Southwark & East Surrey Area

Award Schemes

There are two award schemes in the Southwark and East Surrey Area:

• Dean’s Award (Bronze)
• Bishop’s Award (Silver)

Their aim is to encourage in choristers a high standard of loyalty, musical ability and dedication to church and choir.

The Gold Award is examined and administered by the RSCM centrally and you can find out more on the RSCM website.

The requirements for the Southwark Dean’s (Bronze) and Bishop’s (Silver) examinations appear below. Contact for further information.

Dean’s Award (Bronze)

The candidate:

1. must have been a member of a choir and attended regularly for at least two years;
2. must submit a testimonial at the point of application signed by their vicar/minister/head of music/head teacher/director of music confirming their ongoing commitment to the choir; and
3. may choose to sing their voice part or to follow a unison line, except in the set piece where they must sing Soprano/Treble, Alto, Tenor or Bass.

Read the full Dean’s Award Syllabus which includes an application form. There are also some specific requirements for 2010, including examination dates and set pieces.

Bishop’s Award (Silver)

The candidate:

1. will be required to sing Soprano/Treble, Alto, Tenor or Bass.
2. must have been a member of a choir and attended regularly for at least three years. The choir trainer must submit a testimonial at the point of application signed by the vicar/minister/head of music/head teacher/director of music confirming the candidate’s commitment to the choir.
3. Those candidates aged 15 and below must pass the Dean’s Award (Bronze) before attempting the Bishop’s Award (Silver). Those candidates aged 16 and above may opt for either award without preliminary qualifications.

Read the full Bishop’s Award Syllabus which includes an application form. There are also some specific requirements for 2010,including examination dates and set pieces.