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Sample of the initial letter sent to schools inviting them to participate in the research
Dear Mrs Smith,
Songs to Keep the Faith: Songs to Teach the Faith
My name is Elspeth Chantler. I am a music teacher, professional church musician and liturgist. I am currently in the final stages of my MA in Liturgical Music at Colchester Institute. My dissertation project, entitled Songs to Keep the Faith: Songs to Teach the Faith, is an in-depth study of children and religious song.
My research was born of the realisation that the children of today are growing up learning a very limited body of religious song. As a church musician I am frequently faced with the request that we 'sing something the children know', but on questioning the children as to what they know and would like to sing have discovered that they know very few hymns/Christian songs between them. I noticed that most of those who seemed to participate more freely in the singing in church, and who offered more suggestions as to what to sing attend church schools. What I intend to establish (given that it is important for Christians to be able to participate in sung worship) is how young people acquire a body of song, and to what extent schools, particularly church schools, influence this process.
I am aware that current legislation on the provision of Collective Worship in schools is open to a wide variety of interpretations and that the content and regularity of Collective Worship varies from school to school. The enclosed questionnaire has been designed purely as a fact-finding exercise to provide an overview of religious song in local primary schools, and has been sent to all the primary schools falling into the catchment area for Lighthouse (Great Missenden).
I am also visiting a number of local churches in the same area to observe their normal Sunday services (not family services or special services) to gather information from the young people. This data will then be analysed in relation to data gathered from the surrounding schools.
Having explored the cultural and educational factors affecting participation in congregational song, I intend to formulate a method to help schools and churches select appropriate material to hand on the Christian faith to the younger generation, and hope that this method will be equally valuable to all denominations.
I would be most grateful if you would be so kind as to complete the enclosed questionnaire and return it to me in the pre-paid envelope provided at your earliest convenience.
Please do not hesitate to contact me if you have any questions relating to my research.
Yours sincerely,
Elspeth Chantler
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