Diocese launches children's singing programme for schools and churches

Jon Barton

Children are set to benefit from a choral singing programme rolled out in Catholic primary schools across Cheshire, Shropshire, the Wirral and parts of Greater Manchester. The Diocese of Shrewsbury has appointed Jon Barton as Diocesan Director of Music with a special responsibility for delivering the Diocesan Schools Singing Programme.

The initiative, supported by an initial grant from the Hamish Ogston Foundation, is part of the National Schools Singing Programme (NSSP) and is aimed at improving children's confidence and academic attainment as well as helping them to better understand their religious faith and to encourage collective worship.

Mr Barton, 43, of Birkenhead, studied piano and organ at the Royal Northern College of Music in Manchester, where he won the organ recital prize, and was later granted a Pilling Trust Scholarship to continue studying abroad.

He has worked as a teacher and freelance musician ever since, and has served as the Director of Music at Shrewsbury Cathedral since 2018. He is married to an opera singer.

Mr Barton said: "As a musician, I'm delighted to be tasked with overseeing this, as I believe all children should have access to high quality musical education. I am very excited about the opportunities presented by my new role."

Mr Barton will oversee a programme that will involve a choral director visiting each group weekly - usually Year Three or Year Four children in primary schools - to teach music through singing in whole class tuition.

Initially, between 10 and 20 schools, probably in one particular area, will be targeted but the programme will eventually encompass all of the 90 state-funded Catholic primary schools in the Diocese as more choral directors are recruited. Most of the classes will be given from September but a small number may begin within the next few weeks.

Sessions will support the National Curriculum for music in school programme to ensure progression and skill development, they will be lively and engaging, and the songs taught will be a mix of sacred/secular and music education games. The song content might be based around school liturgies/concerts and other curriculum areas of focus.

As the scheme unfolds, there will be a number of geographically positioned 'elite' after-school choirs, for which children will be encouraged to audition. Such choirs will then hopefully form or add to church and cathedral choirs across the Diocese.

The NSSP has proved to be an effective way to engage and keep young people continuously involved in the life and liturgy of the Church and to reinforce the connection between Catholic schools and their parishes.
The programme has been running for almost 20 years in the Diocese of Leeds, and has proved extremely popular with pupils, schools, parishes and clergy.

The educational, social, and health benefits of children's choral singing have been acknowledged generally by educationalists, and in areas of the greatest economic deprivation, parents and teachers alike have been delighted at children's increased confidence, engagement and academic attainment, including literacy, numeracy, team-work and by a deeper and lasting relationship with their Catholic faith.

The NSSP is for all Catholic dioceses in the UK to enable them to create or enhance their own programmes for children educated in Catholic voluntary-aided schools and academies. Grant monies to launch the project will taper down as the programme becomes self-funding within five years.

The Rt Rev. Mark Davies, the Bishop of Shrewsbury, said: "We look forward to the development of this new initiative which will bring together young people from across the Shrewsbury Diocese to share the joy of singing. We hope this experience will enrich their lives and help enrich the quality of our choral music and singing in worship."

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