Teachers and schools play a vital role in introducing the next generation to organ and choral music.
The RCO works to support teaching professionals at all levels – from primary school teachers introducing children to the organ for the first time, to specialist music teachers seeking to broaden their students’ musical experience and understanding.
We also work with schools with established or burgeoning organ programmes, providing a structured and progressive framework for learning through our accreditation framework, and making instruments available through our Organs in Schools initiative.
Our First Stop! website offers a welcoming and accessible starting point for exploring the organ.
Designed for newcomers to the organ and those who teach and engage them, it brings together the best available content and advice from across the organ world in one carefully structured platform. Rather than duplicating existing material, First Stop! curates films, interviews, lesson guides, playlists and digital learning tools from around the world, making it easier to find and use high-quality resources in teaching and learning contexts.
A powerful search function enables users to explore by topic, content type or keyword, supporting both structured teaching and independent discovery. Whether introducing a class to the instrument for the first time or developing deeper understanding, First Stop! provides a clear and flexible route into the organ and its music. Visit First Stop! today »
RCO Accreditation provides a structured and respected framework that teachers, mentors and institutions can recommend with confidence.
Whether working in schools, universities, conservatoires or independent practice, teachers and mentors play a vital role in guiding students towards appropriate benchmarks, nurturing musical development and broadening artistic horizons.
RCO qualifications can support that work. Offering more than simply an examination outcome, they provide a structured stimulus for musical growth, independent learning and sustained artistic development. Read more at RCO Accreditation »
Through its Organs in Schools initiative, the RCO places instruments in state schools and institutions supporting state education throughout the UK.
The scheme, which grew out of the #InspiringOrganists project, identifies and supports schools where a lack of a suitable instrument is hampering an existing or planned music education programme.
With generous support from sponsors including The Garfield Weston Trust, The Worshipful Company of Plaisterers, The United Grand Lodge of England, and private donors, the College is able to donate high-quality digital organs from our partners at Viscount Organs.
The instruments can be installed in classroom, practice or performance spaces, and used to further the education of a new, and socially diverse, generation of organists.
To register your interest in the Organs In Schools programme, please download and complete this application form. The form, or any questions you may have about the scheme, should be sent in the first instance to RCO Chief Executive Sir Andrew Parmley at andrew.parmley@rco.org.uk.
“The new organ has been the basis of many discussions … as students spotted this wonderful instrument. Pupils – not merely those learning the organ – asked questions about how it works and what sounds it makes, leading to cross-curricular learning at its best, involving music, creativity, science and history.”— Matthew Lond, Director of Music at The King’s School, Grantham
The schools which have so far received a Viscount Organs digital instrument through the Organs in Schools programme are:
“We have students that have lessons at the church but have found that practice can sometimes be challenging for them. Now that we have the organ at school, they have access to it during break and lunchtimes. I am hoping to organise a taster session in the Summer term to show off this great instrument and to give other students the opportunity to learn it. It will also allow us to showcase the talents of organists at our concerts… We are very much looking forward to incorporating this great instrument into the musical life of the school.”— Vicky Garrett, Kesteven & Grantham Girls’ School