Come on all you clever mn'ers - help me make a questionaire about music in our church......

[TheQueenOfQuotes]

when I started playing their 5yrs ago the choir totalled about 12-15 and the music group around 5-10....due to deaths, people leaving for University and other reasons we are now down to just 2 regulars in the choir, and about 5 in the music group. We have a fairly large congregation (anything from 75+ on an average Sunday - and they all sing very heartily so no issue with numbers/lack of decent singers).

Basically we're starting "from scratch" again so I want to make a questionaire for the congregation to fill in to give their thoughts on it, you know what they would want from the choir/music group, why they don't join (apart from the old "I can't sing" - which is rubbish in 99% of people) etc etc.

What sort of questions could I ask - has to be fairly quick for people to fill in otherwise I'm unlikely to get many responses. Obviously we'll never please everyone but I feel that if we at least have a general idea of what people want from the music in the church we can make some headway. Multiple choice, simple answers - anything really - just needs ideas and inspiration.

TIA.

In the Catholic church, the diocescan office send out guidlines for hymns which work with the readings, lots of choice but a guideline nonetheless. I was unaware of this and used to sit in the pew check the hymns out and mutter/hiss to my friend, full house I don't know any of them. If this is the case in your church you may need to tell them that.

If not....

Are you happy with the hymns that are chosen each week. ?

yes I'm happy (apart from at Christmas when we do that wretched "like a Candle flame" the only hymn I really can't stand ) - we do get the RSCM "Sunday by Sunday" which has recommendations which we use to help us plan them. Most of the comments we get about the hymsn are fairly positive - we do a mixture of old and new (to suit the age of the congregation ).

please? anyone? What sort of questions can I put.......and more importantly (as we have some seriously clever people at church) how to word them??

The question I would most like to be asked is what is my most fave/most loathed hymn AND WHY?

Hence Lord of the Dance is dreary with a repetitive annoying tune.

But anything with words by George Herbert is fab by definition.

Might find a few musical pointers as to why joiners are thin on the ground, and what the congregation really like to sing, since they are your source of choir bods.

QoQ

The are you happy with hymns that are chosen each week,was for the parishioners you nana....

• sorry LGJ.....

yes good question .

Many thanks catinthehat, good contribution I thought.

Or you could just try talking to people outside your group and find out face to face why they genuinely don't want to join . Nobody will write down on a questionnaire if you have a reputation for ignoring people outside your immediate circle.

You could ask whether they want any music in church at all? I sang in a church choir for years but I do wonder whether the music is an unwelcome interference for many people?

sorry cat - wasn't ignoring you - honest .

I do tend to speak to a lot of people in the church - if I only spoke to those currently involved in the music I'd speak to about 5 people .

Lily - there are 2 "said" services each week (ie services without any music whatsoever) which are reasonably well attended so the option for those that don't like the music is already there.

Unfortunately they're a fickle lot at church - not just when it comes to talking about the music, about anything, many are reluctant to "say" how they feel - but surveys/questioinairres on other subjects have worked well in the past.....

We've had a lot of new people (families) join the church in the last 2yrs or so - and I do wonder if some of them don't want to join the choir....as there doesn't really seem to be one.

A common reason I'm told for not wanting to join is "well you never do anything than sing hymns" (of course it's rather difficult to do anything other than just hymns when you've got a choir of 5 sopranos and 2 Altos ).

If you want answers that aren't just a 'tick in the box' - i.e. thought out written paragraphs, then you could ask questions such as;

What do you see the purpose of music in our church as being? How does it enrich the services, and how should it?

Is there any way in which you would like to contribute to the musical provision?

What would you like to hear the choir singing both week by week and also at festivals? Would you like more anthems or to keep the choir as a vaulable support in the hymn singing?

Would you prefer to sing in a weekly choir, or a more occasional choir (that meets for a few weeks prior to a festival for example).

And sometimes, just by raising the profile, people will drift along to give it a go.

ooo tortoise - some fabulous ideas there - thankyou

I'm one of those people that has great ideas in my head.....but can never quite manage to get them sound "right" when I put pen to paper (or fingers to keyboard).

our vicar is away for the next 2 weeks and I'm hoping to have made at least some progress towards finding out what people want before she gets back - as I know she's concerned about it too.

Is there any way of getting some of the children involved? Either in a childrens' choir, or as a treble topline?

there were lots of children involved over the last 10yrs or so.......but now they've all grown up and are going to University which is why my music group and choir is now virtually non-existent . The music group is made up almost entirely of school age children!

Also those youngsters that are still around want to go to Sunday School, and a lot go on to become Young Leaders.

It's the adults I'm really keen to get involved. Although I realised last night I do have one new recruit that now fits my criteria of either being 7+ or being able to read reasonably well........DS1 - he's been bugging me for years that he wanted to join in and despite the fact that he's gone to almost every single choir practice since I started playing there I've always had to say no.