We are excited to announce that the St. John’s Choir School, beginning this August, is now accepting enrollment applications for this fall! A vision originating more than 10 years ago as an initiative of the 2019-2024 strategic plan, the Choir School is a culmination of years of planning and prayer and an opportunity for the music ministry to broaden its impact in the Tallahassee community and surrounding counties. 

Since the inception of the Junior Choir in 1930, St. John’s has valued the leadership of children and youth in the singing of hymns and anthems in worship, and since 1990, has participated in the music education curriculum of the Royal School of Church Music in the teaching of choristers. The Choir School takes this historical chorister program deeper by offering our resources (dedicated music theory instruction, keyboard lessons, vocal coaching) to all children regardless of means or background, at no cost to families.

We invite you to watch the video above to learn more about the Choir School’s curriculum. Programming will be offered three days a week after school in addition to leading worship on Sunday mornings. The Choir School will call upon the tradition of cathedral-based schools in the Anglican tradition while adapting to the needs of a modern, urban community.

With our parish’s bicentennial on the horizon, this is an exciting time for the church to step forward and offer this wonderful opportunity for area young people – those both in and outside our walls, and financially restricted families who might not even be able to dream of the extracurricular activities the St. John’s Choir School will provide. Save the date for a Choir School Kickoff and Open House on Sunday, August 20 after the 10 AM service!

Please email Marissa Hall, Assistant Director of Music, for enrollment information.

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The St. John’s Choir School, set to launch in August of this year, will bring with it new programmatic offerings for the children and youth and for the community of St. John’s.

As this program year comes to an end and we look towards the fall, you can expect the following changes beginning in August:

• Chorister rehearsals on Tuesdays, Wednesdays, and Thursdays after school
• Free weekly keyboard lessons offered to all choristers enrolled in the Choir School
• Vocal coaching during each Chorister rehearsal, facilitated by FSU College of Music undergraduate and graduate students
• Weekly Evensong services led by the St. John’s Choristers:
  • Wednesdays at 5:30 PM in Carter Chapel
  • End the workday with prayers and song led by the St. John’s Choristers.
  • This brief 30-minute service in Carter Chapel serves to mark the end of the workday and as a meditative prelude to mid-week formation offerings at St. John’s.

We invite you to visit the Choir School portion of the St. John’s website to learn more about the mission of this unique program and the parishioners that make up the St. John’s Choir School advisory board.

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The St. John’s Choir School, an initiative that grew out of our 2019-2024 Strategic plan, is set to launch this August! Over the next few months, be on the lookout for choristers taking on a larger role with the adult choir on Sunday mornings and during the week, as we add additional rehearsals to our weekday schedule.

TWO REHEARSALS: DOUBLE THE FUN!

Moving towards the more intensive programming of the Choir School this Fall, the choristers now have two after-school rehearsals per week, in addition to Sunday mornings. They are working hard to prepare for Choral Evensong on February 19.

MUSIC THEORY TRAINING

Offered on Tuesdays and Wednesdays before choir rehearsal, choristers can sign up for a time to work on their music theory, learning scales, intervals, key signatures, and more! Pictured here is one chorister working towards her light blue ribbon with the help of her colleague.

We invite you to learn more about the St. John’s Choir School and how you can be a part of this exciting project. Join our email list to stay up to date on choir school news.

We also invite you to make a donation to support the expansion of our chorister program and the ongoing work of the St. John’s Choir School. Make sure you select “Choir School” from the drop-down menu before making your donation.

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Join us in welcoming Marissa Hall to the St. John’s staff as Assistant Director of Music. However, Marissa is no stranger to St. John’s! She served as our sacred music intern while she was an undergraduate, and she helped lead St. John’s Summer Choir Camp through seven summer sessions.

After getting her degree in Sacred Music at FSU, Marissa earned both a Master’s Degree in Sacred Music and a Graduate Certificate in Arts Administration from Boston University. Marissa’s experience as a music and worship administrator, director of music, and organist, will be an asset to St. John’s as she focuses on building up the chorister program and resuming work on the choir school initiative, a component of St. John’s 2019-2023 strategic plan.

Marissa is passionate about children’s music, hymnody, and liturgy, and is an active member of the Association of Anglican Musicians. She also serves on the board of directors for the Royal School of Church Music in America (RSCMA) and is a contributor/curator to the Great Host of Composers Database Project.

Welcome to the St. John’s staff, Marissa!

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SPECIAL PARISH ANNOUNCEMENT
February 1, 2022

Dear Friends,

I am so grateful for each of you in these times. Your generosity and compassion for each other is truly a gift and a light to our community. And its the reason why St. John’s remains strong and creative, sharing the light of Christ in Tallahassee and beyond.

In the midst of this holy “in-between” time, as St. John’s searches for a new rector, we have continued to implement the vision outlined in our five-year strategic plan: to strive to grow our faith in community, grow in spiritual depth and outreach, and grow in resources. I am delighted to share that, in December 2021, our church vestry unanimously approved moving forward with our Strategic Plan initiative to create a St. John’s Choir School. This initiative has been part of our conversation since the plan’s formation in 2018. The mission of the St. John’s Choir School is to offer a challenging and immersive program of musical study for all children, regardless of means or background, by giving them a chance to sing alongside professionals in an intergenerational setting and in a safe space.

Today, I am able to share that Marissa Hall will be joining the St. John’s music staff on September 20, 2022, as Interim Director of St. John’s Choir School and Assistant Director of Music. She will work under the supervision of St. John’s Director of Music Betsy Calhoun and with other leaders from our amazing music program. When Marissa begins in September, she will be working with our existing music program and establishing the foundational work for the opening of the St. John’s Choir School in fall of 2023.

Marissa is a familiar face to St. John’s Episcopal Church. Many of you will recognize her from her undergraduate days at FSU and as a St. John’s Sacred Music Intern. She has also served as the head of St. John’s Summer Choir Camp, which will celebrate its 7th summer program in 2022. Marissa was also responsible for the beautiful, collaborative virtual choir pieces we all enjoyed during the earliest months of the pandemic.

After earning her bachelor’s degree in Sacred Music from Florida State University, Marissa moved north for her master’s degree in Sacred Music from Boston University and Graduate Certificate in Arts Administration. She currently serves as Music and Worship Administrator at Trinity Church, Boston MA, and as Director of Music and Organist at St. Peter’s Episcopal Church in Cambridge MA. Marissa is passionate about children’s music and hymnody and is an active member of the Association of Anglican Musicians. She also currently serves on the board of directors for the Royal School of Church Music in America (RSCMA) and is a contributor/curator to the Great Host of Composers Database Project.

We are delighted to welcome Marissa back to St. John’s to join our staff in the fall. Please contact me or Betsy Calhoun if you would like to learn more about how you can invest in the St. John’s Choir School. Your faithfulness has kept St. John’s thriving for nearly 200 years, and we are confident that you will share our excitement as we move forward with this exciting new initiative that will allow St. John’s to play a part in forming our future generations!

God’s peace,

The Rev. Abigail W. Moon
Interim Rector

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