teachers was a pianist, with a piano in her classroom. Recognising my love of singing, she would draw me aside to sing with her, and later encouraged me to sing solos in our daily sung assemblies.

Later, outside school, I started piano lessons and joined my local church choir. While my parents were neither churchgoers nor musicians, the relationship between my Church of England (CofE) school and parish church, and their shared musical language of hymns, made it an obvious and easy thing to do.