News ¢ Dr Evelyn Lim is the Director of Music & Organ Instructor at Methodist School of Music (MSM). She has served at MSM since 1997, and is a member of Wesley Methodist Church. / Photos courtesy of MSM
Nurturing the field in faith Methodist School of Music turns 25
Methodist Festival Choir, Advent (2019)
“To serve the present age, my calling to fulfill: Oh, may it all my pow’rs engage to do my Master’s will!” Charles Wesley
A charge to keep
small group of part-time teachers, the training aspect
In January 1997, convicted with a charge to train, equip and
of the mission began, with just 18 music students.
edify God’s servants in worship and music, the Methodist
Through collaborations with churches, sacred music
School of Music (MSM) began operations and in a blink of
festivals, choral presentations, classes in worship
an eye, it celebrated its 25th anniversary on 29 April 2022.
leading skills, in addition to music lessons, were organised. The MSM Choir, conducted by Ms Gan, paved
The idea for MSM budded from discussions in the 1980s
the way for the full-fledged Methodist Festival Choir
to mid-1990s about improving the worship and musical
which would be formed later.
life of the local church. Aside from theological seminaries, there were limited avenues where lay persons could
In 2001, as the government gave notice for the land
access worship training. The vision was to establish a
at Mount Sophia to be returned, MSM moved to new
self-sustaining, sacred music cum educational institution
premises at Upper Bukit Timah Road together with TTC
within The Methodist Church in Singapore (MCS). By
and St Francis Methodist School. As this was before
offering quality music education, worship servants would
the construction of Hillview MRT, the area seemed
have good grounding upon which to serve effectively, with
remote, away from the buzz of the city. However, new
the hope that its impact would spill over beyond MCS,
possibilities abounded. A number of teaching and
and reach the local and perhaps, even the international
ministry staff joined the ranks, enabling MSM to expand
community. As a music school, MSM would offer music
its offerings and incorporate its main charge—to equip
training to the public; as a Methodist agency and sacred
and edify God’s servants in worship and music. The
music institution, training and platforms for church music
biennial International Worship Symposium—a gathering
and worship would be provided.
of clergy, specialists and lecturers in worship and music— now in its 9th season, credits its roots to these formative
Hilltop ministries
years. It also became evident by then that there was
From its founding to 2000, MSM operated from the
an unaddressed need—the training of organists for
re-purposed
Methodist
traditional worship and liturgy. MSM plugged the gap
Girls’ School at Mount Sophia, co-locating with Trinity
with the training of organists of various denominations,
Theological College (TTC) and the headquarters of MCS.
participating in educational outreach, and working with
Together with Founding Principal, Ms Mary Gan, and a
organists within the community.
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classrooms
METHODIST MESSAGE June 2022
of
the
former
