Organist and Choir Director - St Mary\'s, Selly Oak in Birmingham

Organist and Choir Director - St Mary\'s, Selly Oak

The PCC of St Mary’s Church, Selly Oak seek to appoint an Organist and Choir Director to develop the existing musical life of the Church and its contribution to the outreach and missional life within the parish and to optimise the potential for its future ministry within the local community.

Musical Vision for St Mary’s Church

Music has been an integral part of life in this church throughout its history and there is a strong desire to see music continue to flourish within the liturgical and wider life of St Mary’s. We would like to see our musical provision expand to reach younger members of the church and the wider community as a whole.

There is an enthusiastic robed mixed-voice adult choir. Regular attendance is between 12 and 15 singers, but major services draw 20+. Singers come from a range of musical and non-musical backgrounds. Sight-reading ability is variable, but all choir members are able to read music to a greater or lesser extent.

The Sunday Eucharist is at 10.00am, with a rehearsal on a Friday evening at 7.30pm. The choir also sings for monthly Choral Evensongs as well as additional services around Christmas and Easter. For a time, some services were live-streamed; this has stopped at present, but we may look to resume this in due course.

Our repertoire encompasses many short anthems in the core choral repertoire, from Tallis’ If ye love me to Mozart’s Ave Verum Corpus, from plainsong, psalmody, Stanford and beyond to contemporary pieces published by the RSCM. There is a fairly well- stocked music library containing most of the traditional choral anthems and settings from a variety of periods and styles. We regularly sing from The New Oxford Easy Anthem Book and The New Church Anthem Book. We also have copies of English Church Music, Volume II. Our hymn book is the latest version of Hymns Ancient and Modern.

The Parish Context

The parish of St Mary’s is an open, inclusive, and diverse Christian community with a vision to proclaim and celebrate the love of God for all. We encourage the exploration of spirituality through prayer, worship, and the Eucharist. Through social events and activities, we hope to offer a warm welcome to everyone, both those exploring faith and those seeking friendship. Outreach is a priority for us, especially to children, young people, and their families. We see music as central to all of our priorities and the incumbent is keen to make sure that music continues to play an integral role in the mission of the church.

Birmingham has a strong artistic and musical tradition. Our choir attracts students from The University of Birmingham and The Royal Birmingham Conservatoire. We would like to see these links strengthened and developed. St Mary’s operates within a Deanery Oversight Area of five churches and on various occasions throughout the year we take part in joint ventures. St Mary’s Church has strong connections with our church school, who attend Collective Worship in church twice a term (singing with the organ in their Christmas service.) They are invited to attend the “Back to School” Sunday church service in September. We are looking to expand our musical connection with the school.

Musical Instruments

An organ was installed in St Mary’s Church, Selly Oak, a year after the church was built in 1861. Its early history is sketchy but the main part of the instrument found today is the 1958 rebuild by Nicholson’s of Worcester.

The present instrument is regularly maintained by Ross Daly and used every Sunday for services and for other offices. It has three manuals and 38 speaking stops. New P & S keyboards were fitted in 2018.

There is also an Hopkinson upright piano in church, which is kept well-tuned. For choir practices we use a full-size Yamaha keyboard.

It may be that these instruments could be used as part of a teaching portfolio. This would, however, be subject to safeguarding requirements being met and fitting in with other usage requirements upon the building.

Staffing

It is envisaged that the Organist and Choir Director will direct and rehearse the choir along with accompanying services. There are several other organists who are members of the congregation able to cover Sunday services if necessary, as well as an established list of organists available to cover occasional offices.

Key Contacts & working relationships

The Organist and Choir Director will be responsible to the PCC through the incumbent, The Reverend Hazel White. At present the Organist and Choir Director would not have any employees to line-manage but would have a responsibility towards choir volunteers and helpers along with locum organists.

Duties and Responsibilities

Musical Duties include:

• leading choir rehearsals on a Friday evening at 7.30pm, and an additional rehearsal prior to monthly choral evensongs.
• ensuring musical provision for services at St Mary’s, including playing for Sunday services, Choral Evensong on the third Sunday of the month, Major Festivals and Carol Service.
• having first refusal to play for weddings and funerals or to arrange locum cover if not available.
• developing and employing strategies for recruitment, retention, development & motivation of singers.
• choosing and rehearsing appropriate repertoire, suitable to the situation and singers.
• holding a simple audition for new singers as required.
• helping to develop and encourage the musical life of the whole worshipping community at St Mary’s.
• modeling excellent safeguarding practice and engaging with any necessary training.
• ensuring that safeguarding policies are strictly adhered to.
• referring incidents that arise through the appropriate channels.
• engaging with developments in good practice and responding to any necessary requirements as the role develops.
• working with the incumbent in the creation of monthly music lists and, where appropriate, assisting in the planning of special events and services.
• maintaining the order of the music library or delegating that task to a responsible volunteer.
• arranging regular maintenance and tuning visits for the organ.
• communicating regularly with choir-members about upcoming events.

Pastoral responsibilities include:

• overseeing the care and motivation of singers and reporting concerns where appropriate to the incumbent.
• ensuring that new recruits and existing singers are aware of the responsibilities and commitments expected of them.

Personal responsibilities include:

• ensuring own wellbeing and safety in all situations.
• being aware of Church policies and procedures including: Fire, Health & Safety, Safeguarding, Lone Working.
• being aware of current good practice through communication with colleagues and use of other resources.
• maintaining personal musical development through continued involvement with local and national organisations and with current practice.

Recruitment

Recruitment to all parts of the choir is obviously a vital part of choir life. We are open to new methods of recruitment and would seek to work collaboratively, particularly bearing in mind other work commitments on the part of the Organist & Choir Director.

Person Specification

The PCC is looking for someone who:

• is sympathetic to the Christian vision and values and work of the Church.
• is enthusiastic and keen to see the Church and its musical tradition grow.
• is able to work well with children and adults alike.
• has sufficient musical (voice and keyboard) and inter-personal skills to direct a choir and to impart this musicality to others.
• has excellent organ skills to play for regular services & occasional offices.
• has ability to improvise or extemporise where necessary.
• has a thorough grounding in the Parish Choral tradition and liturgical practice of the Church of England.
• will work willingly within the authority structures of the Church and adhere to and uphold its policies, including Canon B20 and safeguarding policy.
• can carry out administrative tasks in a timely and organised manner.
• is able to develop and maintain high standards in music, behaviour and demeanour and will model these themselves.
• will represent the Church well, both in its worship and outreach.
• has received current Church of England Safeguarding training.
• has previous experience in a similar role.
• has experience of outreach work to children, young people and the community.

Remuneration

• The salary for this post will be in the region of £4200.00 p.a. depending on experience and qualification. This would be less PAYE & NI where necessary. The salary is payable monthly in arrears by direct online bank transfer.
• Additional fees are payable if the post-holder plays the organ for a wedding or funeral, over which the post-holder will have first refusal.

Terms and Conditions

• This is an employed position and the employer is the Parochial Church Council of St Mary Selly Oak
• Applicants must have the right to work in the UK and be able to prove this prior to an offer of employment is made.
• This post is subject to satisfactory references, Enhanced DBS Disclosure and safer recruitment principles being met.
• The post will be subject to a probationary period of 6 months at which point the appointment will be reviewed from the point of view of both parties.
• Contractual obligations will be agreed with the successful candidate.
• The anticipated approximate weekly commitment is c.5 hours per week, though this will be greater around major festivals (Holy Week and Easter and Christmas) and on choral evensong weeks.
• Whilst there are set hours of services and rehearsals, it is anticipated that this post might also involve other work as the role develops (examples may include schools visits, taster sessions etc).
• Holiday provision is six Sundays per year. Holiday cannot be taken during Holy Week (Palm Sunday to Easter Day), or during the week including Christmas Day.

Applications

To apply for the post, please send us a completed application form (click here to download) , together with a copy of your CV, with a covering letter explaining why you are applying and why you think you are a good fit for the role.

Please include two referees. One referee should be able to refer to your recent experience - in a voluntary or paid capacity. Please inform us if you do not wish references to be taken up prior to interview. These should be emailed to the Incumbent (office@stmarysellyoak.org.uk) no later than 6pm on Friday 10th October.

Interview and auditions will be held on Friday 17th October (daytime interviews and evening choir rehearsal).

You would be very welcome to join us on a Sunday morning to gain some understanding of this role, and of St Mary’s as a worshipping church community. If you would like an informal conversation to find out more, please contact the Incumbent (via office@stmarysellyoak.org.uk) or Church Warden (kfcheyney@gmail.com )

As part of the audition process, you will be expected to direct part of a choir practice and to demonstrate your ability on the organ.

Diversity

The Church of England (C of E) is committed to promoting diversity and inclusion, ensuring equal opportunities for all, and fostering a welcoming and respectful environment. Our approach includes actively challenging discrimination, promoting positive relationships, and celebrating the richness of different cultures. This commitment is guided by the Equality Act 2010 and aims to create a society where everyone feels valued and included.

The PCC of St Mary’s Selly Oak is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children, young people, and vulnerable adults. All post holders are expected to share this commitment. All appointments to roles undertaking regulated activity are subject to pre-appointment checks, including references and a satisfactory Enhanced DBS Check.