CHOIR SCHOOL

Music for all ages!

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    Sands of Time

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  • A wooden cross sits on top of a blue hymnal book
  • A group of children are singing together in a church choir.

    Beyond Boundaries

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  • A group of young girls in green shirts are singing in a choir.

    Nature's Symphony

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    • The All Saints Choir School

    Here at All Saints, we have a thriving music program for children and youth of all ages. If you are interested in making music with your infant, we have a place for you in our Fiddlesticks Music Together® program. If you have a child or teenager interested in singing in a choir, we have a place for you in our Royal School of Church Music affiliate choral program. We offer music from birth to high school seniors. We believe that music is important in our individual lives, our community, and in our worship.

    Contact Maggie Gill

    Director of Children’s and Youth Music Programs

    Programs at a Glance

    Fiddlesticks Music: Children's Choir room & times vary, see schedule for details. This is a Music Together® Center. This program offers 45 minute classes throughout the week for infants through 8 years old.

     

    Good Shepherd Choir is 5:15pm-5:55pm, Wednesday's in the Children's Choir Room. This is for children ages 4 years through first grade.

     

    Children’s Choir is 6:00pm-6:45pm, Wednesday's in the Children's Choir Room. This is for children in grades 2-6.

     

    Youth Choir is 6:30pm-7:30pm, Wednesday's in the Children's Choir Room. This is for youth in grades 7-12.


    Good Shepherd Choir 

    5:15pm-5:55pm

    Wednesdays in the Children's Choir Room, 3rd Floor


    The Good Shepherd Choir is for children ages 4 years–first grade. We joyfully sing and dance as we learn new songs, with a focus on a love of music and an introduction to participation in a choir, and worship through music. Children will enjoy simple instrument play, movement, correct singing technique, and will work toward basic music competence. In the ‘Music Atrium’ they will learn using Montessori-based music works that teach music literacy, instrument identification, rhythmic accuracy, and more. All of our choirs sing music from diverse times, cultures, and musical styles. The children will sing choral introits before services a few times a year, present special music for the Advent Lessons and Carols service in December, and participate in a concert, special service, or musical in the spring. 


    Consistent participation in this choir prepares children to enter our Royal School of Church Music in America (RSCM) affiliate Children’s Choir at the Light Blue level of the RSCM         Voice for Life® program.


    If you would like to find out more, reach out to         Maggie Gill, Director of Children’s and Youth Music.


    Children's Choir 

    6:00pm-6:45pm

    Wednesdays in the Children’s Choir Room, 3rd Floor


    The All Saints Children’s Choir is a Royal School of Church Music in America (RSCM) affiliate choir for those in grades 2–6. We will sing and play various instruments and hand bells, focusing on good technique and basic musicianship skills. This choir uses both the Voice For Life® program, and Montessori-based music works in the ‘Music Atrium,’ that teach music literacy, instrument identification, rhythmic accuracy, and more. All of our choirs sing music from diverse times, cultures, and musical styles. The Children’s Choir will present special music for various services, sing in Advent Lessons and Carols service in December, and participate in a concert, special service, or musical in the spring. 


    Consistent participation in Children’s Choir enables members to complete various levels in the RSCM         Voice for Life® program. They will be publicly recognized for their progress through the program with certificates, ribbon color when vested for services, and more. If desired, they have the opportunity to participate in national RSCM choirs and programs, as well as evaluation for Bronze, Silver, and Gold medals through RSCM America.


    If you would like to find out more, reach out to         Maggie Gill, Director of Children’s and Youth Music.



    Youth Choir 

    6:30pm-7:30pm

    Wednesdays in the Children's Choir Room, 3rd Floor


    The All Saints Youth Choir is a Royal School of Church Music in America (RSCM) affiliate choir open to those in 7th grade to high school seniors. Building on previously learned skills, this group will sing and play more difficult pieces, but all are welcome regardless of experience. This choir uses the Voice for Life® program, and will build a foundation of healthy singing, music theory, teamwork, and an understanding of liturgy and music history. All of our choirs sing music from diverse times, cultures, and musical styles. The Youth Choir will sing throughout the year at various services and outings, including a special Contemplative Service in November, Advent Lessons and Carols service in December, and a musical, special service, or concert in the spring.


    Consistent participation in Youth Choir enables members to complete various levels in the RSCM         Voice for Life® program. They will be publicly recognized for their progress through the program with certificates, ribbon color when vested for services, and more. If desired, they have the opportunity to participate in national RSCM choirs and programs, as well as evaluation for Bronze, Silver, and Gold medals through RSCM America.


    If you would like to find out more, reach out to         Maggie Gill, Director of Children’s and Youth Music.


    The logo for music together fiddlesticks music is red on a white background.

    At All Saints Episcopal Church


    The Fiddlesticks Music Together® Center at All Saints Episcopal Church is our program for the youngest among us. Here, we provide weekly 45min music classes to families with children aged infant to eight years old. This research-based, international program is musically well-rounded, classes are formatted after the recommendation of early-childhood educational experts, and the music in the program is culturally diverse. The families in this program include many folks from the church community at All Saints, but it reaches out to families from all around Birmingham. Fiddlesticks Music fosters a joyful environment of singing and community building that brings together people of diverse identities, faiths, beliefs, races, abilities, and ages. Classes are offered at All Saints almost every day of the week, with options in the morning and afternoon. Session length varies from 6-11 weeks. Fiddlesticks Music is a tuition-based program, but we have need-based scholarships. Also, All Saints Episcopal Church members get 20% off tuition! need-based scholarships.

     

    Mixed Age Classes: for newborns to 5 year olds.

    Babies Classes: just for babies 10 months and younger 

    Rhythm Kids®: drumming-based classes for 4yrs - 8yrs.

     

    Session length varies from 6-11 weeks. Check out the website below to learn more, try a free class, or to register for a session.

    A woman is holding a baby in her arms and smiling.

    Music Together® is an international, research-based, music education program for children aged infant-8yrs. What you may know simply as “Fiddlesticks” is part of that international program! Fiddlesticks Music here at All Saints is a licensed, Music Together® Center. We are listed in the international network of Music Together Centers, and our teachers are all registered Music Together teachers, who have been specially trained for this program in music and early childhood learning.


    Every class is structured according to detailed guidelines so that your child is given a rich and varied musical foundation.

    We don’t only sing the well-known, childhood songs like “Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star” and “My Bonnie.” We also sing asymmetrical rhythms, minor and modal music, and we sing and dance to music from all around the world. The Music Together website says it best: “Music Together is an early childhood music and movement program for children from birth through age eight—and the grownups who love them! First offered in 1987, our music classes help little ones develop their innate musicality—and much, much more.

     

    Our early childhood music curriculum has decades of research behind it, in both music education and child development. We know what we're talking about, and we're good at what we do! And because we recognize that children learn through play, we make everything we do in class engaging and fun.

     

    We also know that young children learn best from the powerful role models in their lives. That's where you grownups come in! Our family music classes show parents, teachers, and caregivers how to help their children become confident music-makers just by having fun making music themselves.”


    FAQ'S

    The Royal School of Church Music website states: “The RSCM exists to enable church music and musicians to flourish, thereby bringing people closer to God in worship and encouraging church communities to grow.” 


    RSCM America is an independent branch of the U.K.-based Royal School of Church Music. RSCM America sponsors several Choral Residencies each summer, the RSCM America National Choir, and other shorter festivals throughout the year. Through RSCM America, choristers also have opportunities for musical testing and evaluation—this allows choristers to progress through the bronze, silver, and gold levels of RSCM choral achievement awards. 


    Through RSCM America, students are connected to an incredible community of ecumenical church leaders, choristers, and musicians. All of these musicians strive to enrich choirs and churches through musical and liturgical excellence.


    To learn more about RSCM America visit: https://www.rscmamerica.org


    The Royal School of Church Music describes the Voice for Life® program as:


    “… a training [curriculum] for choral singers. It will help you to discover what your voice can do, and then strengthen it. It encourages you to learn about music and look at what it means to be a singer and a member of a choir. … Voice for Life® is for singers of all abilities from beginner to advanced. There are five levels—White, Light Blue, Dark Blue, Red and Yellow. There is a Voice for Life® singer’s workbook for each level.


    Voice for Life® is arranged into five modules to help you learn a range of different singing skills:


    • Module A: Using the voice well helps you to use your body and voice mechanism to sing well.
    • Module B: Musical skills and understanding looks at how music works and how to read, write and understand it.
    • Module C: Repertoire helps you to discover the background to the music you sing—its story and its style.
    • Module D: Belonging to the choir looks at what it means to be part of a choir and how to get the most out of it.
    • Module E: Choir in context explores how your choir fits into the world around it—school, church, work or other social group.

    We use the Voice for Life® program with both Children’s and Youth Choirs in the All Saints Choir School. Since progression in Voice for Life® levels is based on the individual chorister, each choir will have young people in several levels. We make sure that each student has independent and group instruction to continue progressing within their own level.


    Consistent involvement in our youngest choir, Good Shepherd Choir, instructs children in all the prerequisites found in the White level of Voice for Life®. 


    If you would like to find out more, reach out to Maggie Gill, Director of Children’s and Youth Music, mgill@allsaintsbhm.org


    The Music Atrium is used by all choirs in the All Saints Choir School. Located by the Children's Choir Room, this Montessori-based learning environment provides music ‘works’ for children and youth in the same format as those found in the Children’s Formation Atrium. This continuity of style provides a link between the spiritual and the practical sides of music learning in the church. 


    The works in the Music Atrium are all uniquely adapted or originally designed by our Director Maggie Gill. They are curated to give students the musical, liturgical, and vocal foundation needed to be a successful and musically literate chorister. Good Shepherd Choir uses these works on a regular basis, and consistent involvement in that choir instructs children in all the prerequisites found in the White level of Voice for Life®.


    Learning through Montessori-based manipulatives ensures that even the youngest folks in our choirs can learn music and music literacy independently, as well as in a traditional choral setting. These works feature all sorts of musical elements: from tracing biblical song lyrics to card matching that teaches global instruments.


    Children’s Choir and Youth Choir both use the Voice for Life® curriculum. But, these choirs also use the works and materials in our Music Atrium for deeper learning, creative approaches to difficult musical ideas, and review. 

    There are so many ways to be involved in our choir school as a volunteer! No matter when you are available, whether weekly or occasionally, there is always somewhere you can help. Adult volunteers are always welcome, and we can also work with young people to satisfy various requirements for ‘service hours’. Internships are also available for High School or College Students. 


    Here are some examples of opportunities:


    • Administrative Assistant: Administrative work can be done any time throughout the week! This includes music filing, organizing chorister music binders, copying music and marketing materials, resetting works in the Music Atrium, and more. 
    • Choir Mentor: Choir Mentors would attend Good Shepherd Choir, Children’s Choir, or Youth Choir to help choristers as we rehearse. Even if you can’t come weekly, you can be a Choir Mentor! Choir members often need help following along with music, getting music/materials that might be missing from their binder, etc. If you are comfortable reading music, you might also help young folks with their Voice for Life® books when we break into small groups. 
    • During long services, rehearsals, and events, sometimes we just need another set of hands. You would help make sure kids have their music and robes, get from one place to the next, etc. You might also sit in church with younger choir members to help them follow along with the service, etc. 
    • Pianist: We are always looking for folks who would like to play for our rehearsals or performances. If you can play enough to help with a choir sectional, sub for our accompanist while they are on vacation, or play for regular rehearsals and performances, we would love to know!
    • Other Volunteering: This might be helping to set up for an individual event, cutting cake for an after-performance reception, or washing choir robes. Depending on the skills of the individual, they can also help with music editing, cleaning and repairing music instruments, posting flyers around the community… the list is endless. If you want to get involved, let us know, and we will find you a job!

    There are so many ways to support our Choir School. Most importantly, spread the word about our program and encourage the young people in your life to come sing and make music with us. We have a place for every age! 


    Come to our special services and performances. Your presence at our events is incredibly important. Not only will you be encouraged by beautiful music, your participation means the world to the young people who work hard every week.


    Send notes of encouragement to our choirs! They love to hear how their music impacts those around them. Celebrate the good work they do. If you send us an appropriate note or email, I will pass on your kind words in our rehearsals.


    Your pledge to All Saints is the foundation of our music programs here at All Saints. But sometimes, folks want to go above and beyond. Here’s how your giving impacts our programs:


    Fiscal gifts designated for Fiddlesticks Music enable us to give scholarships to families in need. This allows many children to receive a musical foundation that would be impossible otherwise.


    Fiscal gifts designated for the general needs of the Choir School allows us to invest in instruments, music, special events, and more. We have dreams of sending kids to sing in RSCM choir residencies, performing in collaborations with other choirs, buying handbells for a regular handbell choir, and more. Every gift to our program brings us one step closer to those long-term goals.

    For fiscal gifts, contact our Director of Finance, Connie Bryson at finance@allsaintsbhm.org