Covid-19: RCO Response & Support for Organists

Covid-19: RCO Response & Support for Organists


The Royal College of Organists has announced a number of initiatives to support organists through the Covid-19 pandemic, including increased access to educational resources, fresh online tuition, and regular information and updates.

These measures include making the full iRCO online learning platform available to guest as well as member accounts. This means that with a free guest account, all organists worldwide can now access hundreds of videos, audio files, papers, articles and other material.

Where RCO courses, classes and other events have been cancelled or postponed, the College is also preparing online webinars and presentations to cover as much of the content as possible.

RCO Chief Executive Sir Andrew Parmley said: “We recognise the hardship that the Covid-19 response is causing so many in our society, and as freelance musicians, teachers and performers, organists are certainly no exception.

“In fact, as well as the sudden loss of livelihood that many have suffered, many if not most organists currently have either no or restricted access to their instruments in churches and other public buildings.

“As well as making available as much information and as many learning opportunities as possible to help organists fill the enforced downtime they now have, we are also making urgent representations to the government on both income and access to instruments.”

More details of these initiatives follow on this news page, but as things develop you will be able to find the latest information at www.rco.org.uk/covid19.php

Advocacy

Recognising the unique double impact that the Covid-19 lockdown is having on organists, the RCO has written to the Chancellor of the Exchequer asking him to favourably consider the proposals currently being discussed for enhanced support for freelance workers. We are also seeking urgent clarification and guidance on access to instruments in public buildings including churches. Click to read a copy of the full letter.

Online Resources

Recognising that many organists are now looking for ways to use their lockdown time constructively, the College has now opened its full iRCO virtual campus to all organists. This means that until 30 June 2020, guest users as well as College members can now access for free more than 300 videos, audio files, papers, articles and other content covering everything from technique to repertoire, performance to professional skills.

Anyone wishing to access iRCO for the first time should visit i.rco.org.uk and register for a guest or member account as appropriate (existing users should continue to sign in as normal).

Events & Online Tuition

All RCO non-residential courses, classes and events have been cancelled or postponed, and all of those booked to attend should now have heard from the RCO concerning arrangements for credits or refunds.

The College team is currently looking at ways of providing the material from these courses via webinars and online tuition. These announced via a regularly issued RCO e-Diary (see Communication & Updates, below).

As things stand today (Thursday 26 March) we still hope to run the RCO Summer Course (3–8 August, London) and The Organ Student Experience (4–9 August, Cambridge), provided this is possible within Government guidelines and that there are sufficient bookings to make them viable. We are keeping this matter under constant review, and if it becomes necessary to cancel these events, those who have already booked will be offered a credit or refund. Summer Course students who have booked accommodation at Sundial Court will not be required to pay for it until it is known that the course can go ahead. You should receive notification to this effect from Sundial Court.

Communication & Updates

As well as providing full access to the wealth of learning content in iRCO, and setting up new online tuition, we are working to pull together regular information, learning suggestions and practical advice which organists might find useful during this difficult time.

We are aiming to publish a new curated list of suggestions every week throughout the crisis. This will be presented as an article in the iRCO blog, StopPress (i.rco.org.uk – see above for details on free iRCO access for all).

This article will also feature in a regular email to all RCO subscribers. RCO e-Diary, an email bulletin which normally carries a monthly digest of events news from the College and its partners, will be repurposed throughout the present restrictions and sent to everyone on our mailing list (members and non-members alike).

If you do not currently receive RCO e-Diary, you can sign up for free at www.rco.org.uk/email_preferences.php

RCO Accreditation

The College is currently considering the viability of its Summer diploma examination session in July. An announcement will be made as soon as possible, and we will write direct to those candidates who are registered for the Summer session as soon as that information is available.
For the latest news on RCO examinations, visit www.rco.org.uk/examinations_schedules.php

Meanwhile, it is business as usual for the Certificate of Accredited Membership (CAM), with assessments available through audio-visual submission at all three stages. Some 30 members have been accredited in this way in the last three years, and now could be the time to devote attention to this important strand of the College's accreditation programme.

You can find the requirements and suggested repertoire at www.rco.org.uk/examinations_qualifications.php. Digital instruments at home are welcomed and have featured in a number of assessments in recent sessions. The next deadline for receipt of applications and AV material is 1 April, and after that 1 July.

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