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We welcome all-comers to the St James music group in Leith – singers and instrumentalists, old and young, beginners as well as and those with a lifetime’s musical experience.
Music at St James
There is a longstanding tradition of church music at St James going back several centuries. At the start of the 21st century we offer a blend of modern and traditional music appealing to a broad range of tastes.
Music in church is always an aid to worship, rather than a performance in its own right. Although we have skilled and enthusiastic musicians from many traditions in the group, we believe in helping the whole congregation participate in the musical life of the church. We therefore involve folk of all ages, abilities and persuasions in preparing and playing the music which we use on a Sunday.
Membership is fluid. Some group members have been involved regularly for more than 30 years. Others take part as and when they can.
Why we love music
Music is a vital part of our worship – individual, collective, and online. The purpose of music at St James is to support people explore and deepen their faith. We recognise that people are at different stages on their journey.
A skilled music leader guides and energises everyone – in both the group and the congregation. We are happy to welcome any instrument. Over recent years these have included bassoon, clarinet, violin, acoustic guitar, bass guitar, djembe, percussion, keyboards, flute, mandolin, tuba, whistles, and lowland pipes. We have one or two professional musicians involved, but the majority are unqualified enthusiasts.
We nurture beginners (of all ages). Also, you don’t need to be able to read music to take part.
For us, singing is primarily a collective activity. We have a strong belief in the power and beauty of harmony. We regularly teach the congregation different musical ‘parts’ to give them the confidence to ‘make a joyful noise’.
We draw on musical sources as varied as traditional Victorian hymns, songs from the Iona community, African dance and song, meditative Taize chants, world music, and contemporary worship songs. We also make use of ‘non-religious’ material, recognising that the church doesn’t have a monopoly on good tunes and lyrics.
Growing together
We meet on Sunday for an hour and a quarter before the morning service. This helps us get to know each other better, learn new material, brush up the old favourites, deal with any practical issues, and saves us turning out on a chilly winter evening!
We organise awaydays and workshops (a recent one ex-plored how we can use percussion and rhythm in services). The group is committed to learning from each other, and an increasing amount of the music we use on a Sunday is written by the Group. Much of this is self-published as ‘The glory and the grey' (See below)
Leadership
The music group is relatively autonomous, but is accountable to the church’s management. A small subgroup of music group members meets regularly to respond to developments in the church and in the wider community.
Making contact
If you’d like to find out more (and maybe play and sing with us)
Speak to someone in the group on Sunday after the service
Contact Iain Lothian (our rector) on Rector@stjamesleith.org.uk;
Simply arrive on Sunday with your Ethiopian didgeridoo under your arm.
The St James Music Group have produced a book of sheet music collecting together many of the worship songs which the group have written together over recent years.
Below are recordings of three of the songs from the collection
Copies of the book can be purchased for £8.50 plus p&p. Email the church office for more details.
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