The Congregational Church of Topsfield United Church of Christ
Director of Music and the Arts Search, 2009

Basic Job Description

The Congregational Church of Topsfield MA seeks a director of Music and the Arts for its vibrant music program. Responsibilities include: worship planning with the Senior Pastor, directing the 25 member senior choir, youth choirs, bell choir, developing skills in parish musicians, and working with the organist and other staff. We are seeking an energetic, organized, collaborative musician with strong directing skills, knowledge and appreciation of diverse styles of music, and competency in supporting liturgical worship. The position is for 20 hours a week and will begin August 1, 2009. Candidates interested in directing just one of these groups will also be considered. Send inquiries and resume to Serena Caperonis, Search Committee at Search@Topsfieldchurch.org.

Key elements of the job are as follows:

1. Provide overall planning and coordination of the music program including

development and support of lay leadership,
coordination with clergy (weekly staff meetings, coordination of musical and sermon themes, hymn selection for worship, etc),
supervision of organist
coordination with Board of Worship and Music (monthly meeting plus other conversations as required),
coordination of the music library and oversight of musical instruments
coordination of all music groups at the church
management of the contract musician budget and music maintenance budget
preparation of special worship services and programs (e.g. Lent, Homecoming, Advent, Thanksgiving, Christmas) that occur other than on Sunday morning.
he/she recruits and rehearses solo and ensemble musicians for special music during summer worship services,
encourages and assists other performance groups as the needs, demands, and talents of the congregation allow,
plans, organizes, and conducts the annual Christmas concert and assists in the publicity for the concert.

2. Direct the chancel choir. This includes music selection and planning, weekly rehearsals, Sunday services, etc.

3. Direct the children’s and youth choirs. This includes music selection and planning, rehearsals, and occasional presentations in Sunday worship.

4. Direct the bell choir. This includes music selection and planning, weekly rehearsals and four to six performances during Sunday worship.

Current Choirs of the Congregational Church of Topsfield

The Chancel Choir is the primary musical group of the church with twenty five members. Singing in worship each week, except during July and August, the choir performs a wide range of music from classical to gospel, folk to baroque. All persons high school age and older are encouraged to attend. Persons who cannot attend regularly may join us for the Christmas Concert and Easter services. Rehearsals are one evening a week, 7:30 to 9:15.

The eleven-member Bell Choir is open to all persons grade 9 through adult. It meets weekly on Wednesday evenings from 7:30 to 9:00 and plays in worship about every 6 weeks. It plays for the Christmas Concert. The bell choir also plays handchimes.

Our Children’s Choir is our main children’s group which sings a wide range of literature and sings in worship 5-6 times a year, plus at the Christmas Concert. Basic music and choral skills are also taught.

The High School Choir sings a range of music and performs 3 times during the year. High School students are also encouraged to sing in the Chancel Choir.

Instrumentalists are encouraged to play solos or in small groups. They may be asked to accompany hymns or choral pieces. Past groups have included a Celtic Ensemble, Youth Ensemble, a recorder group, and a string group.

Vocalists have opportunities to sing in small ensembles and solos. Past groups have included a Men’s Quartet, Women’s Quartet, Gospel group, and a chamber choral group for Christmas Eve. Solo opportunities are available with the choirs and during the summer.

Each summer our services feature special music for each service. This has ranged from solos and duets, from instrumental solos to small ensembles. These are organized by the Music Director.

Choir Literature

The Chancel Choir meets weekly on Thursday evenings and sings most Sundays. It is comprised of 27 members, with an average attendance of 18-22 per Sunday. For the Christmas and Easter the Choir normally numbers about 35.
Recording: With Cheerful Voice: A garland of Hymns (2007)

Major Works:

Charpentier - Midnight Mass
Handel - Messiah Choruses
Britten - Ceremony of Carols
Robert Ray - Gospel Mass
Mozart - Vespers
Mozart - Requiem
Faure - Requiem
Haydn - Creation
Rutter - Gloria
Vivaldi - Gloria choruses

A Sampling of Recent Choral Literature:

Hawley - Not One Sparrow Is Forgotten
Holst - Let All Mortal Flesh
Krik Franklin - Till We Meet Again
Keith Hampton - Let Everything That Hath Breath
Welsey - Lead Me Lord
Brahms - Requiem mvt #1
Ratcliff - Praise God With Heart and Voice
Shaker - Hymn Peace Unto Zion
Copland - The Promise of Living
Poston - Jesus Christ The Apple Tree
U.S Sacred Harmony - Deal Gently With Thy Servants
Billings - Hallelujah
Haydn - The Heavens Are Telling
Zehnal - Let Your Heart Keep My Commandments
Henderson - We’ve Come This Far by Faith
Rutter - Gaelic Blessing
Schutz - O All Ye Nations

Bell Choir:
The Bell Choir meets on Wednesday evenings and plays in service about every 4-6 weeks. The Bell Choir is comprised of 11 players playing 3 octaves of Schulmerich handbells and 3 octaves of Malmark chimes. Level I music is used for sightreading, with significant pieces being Level II and the very occasional level 4.

Background Information

The following information on The Congregational Church of Topsfield is provided to give candidates for the Director of Music and the Arts position a better sense of the church membership, and some of the church programs. We encourage the candidates to peruse our church website and ask questions during the interview process.

The Congregational Church of Topsfield is a multi-staff church of approximately 375 members situated on the North Shore of Boston on the Town Common for Topsfield. The professional staff consists of the Senior Pastor, the Associate Pastor, Director of Youth Missions and Outreach, Children’s Ministries Assistant, Director of Music and the Arts and Organist. The professional staff is supported by both office and maintenance personnel. The church offers a wide range of programs and service opportunities to its members and has an active governance structure of Church Council, Church Boards and multiple ministry teams. Worship attendance averages 180 throughout the year.

As a member congregation of the United Church of Christ, the Congregational Church of Topsfield is representative both liturgically and theologically of mainline Protestantism. Its members come from a wide range of church backgrounds, and, for some, Topsfield is their first adult church home. The church strives to be as inclusive as possible in all its worship and activities while honoring its traditional Christian theological roots.

A great deal of time is spent between the Senior Pastor and the Director of Music and the Arts planning worship services. In addition, a Worship Planning Team lends their creative ideas to the worship planning as well as their artistic gifts to enhance the worship experience visually and through drama. We work with a variety of music styles and seek music that enhances the worship experience. On any given Sunday, you might hear a beautiful anthem by Mozart, a high spirited gospel number, a haunting traditional American folk hymn, a rhythmic Celtic song, or a stunning contemporary choral work.

Mission and Vision
The Congregational Church of Topsfield’s mission is to help people come to know Jesus Christ and grow into His fully devoted disciples. We build our church life around the five purposes of the church clearly given by Jesus in the Great Commission (Matthew 28:19-20) and the Great Commandment (Matthew 22:37-40): worship, ministry, evangelism, fellowship and discipleship. We are called to be a church community with outstretched hands, welcoming all and nurturing seekers of God’s love and grace. As a congregation, we have just completed a congregation wide planning process under the facilitation leadership of a consultant from the Alban Institute. We have many exciting plans for the church to both grow in numbers and in our depth of discipleship. We are a passionate, enthusiastic church family who desires to be a great blessing to our community and to the world.