Following our news post last week, you can now read the full press release.

‘The Choir Project’: the Church of England invests £0.4m in launching 200 new parish church choirs for young people amid renewed interest in sacred church music

More than 200 church choirs, aimed at inspiring a new generation of children and young people to explore faith through singing choral music, are to be launched as part of a bold £400,000 programme funded by the Church of England.

The Church of England, in partnership with the Royal School of Church Music, has launched ‘The Choir Project’, investing £0.4m in engaging children and young people with their local church choirs amid renewed interest in sacred church music.

The launch comes as campaigners call for English Evensong to be given UNESCO World Heritage Status to ensure the centuries-old Christian choral tradition is recognised as an art form of global significance.

The number of cathedral choirs in England reached a record high of 207 in 2024, but 57% of local church choirs currently have no children.

The Choir Project will tap into the country’s rich tradition of choral worship with a view to sparking a revival of local parish choir membership amongst Generation Alpha, engaging them actively with Christianity.

‘The Choir Project’ will support upwards of 200 churches across England to establish or renew choirs for children and young people, helping them rediscover music as a pathway to mission and discipleship.

It will draw on research which suggests that young people are more likely to remain active in faith communities when they are given meaningful roles, intergenerational relationships and opportunities for leadership.

The Church of England’s Strategic Mission and Ministry Investment Board has agreed investment with RSCM of £400,000 to support the programme.

Hugh Morris, Director of the RSCM, said: “We are delighted to be launching this exciting new project. For generations, church choirs have been one of the most natural and joyful ways for young people to encounter faith, learn about worship, and grow in confidence and belonging.

“As we look to our second century of supporting church music and musicians, the RSCM sees this investment in young people as a vital step to ensuring a bright future of music ministry, and fostering active discipleship across all backgrounds and socio-economic environments, for the rich heritage we inherit today.”

The Bishop of Chelmsford, Guli Francis-Dehqani, who holds a degree in music and is author of the book Listening to the Music of the Soul, said: “The English choral tradition is unique and part of our rich cultural and spiritual heritage.

“The beauty of church singing speaks directly to people of all generations and from all walks of life. I am delighted to see this investment that will go to church choirs across the country.”

Starting choirs has proven to attract engagement from young people in churches, for example, Loftus Parish, near Saltburn, has grown from two to up to eighteen children on a Sunday by starting a church choir.

A young chorister from Loftus Parish said: “Every Sunday that you come, you better yourself in your singing and you better yourself in your knowledge of Jesus and God.”

Another said: “I love the stories about Jesus, seeing my friends and singing with the choir.”

The RSCM will address existing barriers to growth by providing integrated support for parishes. The initiative will focus on faith-centred ministry, ensuring that musical development and spiritual formation are inextricably linked.

Key components of the three-year plan include:

• Comprehensive training at every level: Courses for clergy, ordinands, and music leaders to help them plan and deliver effective ministry.
• Faith resources in practice. Discipleship materials integrated with the RSCM’s Young Voices Toolkit and Voice for Life, so growth in faith sits alongside musical development and leadership in worship.
• Tailored parish support: One-to-one guidance, mentoring and peer networks, with RSCM-facilitated support structures, diocesan partnerships and Beacon Church exemplars to localise and accelerate take up.
• Advocacy and communications. Targeted activity to build understanding, backing and sustainability for children’s and youth music ministry.
• Monitoring and learning. Data, research and feedback loops to refine delivery, share what works and inform diocesan planning.

By creating resources for integrating faith discussions into choir sessions as well as musical performance training, RSCM hopes to engage 2,400 young people as new active Christians. Throughout the three-year ‘The Choir Project’, 300 new leaders will be trained, and 500 volunteers will be mobilised, to tutor the choirs of tomorrow.

‘The Choir Project’ builds on other recent strategic investment from the national church in music ministry, such as in Blackburn Diocese, where 9 choirs have been started in schools.

Meanwhile, investment in Hull Minster has helped re-establish its chorister division, welcoming 45 young people and their families to the choir and church, leading four parish churches in the area to start re-establishing a choral tradition.

Now, ‘the Choir Project’ will introduce the sacred tradition of church music to thousands more young people across the country by supporting hundreds of churches to reinstate their choral tradition.

If you would like to keep up with the latest news regarding The Choir Project, email us at choirproject@rscm.com

For more information about the Young Voice Toolkit and Network, attend our dedicated online event on Wednesday 25th February. Details here.