The University of St Andrews Music Centre in partnership with the School of Divinity runs an MLitt on Sacred Music.

I am collecting feedback through an online survey this autumn on what kinds of music (and potentially, quiet spaces as well) helps people to worship at this time of challenge for many congregations, hoping that this will inform our teaching, but also that we might be able to report back to other organisations actively supporting church music in Scotland what people have said about why music matters to them, and what kind of sounds (and potentially also, silences) are helpful.

As Jeremiah 6:16 says, using ancient, well-trodden paths to guide us keeps us on reliable ground; but, as we hear in Psalm 33:3, the scriptures also instruct us to sing new songs “skilfully” to sustain our living worship. How can we balance these two instructions – to preserve and renew? What kind of skills training, aptitudes, resources and mutual supports will we need to guide us along the way?

The survey has some initial questions to help filter responses and a couple of quantitative questions relating to prayer, scripture and community. But at the heart of the survey are just four questions:

• why does music matter to worship?

• who makes music happen (and who might but currently doesn’t)?

• what memories do people have of music working well?

• what wishes do people have of how music could work better?

The final output will include anonymised free-text comments, and might help to stimulate some discussions both at the local level and amongst those of us thinking about skills training, on how to support each other in this area of ministry.

The survey is: https://standrews.eu.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/ SV_1Yxn4KyXT4Adhr0

Dr Jane Pettegree (University of St Andrews), Fife