May 12, 2019
Before I became Director of Music at St James, I had already heard of the RSCM – an organisation dedicated to developing and preserving the very best in church music in the UK and overseas.

What I didn’t realise was how interested they are in their local members. Read the rest of this entry »
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Christian Music, Christianity and Church, Music | Tagged: Ascension Day, Birmingham, choristers, church, church music, committee, Director of Music, invitation, local, music, Royal School of Church Music, RSCM, singing, St James Hill |
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Posted by Andrew Clayton
May 8, 2019
I’m some six months (and a bit) late in writing this, but it’s been a busy time.
The Hope for Sutton project, which encompasses a range of activities and initiatives supporting the local community in and around Mere Green launched last October. As part of the celebrations I was delighted to present an original piece of composition recorded and performed by students from three local primary schools. In return for their hard work I decided to keep the recording online for free, so they would have easy access to hear themselves in what is technically a world premiere.
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Christian Music, Community Stuff, Music, Musical Projects | Tagged: Andrew Clayton, Andy Arnold, choir, church, community, composition, Gordon Giltrap, Hope for Sutton, music, publishing, recording, schools work, song, St James Hill |
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Posted by Andrew Clayton
May 5, 2019
It’s funny, isn’t it, how difficult its can be to express an idea. I had a concept of what I wanted to do, but I was under the impression the work already existed and I would be presenting somebody else’s genius.
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Christian Music, Music, Musical Projects | Tagged: Andrew Clayton, children, choir, composition, music, Noah, Noah and the Ark, St James Hill, Sutton Colfield |
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Posted by Andrew Clayton
July 25, 2018
It’s been a while.
Honestly, I haven’t felt like there’s much to write about on a blog recently. The last year has been busy, and while good, there have been things I needed to deal with more urgently than composing and delivering blog content. Read the rest of this entry »
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Christian Music, Community Stuff | Tagged: Andrew Clayton, blog, busy, choir, church, Director of Music, music, playing, St James Hill, writing |
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Posted by Andrew Clayton
November 1, 2016
We’re going carolling in pubs again. It’s another glorious romp around some excellent ale houses with a piano and a sheaf of carol sheets which seems to be an annual indulgence. I’ve just sent an order to the printers for flyers (download yours in advance here if you like) and we have more pubs than ever on the list.
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Christian Music, Community Stuff, Music | Tagged: 2016, Advent, Aldridge, ales beers and carols, Andrew Clayton, carolling, carols, church, December, pubs, Walsall |
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Posted by Andrew Clayton
January 24, 2016
It’s been a while since I wrote about Christian music, but something this morning really made me pause and think.
Horatio Spafford is known for a few things, principally as a chum of great evangelist Dwight Moody and the writer of “It is well with my Soul” – a hymn inspired by the tragic loss of his four daughters in a shipwreck when crossing the Atlantic to holiday in England. The hymn, published by Sankey to a tune by Philip Bliss, is a standard in traditional protestant Christian churches, an inspiring message that whatever the world throws at a person God’s love and grace are sufficient to meet the challenge. It’s a hymn strong on key Christian themes, and recognised and sung across the English-speaking world.
Which is why I’m rather disappointed that Matt Redman nicked the chorus to shore up one of his recent compositions. Read the rest of this entry »
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Christian Music | Tagged: Aldridge Parish Church, Andrew Clayton, Bliss, Christian, church, contemporary, context, criticism, hymn, lyrics, Matt Redman, meaning, melody, music, Sankey, sense, service, song, songwriting, Spafford, worship, writing |
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Posted by Andrew Clayton
November 9, 2014
Like any good garage there are levels of service available from most churches this Christmas.
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Christian Music, Christianity and Church, Musical Projects | Tagged: Aldridge, Aldridge Parish Church, carol service, carolling, carols, Christingle, Christmas, December, invitation, music, orchestra, participation, service |
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Posted by Andrew Clayton
November 24, 2013
I’m a musician on the rota of band leaders at Aldridge Parish Church. This Christmas will be one of the more intense ones for me, because I’m playing at the carol services (two of them, back to back, December 22nd evening) and the morning of December 15th. Read the rest of this entry »
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Christian Music, Christianity and Church, Music | Tagged: Aldridge, Aldridge Parish Church, carol, Christian Music, Christmas, church, instrument, music, musician, service |
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Posted by Andrew Clayton
November 17, 2013
It’s been in my diary for a little while now, but I’d like to take this opportunity to plug Ales Beers and Carols 2013 again. What a fantastic opportunity to drink beer and sing carols. For a concept, this one scores highly for simplicity and ease of execution. Read the rest of this entry »
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Christian Music, Community Stuff, Music | Tagged: ales beers and carols, beer, Black Country Arms, carol, carolling, Christmas, community, fun, joy, sing, singing, The Lazy Hill, Walsall |
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Posted by Andrew Clayton