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The Royal School of Church Music has launched a campaign to start more church youth choirs, amid “competition” for young people’s attention spans.
The Young Voices Toolkit is designed to help churches launch their own youth choirs, by addressing the unique challenges faced by different communities in driving engagement with music.
Director of the RSCM, Hugh Morris, told Premier that recent years have seen Britain’s church choirs become “sparse”.
“There are cultural changes, and there's a lack of opportunity. It used to be that on a Sunday morning, there weren't many other things to do, so it was not difficult to persuade children that – rather than sit at home – you could go and sing in church.
“The reality is that now, it's effectively a competitive marketplace for children's time, with sport, shopping, screens – you name it.”
The Toolkit has been compiled by composer and assistant director of music at St Mary the Virgin, Swanage, David Fawcett, and the RSCM’s Junior Choirs Project Officer, Oliver Walker. It tackles a range of barriers faced by different churches across the UK – whether they deem themselves ‘too rural’ or ‘too old’ to engage young people.
The RSCM hopes that music can be part of the answer to the mental wellbeing crisis faced by the smartphone generation. "Singing is good for you,” says Morris. “It's good for mental wellbeing, confidence, and discipline.
“If you're part of a group, it's about working together as a community and learning to communicate really well. It's also brilliant at enabling communications across generations."
Increased engagement with music in churches can also benefit young people with a deeper understanding of spirituality, even if they do not consider themselves religious. “Music is a touch point for young people," says Hugh. "When they're part of a church choir, they've got a place to belong. They've got their tribe. And then there's a good way which the church reaching out to them, and draw them into the wider worshiping life.
“Music stays with you lifelong. And let’s face it – the young people of today are the older people of tomorrow. So we need to get lots of people doing it.”
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