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Re: RCO

There are many good points here, Paul.

I think that it is quite possible that you are correct in your assesment of the short-term furture of the RCO. I have thought for some years that this body has become rather less of a driving force.

I would welcome the idea of the instigation of either a new set of qualifications, or perhaps, seeing the IAO examinations combined with the efforts of (for example) the St. Giles Organ School, in order to produce several levels of carefully-crafted examinations - which would be tailor-made to suit the needs of church musicians today.

Re: RCO

Does St Giles really have anything to offer? Some of the teachers are of course very good, but I know a lot of people who lost all respect for St Giles when certain people started working for them.

Mmm, sausages for breakfast...

Re: RCO


I have seen it said in a recent post that the Burham committee no longer approve FRCO as a degree equivalent. Interesting, if true.


Does the Burnham Committee still exist? I'm not sure, but I thought it was abolished under Thatcher and that these days teachers' salaries are governed by the Teachers' Pay and Conditions Act 1991. If that's right and the Burnham Committee doesn't exist, it could hardly recognise the FRCO!

I understand that a statutory pay review body was established under the act. Presumably this fulfills a similar function. However, the qualifications recognised (or not recognised) by this committee would say nothing about the standard of those qualifications, but everything about how the government found ways of pruning the Treasury's outlay on the teachers' pay bill.

Paul recommends a new series of qualifications starting at grade 6. I am not sure I agree. Diplomas may be seen as elitist, but I happen to think that they should be. I do not see the point of having one at grade 6 standard. That used to be the level of the old ATCL diploma. I got it myself when I was about 16 and have always felt it was a bit fraudulent.

Is there room for a more practically orientated, gold-standard organ playing diploma? Possibly. But if it lacks the broad-based musicianship required by the current (and even more, the former) FRCO syllabus, I would suggest it can never hope to be held in the same regard.