15 Sep 2004 - CJM take school by storm!
Leading liturgical musicians, Jo Boyce, Mike Stanley and Aidan Pepper (known as CJM Music) joined us in September for two days' intensive retreat experience. Headed by Joanne Boyce and Mike Stanley, CJM Music was established in May 1996. Since then the company has gone from strength to strength, and many consider Jo and Mike to be among the foremost exponents of contemporary liturgical music in Britain today.
At the heart of CJM's mission and vision is a commitment to resourcing pastoral musicians, engaging the skills of young people and to serving the church through the ministry of music.
The seed was first sown at Soli House - a residential youth retreat centre in Stratford upon Avon. In 1994 Fr Mike White - then director of Soli House - encouraged Jo and Mike to work together on a new recording project. The first song they wrote together was 'Bread of Life, Truth Eternal'. It became the title track of the album they were working on, and if you know the song, you'll know why Jo and Mike believe that their song-writing partnership is more part of God's plan than their own.
Working with Young People: CJM is a company with a heart for young people. We seek to involve them at all levels of our work - on stage, in the recording studio, leading workshops, even at planning and administrative level.
Working in Schools: For many young people, their only regular experience of church is collective worship at school. Apart from visiting schools to introduce new music, to plan and lead music for special occasions and run workshops with students, CJM is developing an ongoing programme of INSET provision for teachers.
During the two days that they spent in school, Jo, Mike and Aidan led assemblies and ran workshops for musicians who are preparing for GCSE (they are expected to have worked with professional musicians in one of their modules).
This was the first time that the school had deliberately targeted the young people for a retreat experience that would show how being a worshipping Christian can be fun as well as demanding some commitment.
Our students certainly got a lot from it and participated well when called out to take part in the "Battle of the Djembe" or to act the part of God in "Earth calling Heaven".
As some of the photos on display in school show, there was a genuine sense of fun , but a deeper spiritual message that we were all left with.
The final song of the assemblies summed it all up for us - you are all special - and this fitted in well with our aim to bring out the "specialness" of being a member of the St Michael's community here in school.
Our two days was rounded off with a two hour concert. Although it was not terribly well attended (put a note in your diaries that we will be inviting CJM back in a couple of years' time) the atmosphere was electric and at the same time very deeply spiritual. Miss Wise played her cello beautifully and members of the choir were fantastic backing singers.
A good time was had by all. We look forward to the next time that they come.
The seed was first sown at Soli House - a residential youth retreat centre in Stratford upon Avon. In 1994 Fr Mike White - then director of Soli House - encouraged Jo and Mike to work together on a new recording project. The first song they wrote together was 'Bread of Life, Truth Eternal'. It became the title track of the album they were working on, and if you know the song, you'll know why Jo and Mike believe that their song-writing partnership is more part of God's plan than their own.
Working with Young People: CJM is a company with a heart for young people. We seek to involve them at all levels of our work - on stage, in the recording studio, leading workshops, even at planning and administrative level.
Working in Schools: For many young people, their only regular experience of church is collective worship at school. Apart from visiting schools to introduce new music, to plan and lead music for special occasions and run workshops with students, CJM is developing an ongoing programme of INSET provision for teachers.
During the two days that they spent in school, Jo, Mike and Aidan led assemblies and ran workshops for musicians who are preparing for GCSE (they are expected to have worked with professional musicians in one of their modules).
This was the first time that the school had deliberately targeted the young people for a retreat experience that would show how being a worshipping Christian can be fun as well as demanding some commitment.
Our students certainly got a lot from it and participated well when called out to take part in the "Battle of the Djembe" or to act the part of God in "Earth calling Heaven".
As some of the photos on display in school show, there was a genuine sense of fun , but a deeper spiritual message that we were all left with.
The final song of the assemblies summed it all up for us - you are all special - and this fitted in well with our aim to bring out the "specialness" of being a member of the St Michael's community here in school.
Our two days was rounded off with a two hour concert. Although it was not terribly well attended (put a note in your diaries that we will be inviting CJM back in a couple of years' time) the atmosphere was electric and at the same time very deeply spiritual. Miss Wise played her cello beautifully and members of the choir were fantastic backing singers.
A good time was had by all. We look forward to the next time that they come.