On Sunday 7 March, the eve of International Women’s Day, organists (and a few choirs too) took to social media to celebrate Woman Composer Sunday, a joint initiative by the Society of Women Organists and the RCO.  Organists were asked to perform a piece of music by a woman composer that day, and post it to Twitter, Facebook or YouTube. StopPress reports on the inspiring results.

In two webinars Frederick Stocken looks at the fugue question for the FRCO written examination. These classes are directly relevant for students working towards FRCO, as well as being of general interest to students of harmony at this level.

Frederick Stocken looks at the 18th-century two-part counterpoint requirements of the ARCO written examination paper, in two webinars recorded during the COVID-19 lockdown.

We are recording our current series of live webinars on harmony for the RCO examination written papers, so they can be viewed on iRCO.  This month’s Learning during Lockdown suggests how you could use these, and other resources, to start or continue your studies of harmony, depending on your existing knowledge.   We also introduce live looping, an improvisatory technique from the world of electronic music, which can be creatively applied to the organ.

Frederick Stocken looks at the two-part counterpoint requirements of the ARCO written examination paper, in two webinars recorded during the COVID-19 lockdown.

In a series of three webinars, recorded during the COVID-19 lockdown, Frederick Stocken looks at fugal techniques for the ARCO written examination.

A practical guide to writing fugues for students, of particular interest to candidates for the RCO Diploma examinations, but useful to anyone with some skills in basic harmony who wishes to expand their knowledge.

In a set of three webinars Frederick Stocken looks at the Bach Chorale question of the ARCO examination written paper, which requires the completion of the harmony to a given chorale melody, in the style of J S Bach.

Regular lessons may have fallen into abeyance during lockdown, and keeping up impetus and engagement in solitude can be difficult even for the best of us, without some sort of structure.  This week’s Learning during Lockdown looks at ways in which beginner and developing organists can gain inspiration and keep engaged through the structure of the RCO’s early qualifications, up to CRCO.  Established organists might like to use the enforced thinking time of lockdown to imagine how they could diversify their careers, and we have some suggestions.