University lecturer Knut Størdal climbs one of the old wooden stairs inside Nidaros Cathedral. He shows off his favorite instrument – the organ, while also sharing a huge concern. – We are talking about a recruitment crisis that applies to church music as a whole. But with us, the result has been that we have not admitted new students in the last two years. – So it’s actually quite a big crisis. Knut Størdal is a university lecturer in church music education at NTNU. Photo: Mari Svenning / news Decline without live music The fact that there are not enough applicants for church music threatens the future of the study. At the same time, Størdal is clear that this can affect us all. – People will notice it, for example, when they are having a wedding or a funeral. For many, the great music is one of the reasons why it will be extra nice if you choose to get married in church. – I think it will probably be a downturn if you can’t have live music. If you are going to use Spotify or something like that for the entrance to your wedding, it will be a bit awkward. But there are a few students here. One of them is 22-year-old Johannes Høyland. – We at church music have our own key – an old key to get to the baroque organ, which is an old organ, he says, as he sneaks up into one of the church’s aisles. – It’s fun how many secret passages there are in Nidaros Cathedral. No ordinary sponsor’s week Having your own key to the national shrine is therefore one of the benefits of the course. And in here, in what probably competes to be Norway’s finest classroom, they have practice every Monday throughout the year. – When we come here to rehearse, it’s very quiet, even when there are a lot of people here. And then there is so much beauty to look at. Johannes Høyland studies church music in Trondheim. Photo: Mari Svenning / news He himself has just started the third year of the four-year bachelor’s education. – Getting the organ concerts out to the public, and getting people involved, I think is important, says Høyland. Altogether, the eight students are divided into third and fourth class. They have just returned from summer vacation and are all ready to start a new school year. But without sponsor children, there was no traditional sponsor week for this group. The church music students at NTNU have possibly one of Norway’s finest classrooms inside the Nidaros Cathedral in Trondheim itself. Photo: news Must work in other ways – We work to motivate more people to choose church education in general – and church music in particular. That’s what Jan Christian Kielland, department director for church studies and ecumenism, says. This autumn, the church council will provide money so that several places can establish cooperation between cultural schools and congregations. But they also take other measures. – There are many musicians working in the Church of Norway who do not have a full, formal education. And who also does a fantastic job. – Recruiting students is not the only solution, we can qualify those who already work in the church and who have a different background. Jan Christian Kielland is department director for church studies and ecumenics in the Church of Norway. Photo: Heidi Olsen/Den norske kirke The church council is keen to get young people to choose this career path, he says. But they are also concerned that there are too few study places, and have a dialogue with the educational institutions about it. – Recruitment is a big challenge, especially for classical church music – and people’s expectations when it comes to, for example, weddings and funerals. We are completely dependent on having highly qualified musicians who handle the organ well. I think many people expect that from the church. – Guaranteed job – What will it take to get more fellow students on this particular line? – Telling that we have the key to Nidaros Cathedral, the students laugh. But maybe the teacher has a better carrot. After education, these students are guaranteed a job, according to Størdal. – There is also a lack of applicants for church music positions. The need out there is huge. So it is somewhat paradoxical that we are in the situation where we lack applicants for the study. – We have to try to get young people to come up with the idea that it can be nice to work in the church and work with church music. We firmly believe that it is, he smiles. The church musicians are employed in 350 joint councils across the country. Kielland’s impression is that there are not that many positions that are vacant, but that it is a matter of employing people with less formal education. – Why should young people choose to study church music? – The church is a fantastic cultural arena where an incredible amount happens, with lots of voluntary commitment and fantastic instruments. And with the opportunity to mean a lot in people’s lives with music.
ttn-69
NTNU is struggling with recruitment to study church music – The Norwegian Church is concerned – news Trøndelag – Local news, TV and radio
